US-based global major aerospace group Boeing announced, in Tokyo, on Monday, that it was establishing a new 'Boeing Research & Technology' (BR&T) centre in Japan. This follows the recent expansion of the group’s cooperation agreement with Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), which was originally entered into in 2019.

The expanded agreement now also covers cooperation in the development of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and electric and hydrogen powertrain technologies, as well as concepts for future zero-climate-impact aviation. Also covered by the Boeing-METI agreement is the development of batteries, hybrid-electric and electric propulsion systems, and composite manufacturing to allow new kinds of urban mobility.

“We are excited to open our latest global research and technology centre here in Japan,” announced Boeing chief engineer and Engineering Test & Technology executive VP Greg Hyslop. “Working with terrific partners like METI, the new centre will expand upon Boeing-wide initiatives in sustainable fuels and electrification, and explore the intersection of digitisation, automation and high-performance aerospace composites for greater sustainability in our future products and production systems.”

The new BR&T centre will be situated in Nagoya, a city which already hosts many major suppliers and industrial partners of Boeing. Nagoya is the capital of Aichi prefecture (county) and lies 259 km west-southwest of Tokyo. In the Pacific region, Boeing already has BR&T centres in South Korea, China and Australia.

The US manufacturer has also joined the ‘ACT FOR SKY’ initiative, which is a voluntary grouping of 16 Japanese companies, focused on the promotion, commercialisation, and expansion of the use of Japanese-produced SAF. ACT FOR SKY was founded under the leadership of All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan Airlines (JAL), engineering group JGC Holdings, and biofuels company Revo International.

“ACT FOR SKY welcomes the participation of Boeing,” affirmed ACT FOR SKY representative Masahiro Aika. “We look forward to Boeing collaborating with the other members to ‘ACT’ for the commercialisation, promotion and expansion of SAF in Japan.”

“To ensure the enormous societal benefits of aviation remain available for generations to come, we must continue to partner with capable innovators and leaders to support the industry’s commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050,” highlighted Boeing chief sustainability officer Chris Raymond. “We are humbled to join ACT FOR SKY and collaborate with other members to share global best practices and help with the scale up and demand of SAF in Japan. And we are honoured to open the [BR&T] Japan research centre and expand our work with airline customers ANA and JAL on advanced technologies to realise zero-climate-impact aviation.”