The mayors of two cities in Japan and California has inked a memorandum of understanding on their respective hydrogen growth strategies, creating the world’s first hydrogen sister cities, Kallanish reports. 

Mayor Kazuhiro Yoshida of Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, and Mayor Rex Parris of Lancaster, California, sealed the agreement at an online event attended by California Senator Alex Padilla, California lieutenant governor Eleni Kounalakis, and Agency of Natural Resources and Energy of Japan hydrogen director Yukari Hino. 

The Olympic flame - slated to be lit this week - will be fuelled with hydrogen produced in Namie.

“With the cooperation of all parties concerned, we strive for Namie to become a town that pioneers a hydrogen-based society using locally produced carbon-free hydrogen," Yoshida says. Lancaster has similar ambitions to produce the hydrogen that will be used in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. 

The nature of the sister-city agreement involves sharing hydrogen roadmaps, timelines, experiences and targeted introductions to their respective local hydrogen companies. 

"Together Japan and California are leading the way to a clean energy future,” says Kounalakis. “Our climate crisis is a global crisis and partnerships at all levels of government, including at the city level, are essential to tackling climate change.”