A Brazilian delegation, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, will visit Japan this week to discuss expanding agricultural trade relations between the two countries. In support of this mission, Brazil’s sugarcane and bioenergy sectors, represented by the Brazilian Sugarcane and Bioenergy Industry Association (UNICA) and in partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil), will organize a sector-focused agenda as part of the Sugarcane Ethanol Project.
On March 26th, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will participate in the Brazil-Japan Forum 2025, a business seminar at the New Otani Hotel, in Tokyo. Organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with support from the National Confederation of Industry (CNI), the event will gather approximately 500 business leaders. Evandro Gussi, UNICA’s president, will be part of the panel on “Decarbonization and Energy Strategies,” where he will highlight the benefits of Brazilian ethanol. According to Mr. Gussi, “Brazilian ethanol has the lowest carbon intensity in the world, offering the most cost-effective way to avoid carbon emissions. Ethanol produced from Brazilian sugarcane and second-crop corn reduces carbon emissions by 75% to 80% compared to gasoline. Furthermore, it has the potential to reach near carbon-neutral emissions through initiatives like replacing diesel with biomethane in agricultural fleets, among others.”
On March 27th, UNICA, in partnership with the Institute of Energy Economics of Japan (IEEJ), will host the Brazil-Japan Workshop on Biofuels to Decarbonize Transport. The event will bring together Brazilian and Japanese business leaders, along with representatives from the Japanese government, automotive, and bioenergy sectors. Key topics on the agenda include the use of carbon-neutral fuels in Japan, the potential of ethanol in maritime transportation, ethanol blending with gasoline for land mobility, and discussions on infrastructure and distribution.
Both the mission and the event are part of an ongoing exchange of experience and knowledge between Brazil and Japan. Brazil will share its extensive expertise in biofuel production, logistics, infrastructure, and regulation, honed over 50 years of large-scale ethanol use in its transportation sector. This expertise has been cultivated in a supportive environment, backed by public policies that recognize the environmental and socio-economic benefits of biofuels. Key initiatives such as RenovaBio (2017), Mover, and Fuel of the Future (2024) have been instrumental in driving this progress.
On the other hand, Japan aims to increase its ethanol blend to 10% by 2030, which will boost daily ethanol demand to 12.2 million liters, totaling 4.45 billion liters annually. The country is also making strides in developing a regulatory framework for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). In October, UNICA participated in the Japan International Aerospace Exhibition, where it not only hosted a booth but also organized an event to highlight how ethanol can help the country to reduce the carbon intensity of its aviation sector.
About Sugarcane Ethanol Project
ApexBrasil and UNICA made public in 2008, through the Brazilian Sugarcane Ethanol partnership, a strategy to promote the image of sugarcane products abroad, especially Brazilian ethanol as a clean and renewable energy. In 2023, the two entities signed an agreement that provides for shared investments.
The sectoral project aims to influence the process of building the image of ethanol and other sugarcane derivatives among the main global opinion makers – governments and the media, as well as trading companies, potential investors and importers, NGOs and consumers.
About ApexBrasil
The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) works to promote Brazilian products and services abroad and attract foreign investments to strategic sectors of the Brazilian economy. In order to achieve its goals, ApexBrasil carries out several trade promotion initiatives aimed at promoting Brazilian products and services abroad, such as prospective and trade missions, business rounds, support to the participation of Brazilian companies in major international fairs, visits of foreign buyers and opinion makers to learn about the Brazilian productive structure, among other business platforms that also aim at strengthening the Brazil brand. The Agency also acts in a coordinated way with public and private players to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) to Brazil with a focus on strategic sectors for the development of the competitiveness of Brazilian companies and the country.
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