A review of hydrogen policies in leading Asian hydrogen economies

In recent years, numerous hydrogen policies have been adopted in almost all major economies. As the world’s most populated continent and possessing diverse geographic and societal conditions, Asia represents a compelling case study to examine such policies. This article provides a review of state-level hydrogen policies and their underlying economic mechanisms for the continent’s four largest economies: China, India, Japan, and the Republic of Korea. All four nations possess extensive hydrogen strategies, yet they pursue diverging approaches; for instance, India as the only one predominantly applying competitive award procedures. Our findings indicate that the implementation of dedicated policies often hinges on a country’s comparative advantages, resource dependencies, and industrial policy goals. This leads to a focus on production-side subsidies for India, while Japan and Korea emphasize imports and domestic usage in industrial and mobility applications. We suggest that these countries apply more extensive infrastructure policies, particularly when aiming for strong imports or if vast distances must be bridged between supply and demand centers. In addition, implementing dedicated policies could better address hydrogen’s potential to foster positive externalities between sectors.