One theory is that Japan&#x27;s methane hydrate resources [1] give them the opportunity to become at least energy independent, if not a net energy exporter.  For a traditionally resource-poor nation, this is an attractive prospect, but it requires the adoption of hydrogen as a fuel, so the Japanese government is strongly encouraging it.  Another theory is that Toyota has done the math and decided that they can&#x27;t compete with China on EVs (e.g., see [2]) and so are looking for a different game to win.<p>[1] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nytimes.com&#x2F;2013&#x2F;03&#x2F;13&#x2F;business&#x2F;global&#x2F;japan-says-it-is-first-to-tap-methane-hydrate-deposit.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nytimes.com&#x2F;2013&#x2F;03&#x2F;13&#x2F;business&#x2F;global&#x2F;japan-says...</a><p>[2] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.bloomberg.com&#x2F;news&#x2F;articles&#x2F;2015-04-23&#x2F;china-won-t-let-toyota-ditch-its-electric-cars" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.bloomberg.com&#x2F;news&#x2F;articles&#x2F;2015-04-23&#x2F;china-won-...</a>