OKUMA, Fukushima Prefecture--In a 5,000-square-meter farmland in one corner of the town, which co-hosts the disaster-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, some 30,000 sorghum plants are blowing in the wind.

But the staple crop isn't being grown for food or cattle feed by local farmers.

Instead, Toyota Motor Corp. researchers are cultivating techniques for growing sorghum, which can be used as a raw material for biofuel.

With the shift toward electric vehicles slowing, Toyota expects that gas-powered cars will remain in demand for the time being.

The leading automaker seeks to continue support for combustion engine vehicles while it works on the decarbonization of fuels.

FOR LOW-COST BIOFUEL PRODUCTION

The area surrounding the farmland had been designated as a restricted residential zone after the 2011 nuclear accident.

Toyota rented the farmland from the owner after the evacuation order was lifted in April 2019 and started cultivating sorghum in 2022.

In addition to commercially available varieties, the company is growing 88 crossbreeds.

Some cultivars have been modified through crossbreeding to grow faster or suppress the cessation of growth that occurs when ears form on the sorghum, which are its reproductive structure that contains seeds.

As improvements were made to maximize growth, it is expected that the harvest will at least double the amount of what commercially available cultivars can offer.

After harvesting, sugar stored in sorghum will be converted into bioethanol through fermentation or other processes, which is then blended with gasoline to make biofuel.

Because sorghum absorbs carbon dioxide (CO2) through photosynthesis, it is considered as a fuel source to offset overall CO2 emissions.

Currently, sugarcane and corn are commonly used as raw materials to produce biofuels.

But it is feared that overuse of the food crops to produce biofuels can lead to food shortages and price increases.

Although sorghum is similar to corn in appearance, it has more inedible parts than corn.

Keiji Kaita, president of Toyota's Carbon Neutral Advanced Engineering Development Center, added, "There is a possibility that we can (grow sorghum) in newly cultivated fields and barren areas."

After the nuclear disaster, an evacuation order was issued by the central government for the entire town of Okuma.

The evacuation order has been lifted in about 50 percent of the areas.

But some farmlands became barren after the topsoil was scraped off and soil was replaced to remove radioactive materials.

Toyota plans to return the farmland to the owner after the research project is complete.

The company also believes that the effort can contribute to the community if the fertility of the soil in the fields left abandoned while residents were living as evacuees can be restored through sorghum cultivation.

In Okuma, there is also a research facility that studies efficient production methods for bioethanol using sorghum harvested in the town.

It was established in 2024 by the Research Association of Biomass Innovation for Next Generation Automobile Fuels, whose members include Toyota, four other automakers, a leading oil company and other companies.

Though it is still in an experimental stage, the facility can produce 300 liters of bioethanol a day from a total of 10 tons of sorghum stems and leaves, according to the association.

From the next year, biofuel produced in Okuma will be used to fuel race cars competing in the All-Japan Super Formula Championship, Japan's top auto racing series.

Test runs have been conducted at the racing site, while cars and a motorcycles provided by the participating companies ran on public roads in the prefecture on Oct. 13.

Biofuels have become widely used in countries with a high level of self-sufficiency in crops from which the fuels are produced.

But procurement costs are high in Japan, while the country lacks a legal system governing the biofuel quality and vehicle standards.

Reducing prices has also been a pending issue for the widespread use of biofuels.

Toyota also cultivates sorghum in four other locations in Japan, including Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, to see how differently they grow.

To popularize low-cost biofuels, the automaker is also considering growing the plant in Indonesia next year and sharing expertise gained through the sorghum research with farmers and oil companies.