Japan has no nimble startup matching Spark’s on‑site methane→hydrogen+solid‑carbon modular play — the market is dominated by lumbering incumbents playing big‑infrastructure games (hydrogen supply chains, LOHC/MCH trials, ammonia co‑firing and large electrolyser projects). ENEOS, Mitsubishi and Kawasaki are running hydrogen and decarbonisation pilots, but they are infrastructure titans, not factory‑scale disruptors — Spark’s unit‑level product simply has no true Japanese startup rival. This is not subtle: corporate Japan builds highways; Spark sells the motorcycle that slices through them.

Japan’s industrial clusters (steel, glass, chemicals) are starved for solutions that cut CO2 without ripping out furnaces — Spark’s modular, on‑site hydrogen+carbon business model is a direct fit. Tactical playbook: grab a NEDO/Green Innovation Fund demo slot, lock a pilot with a steel or glassworks, partner with a trading house or refinery incumbent for procurement and offtake, and license manufacturing to local EPCs. The prize is massive: Japan has deep pockets, regulated decarbonization programs, and corporations that will pay to avoid full plant rebuilds — the only thing missing is a founder who will fight the procurement battles. Move fast, pilot loud, and Japan becomes a launchpad.