On Thursday, during a news conference, Katsunobu Kato, Japan’s chief spokesman for the government stated, the trade ministry is weighing options to support a shift to electric-powered vehicles and will map out a plan by the end of this year.

Japan plans on stopping the sale of new gasoline powered cars by mid-2030s in favour of hybrid or electric vehicles; the policy is in line with the global trend towards electric powered cars, said Japanese public broadcaster NHK.