Speaking to ABC radio on Wednesday, Malinauskas said the focus of his trip was South Australia’s clean energy transition but rejected accusations his meetings have only been symbolic.

The visit to Japan is his first overseas trip after being voted in as Premier with the six-day trade mission aiming to support exporters continuing to reel from tough new trading conditions in China.

“As many South Australians who have done business in Japan well understand, relationships and long-term relationships are everything here,” Malinauskas said.

“You’ve got to start from the ground up and build a relationship over time, because the Japanese take very seriously the power of shaking hands and looking someone in the eye, having a meal with each other, to develop those relationships before you get commercial outcomes.”

He said business relationships exist in South Australia with Japan, in other areas of trade, such as gas, but not in terms of decarbonising technologies.

Malinauskas said the state government would likely need guidance from Japanese companies like Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to develop turbines for its promised $590 million Hydrogen electrolyzer at Whyalla.

“That is the piece of equipment that makes hydrogen but we’re also committed to burning that hydrogen on site in Whyalla and turn it into electricity.

“We actually do require Japanese engineering and technological know-how particularly when it comes to the hydrogen power station that we as a government are committed to building around Whyalla.”

“I just cannot possibly overstate the size of the opportunity that presents for our state, Western Australia’s shipping huge quantities of iron ore, Queensland is shipping huge quantities of liquefied natural gas out of state shipping coal, we have the opportunity to ship hydrogen and it’s something we should all be excited about.”

He said a Whyalla electrolyzer would prioritise power for South Australian households and businesses.

“The entirety of our plan that we took to the election and the specific mandate of hydrogen power South Australia, which will be a government owned business enterprise –  is to put the energy the hydrogen electricity that is produced directly into the South Australian electricity market for South Australian consumers,” Malinauskas said.

“It’s going to be South Australia, producing South Australian hydrogen, owned and operated by the government.”