The results of Japan’s third auction round are expected to be announced by the end of the year, Yuza Town (450 MW) and Aomori South (600 MW), with around 2 GW of bottom-fixed projects to be awarded, according to 4C Offshore. 

Another auction is scheduled for 2025. Based on tendering achievements to date and continued work on legalising an offshore wind framework for the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Japan’s 5.7 GW by 2030 target is obtainable.

Visit NOW to Japan in February

Norwegian Offshore Wind is organising a Visit NOW to Japan 17 – 21 February connected to Wind EXPO. Team Norway is planning a Pavilion and connected activities like business and B2B meetings with Japanese developers and contractors during the week of the event. 

-This visit will be a great opportunity to meet with Japanese developers, supply chain companies and investors. The Japanese offshore wind projects still depend on foreign expertise, mainly from Europe, to fully meet their goals, says Business Development Manager in Norwegian Offshore Wind, Astrid Green. 

A bright future for Japan in Offshore Wind

According to analysts in Spinergie, both fixed and floating wind projects are set to play a key part in the country's offshore wind development, with its deeper waters particularly well suited to the latter. 

However, Japan must also overcome challenges related to infrastructure, regulatory frameworks, and local partnerships. Offshore wind components manufacturing capacity is limited, and no major established offshore wind turbine producer exists within the country. Spinergie points out that the subsea cable sector is fairly well established, with major local players such as Sumitomo and Furukawa Electric and a European player, Nexans. Japanese developers still depend on foreign insight.

-This provides an opportunity for Norwegian supply chain to enter collaborations in Japan, says Green. 

Offshore wind capacity and project pipeline

According to Spinergie analyst Maelig Gaborieau, Japan’s offshore wind capacity remains modest, with less than 300 MW commissioned as of 2024. This includes the Akita and Noshiro ports project, Ishikari Bay New Port wind farm, and Nyuzen. However, the sector supports a pipeline of over 4 GW in the development and planning stages.

-Japan has deep coastal waters, and hence floating is the way forward for this market, says Astrid Green. 

Along Japans eastern coast, the Pacific Plate dives beneath the Okhotsk Plate, creating some of the world’s deepest oceanic trenches. Demonstration projects have been launched in Japan, such as offshore the city of Fukushima in 2017, or are currently under construction, as in Goto, both in water depths greater than 100 meters.

Future Development

Three new sites, Akita City in Akita Prefecture, the East Side of Wakayama Prefecture, and the West Side of Wakayama Prefecture (floating), have been designated as preparation zones, according to 4C Offshore.

The timeline for a site to progress from a preparation zone to a promotion zone typically ranges from 2 to 6 years. These sites will be monitored for future allocation rounds and could potentially be tendered between 2026 and 2030.