Japan adds new offshore wind promising zones — Akita City and Hibikinada
On October 6, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) designated two new “promising zones” for offshore wind development: off Akita City and off Hibikinada in Fukuoka Prefecture.
In addition, three other areas — off Asahi City (Chiba Prefecture), south of Goto City (Nagasaki Prefecture), and off Ichikikushikino City (Kagoshima Prefecture) — were classified as “preparatory zones.” These designations are part of the government’s process under the Act on Promoting the Use of Marine Areas for Renewable Energy.
As part of the government-led Central Method, JOGMEC (Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation) selected three sites for detailed surveys: Akita City offshore, Asahi offshore, and Hibikinada offshore.
The government has already designated multiple promotion zones, though some, such as Noshiro/ Mitane/ Oga (Akita) and Yurihonjo (Akita), have faced setbacks after corporate consortia including Mitsubishi Corporation withdrew.
The updated list includes:
-
Promotion zones (e.g., Goto, Noshiro-Mitane-Oga, Yurihonjo, Choshi, Hachibomachi-Noshiro, Oga-Katagami-Akita, Murakami-Tainai, Saikai-Eshima, Aomori southern Japan Sea, Yusa in Yamagata, Matsumae in Hokkaido, Hiyama in Hokkaido).
-
Promising zones (e.g., Ishikari, Iwanai/Minami-Shiribeshi, Shimamaki, northern Aomori, Akita City, Sakata, Kujukuri, Isumi, Hibikinada).
-
Preparatory zones (e.g., floating offshore projects in Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Tokyo islands, Toyama, Fukui, Wakayama, Saga, Nagasaki, Kagoshima).
This expanded designation highlights Japan’s intention to accelerate offshore wind development as part of its long-term decarbonization strategy.
