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New Energy World™ embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low-carbon technologies.
Restart: the current state of Japan’s offshore wind industry
11/5/2026
10 min read
Feature
Japan is a country with high electricity demand, chronically low energy self-sufficiency and significant geographical constraints that limit the expansion of land-based renewables. In that context, as the World Forum Offshore Wind (WFO) has framed it, offshore wind – and floating offshore wind in particular – is not merely a clean energy option but a structural necessity for achieving both energy security and decarbonisation. So, the collapse of all three Round 1 bids and their formal withdrawal by bidder Mitsubishi last August, was a significant setback. Has the sector learned from its mistakes, asks Caren Hsaio, Head of Asia-Pacific (APAC) at the G+ offshore wind health and safety organisation.
There are certainly some positive developments in Japan’s offshore wind sector, including the recent commissioning of the Kitakyushu Hibikinada offshore wind farm and Goto floating offshore wind farm.
In January 2026, the 16.8 MW Goto wind farm, with eight Hitachi turbines mounted on the world’s first hybrid spar-type floating foundations off Nagasaki Prefecture, went into operation as Japan’s first commercial floating wind project. Two months later, in March 2026, the 240 MW Kitakyushu Hibikinada wind farm also entered commercial operation, becoming the country’s largest offshore wind development.
Policy-wise, Japan is also navigating a recalibration phase after Round 1’s collapse. The Act on Promoting the Utilization of Sea Areas for the Development of Marine Renewable Energy Power Generation Facilities, which was amended in June 2025, recently came into effect in April 2026. That amendment expands the development zone from territorial waters to the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), establishing a new 15 GW floating wind target and rewriting the rules of the game for Japan’s long-term ambitions.