Japan selects promising regions for GX strategic industrial clusters

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has selected promising regions (first-stage screening pass) for the newly established “GX Strategic Regions” system.

• Main announcement: METI selected 38 regions across three GX types as first-stage pass candidates — 6 for Industrial Complex Regeneration, 9 for Data-Center Aggregation, and 23 regions (44 sites) for Decarbonized Power Utilization — and will formally certify GX strategic regions around summer 2026 after further review of project plans and commitments.
• Background and details: The selection followed public solicitation through 13 Feb 2026 and strict review by an external screening committee; METI will refine project content (competitiveness, feasibility, business needs, municipal commitments) and will publish plan summaries for some categories later, while only prefecture names are being published for data-center aggregation to prevent land/electricity pre-emptive claims.