Japan Lists New Offshore Wind Promising and Preparatory Zones

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) announced the reclassification of marine areas under the Act on Promotion of the Utilization of Sea Areas for Marine Renewable Energy Sources and selected new targets for JOGMEC site surveys.

• Main announcement: METI and MLIT have newly designated two areas—Akita City offshore (Akita Prefecture) and Hibikinada offshore (Fukuoka Prefecture)—as “promising areas”, and three areas—Asahi City offshore (Chiba Prefecture), south of Goto City (Nagasaki Prefecture, floating), and Ichikikushikino City offshore (Kagoshima Prefecture)—as “preparatory areas”. These designations were made based on prefectural submissions (Mar 10–May 12) and third‑party expert committee advice, and form part of the process toward formal designation as promotion zones under the law.
• Background and next steps: As part of the “centralized approach,” JOGMEC was newly selected to conduct site surveys (wind, seabed geology, meteorological/oceanographic) in three areas: Akita City offshore, Asahi City offshore (Chiba), and Hibikinada offshore (Fukuoka). JOGMEC will advance necessary coordination and survey preparations assuming passage of the FY2026 (Reiwa 8) government budget. The release notes that prefectural governments and local stakeholders (e.g., fisheries, navigation) have begun coordination efforts.