Akita, "the Land of Wind," Leading a New Era of Offshore Wind Power Generation

From October 15 to 17, the Global Offshore Wind Summit – Japan 2025 (GOWS-Japan2025) was held in Akita City. The event featured presentations and panel discussions on a wide range of topics and challenges, including the latest technologies such as floating offshore wind turbines, business stability strategies, and human resource development. Company and municipal booths hosted active business negotiations and briefings. Around 750 participants from 20 countries and regions attended, reflecting strong global interest and expectations for Japan's offshore wind power market.

Akita Prefecture, the summit's host, benefits from strong ocean winds and leads Japan with four out of the nation's ten designated "promotion areas" for offshore wind power. At the opening ceremony, Governor Kenta Suzuki declared, "Akita Prefecture will continue to leverage its favorable wind conditions as a leader in renewable energy, pushing forward as a cutting-edge region and facilitating both industry promotion and expanded adoption in a unified effort with both public and private sectors." The prefecture has outlined plans for "renewable energy industrial parks" powered entirely by local renewable sources like wind and is focusing on developing maintenance personnel for wind turbines. Site tours organized alongside the summit featured facilities such as "Kaze to Umi no Gakkou Akita," a training center for offshore wind turbine technicians in Oga City, Akita, which also draws trainees from outside the region, contributing to local revitalization. Overseas companies seeking to enter or expand in the Japanese market also participated.

Akita's progress in industry-academia-government collaboration was highlighted by Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) Deputy CEO Rebecca Williams, who appeared via video message calling Akita "a region that showcases the future of Japan's offshore wind power."

The Japanese government envisions offshore wind becoming one of the primary power sources in its 2050 carbon neutrality strategy, setting ambitious targets of 10 GW by 2030 and 30–45 GW by 2040. Such goals represent major business opportunities for global energy firms. The government has set a long-term site occupancy period of 30 years, with possible extensions, to stabilize the market and encourage entry by business operators, including overseas companies. Transitioning from a fixed feed-in tariff (FIT) to a feed-in premium (FIP) system, which offers additional subsidies atop market rates, provides strong support for global firms with technical expertise, enabling long-term profitability in Japan's growth market.

Japan's offshore wind market is developing rapidly, but the industrial base and supply chain are still in early stages, creating significant entry opportunities for established foreign companies with know-how.

Vestas Wind Systems of Denmark, the world's leading wind turbine manufacturer, produces wind turbines and provides operation and maintenance (O&M) services for offshore wind power plants in the Akita and Noshiro port areas. President Katsushige Goto of MHI Vestas Japan, a joint venture with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries that handles domestic sales of Vestas wind turbines, stated, "Japan has the world's fifth largest electricity demand and sixth largest maritime zone (including EEZ), giving it tremendous potential as an offshore wind market." Goto, who attended the summit, emphasized, "Through discussions, I sensed strong will and commitment from government and industry leaders to establish offshore wind as one of the main power sources in Japan." Strong market potential, sustainable and feasible auction frameworks, excellent geographic conditions, and progress in supply chain formation all combine to make Japan "undoubtedly a highly promising market." He added, "As a global wind turbine manufacturer, we, Vestas, hope to contribute our expertise and solutions to Japan's success."

Expectation is rising for Akita Prefecture and for Japan's offshore wind sector as a whole.