Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has upgraded two offshore wind areas off Akita City in the north and Hibikinada Sea in Fukuoka Prefecture in the south from “preparatory areas” to “promising zones” for offshore wind development.
The reclassification follows recommendations by an independent expert committee and marks the second step under Japan’s three-tier site designation system governed by the Act on Promoting the Utilisation of Sea Areas. The designation brings the sites closer to qualifying as “promotion zones,” which would make them eligible for government tenders.