Japan is stepping up its role in global offshore wind, committing billions to projects abroad even as its domestic sector struggles to keep pace.

In mid-June, the U.K.-Japan Offshore Wind Industrial Compact was announced during Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s visit to the United Kingdom. The deal facilitates up to £9 billion ($11.4 billion) of investment from Japanese companies into the U.K.’s offshore wind energy sector and enables projects that will generate 5.9 gigawatts of power.

In everyday terms, if everything goes to plan, Japan-supported projects will generate enough energy to power 8 million U.K. homes. That is not an insubstantial contribution to a country that already has one of the highest fuel poverty rates in northern Europe and is facing further energy price increases as a result of conflict in the Middle East.

Takaichi’s counterpart, Keir Starmer, may have vacated his role just days after the compact was signed, but Japan’s appetite for investing in the U.K.’s offshore wind supply chain has already been proven to transcend prime ministers and political parties.

Nowhere is this more visible than in Scotland. In 2025, Mitsui & Co. purchased the Port of Nigg, a major port serving offshore wind farms in the North Sea. Just 500 meters down the road, Sumitomo is putting the finishing touches on a factory that will produce cables capable of carrying electricity from offshore wind farms to shore. Since the early 2020s, Marubeni has been steadily increasing its investments in a series of offshore wind projects as the former oil-rich North Sea region transitions to a renewable energy hub.

Unfortunately, the picture within Japan is less rosy. Late last year, a series of high-profile withdrawals by Mitsubishi left coastal communities from Akita to Chiba reeling as projects that had been expected to bring jobs and economic growth were canceled or at least postponed........

© The Japan Times