On September 22, 2025 (JT), the U.S.-Japan Council (USJC) and the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation (EUJC) co-hosted a webinar titled “Hope for Offshore Wind Power in Japan, Learning from Experiences in Europe and the United States.”
Offshore wind power is generating strong hope in Japan as a key tool for both decarbonization and energy security. However, there are many challenges, including rising costs and the broader business environment. To address these issues, over 250 experts from both the public and private sectors discussed the outlook and challenges of offshore wind power in Japan, drawing on lessons from the experiences of Europe and the United States.
In the final part of the webinar, the speakers discussed how to respond to current challenges, e.g., inflation index terms for cost up risk and introducing a two-sided Contract for Difference for revenue certainty.
The moderator Yasuo Tanabe, Managing Director of EUJC and Senior Advisor of USJC, concluded, “Japan is now at a crucial juncture to transition its offshore wind energy potential into real-world implementation and deployment by learning from Europe’s experience. To achieve this, collaboration among public, business, and academia is key in which international cooperation is instrumental.”
The discussions from the webinar will provide foundational insights for the future promotion of offshore wind power in Japan.
Speakers
Opening Remarks
- Audrey Yamamoto, President & CEO, U.S.-Japan Council
- Gaku Hasegawa, Member of the House of Councilors
- Noriyoshi Fukuoka, Director, Wind Energy Project Promotion Office, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy
- Paolo Frankl, Head of Renewable Energy Division, International Energy Agency
- Kosuke Oniwa, Renewable Energy Department, New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)
- Gero Norman Tschierschke, Global Business Development Head for Offshore, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy
- Chihiro Terasawa, Lead researcher, Mitsubishi Research Institute
Panel Discussion
Moderator
- Yasuo Tanabe, Japan-side Managing Director, EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation
This event was held as part of USJC’s Climate & Sustainability Leadership Initiative, which is supported by the Initiative’s Founding Strategic Partner, Amazon.