Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd., OBAYASHI CORPORATION, Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., and Chiyoda Corporation have jointly established the Japan-New Zealand hydrogen corridor. The initiative will examine the feasibility of producing green hydrogen in New Zealand and exporting it to Japan. The consortium plans to begin the detailed studies in fiscal 2026 to develop a supply chain enabling hydrogen production in New Zealand and its transportation to Japan. The initiative targets the commencement of hydrogen exports and imports by the early 2030s.
Strong diplomatic and trade relations between Japan and New Zealand are expected to support future hydrogen trade. Moreover, the initiative contributes to Japan’s decarbonisation and energy security goals, since the country has limited energy self-sufficiency and small share of renewables in its total energy consumption, implying that meeting future large-scale demand for green hydrogen solely through domestic production is expected to be difficult.
In March 2026, Electric Power Development Co., Ltd. (J-POWER) announced the commencement of commercial operations at the Kitakyushu Hibikinada offshore wind farm in Japan. The project is located in the Hibikinada sea off the coast of Wakamatsu-ku in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka. The total installed capacity of the project is 220 MW, of which 88 MW is owned by J-POWER. The wind farm comprises 25 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 9,600 kW.