Norwegian-Japanese collaboration and a strengthened team in Tokyo

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Minister of Trade and Industry Jan Christian Vestre are in Tokyo. During the visit, Vestre and his Japanese counterpart, Yasutoshi Nishimura, agreed to forge a closer strategic partnership on the green transition.

The Norwegian Government aims to foster closer cooperation between Norwegian and Japanese businesses. Japanese companies will be able to benefit from Norwegian expertise, technology and investments.

Japan has ambitious plans to develop offshore wind and establish global value chains for hydrogen and ammonia. Norwegian companies are now strengthening their collaboration with partners in Japan to develop cost-effective solutions that can create value chains in both Japan and Norway.

'Japan is an industrial nation that has set ambitious targets for the green transition. We are in Japan to showcase Norwegian green solutions and establish Norway as a relevant partner for Japan. I am therefore pleased that during our visit we will sign a joint communiqué confirming our partnership on the green transition and our agreement to work more closely towards a greener future,' says Minister of Trade and Industry Jan Christian Vestre.

We have brought together a group of leading Norwegian companies working on the green transition in the energy and maritime sectors for meetings and seminars in Tokyo during the Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Industry's visit.

'Norway and Japan complement each other in many ways. Norway is an energy-producing nation, while Japan is an advanced end user of energy and depends on energy imports. Together, we can build clean energy value chains that benefit both countries economically and environmentally,' says Svein Grandum, our Country Director in Japan.

An industrial partnership of this kind between Norway and Japan makes Norwegian suppliers more relevant to Japan's offshore wind development.

Norway and Japan already collaborate on offshore wind, hydrogen and ammonia, batteries and CCUS, and our Tokyo office has helped Norwegian companies take part in several of these projects.

Norway is developing and commercialising battery technology in partnership with Japan. One example is the use of Japanese technology at Freyr's test facility in Mo i Rana.

A Japanese company will operate the ships transporting CO2 from Brevik to Øygarden as part of the Longship project, the world's first full-scale CCS pilot project.

Norwegian companies are also bidding for offshore wind development projects in Japan, and vice versa. Norwegian companies have also signed supply agreements for offshore wind projects, covering everything from geological surveys and weather services to supply vessels and technology previously used in Norway's offshore industry.

Japan aims to develop 30 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 and 45 GW by 2040 as part of its efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

'Norwegian technology, expertise and solutions, particularly for floating offshore wind, are in demand and provide a strong foundation for industrial partnerships,' says Svein Grandum.

We and Team Norway in Japan are now increasing our on-the-ground resources to work more closely with Japanese companies and authorities, helping Norwegian companies win contracts in Japan. Equinor, Kongsberg Maritime and DOF are joining forces to strengthen this initiative through co-funding and active participation.

'We are pursuing this initiative with strong involvement from the business community, which is helping us expand Team Norway's resources and bringing valuable expertise to our joint efforts in the Japanese market. Having a strong local presence with the right expertise and sufficient resources is essential to turn Norwegian solutions into valuable, long-term contracts for Norwegian businesses,' says Grandum.