17 renewable energy, nuclear parts and equipment firms take part

Supply chain talks held with more than 50 Japanese companies

Japan plans 150 trillion yen green transformation investment over next decade

Data center boom pushes up power demand

A Japanese buyer holds business consultations at a Korean exhibitor's booth during Smart Energy Week 2026 in Tokyo. The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency has run a climate tech market development mission with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and the Korea Nuclear Industry Association since Monday.
A Japanese buyer holds business consultations at a Korean exhibitor's booth during Smart Energy Week 2026 in Tokyo. The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency has run a climate tech market development mission with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and the Korea Nuclear Industry Association since Monday.

Japan plans to invest 150 trillion yen ($977 billion) in its green transformation over the next decade. South Korean renewable energy and nuclear power materials, parts and equipment companies are moving to break into Japan's energy supply chain. They are meeting major local energy companies such as Toshiba and Hitachi directly to seek supply and partnership opportunities.

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) said Thursday that it dispatched a "climate tech market development mission" to Tokyo for four days starting Monday. KOTRA carried out the mission together with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and the Korea Nuclear Industry Association. Seventeen South Korean companies specializing in materials, parts and equipment for renewable energy and nuclear power took part.

The mission set up a Korea pavilion at Smart Energy Week 2026, which opened the same Monday, and held business-to-business consultations with Japanese companies. About 50 Japanese firms took part in the talks, including energy companies such as Toshiba and Hitachi that KOTRA had contacted in advance. Also participating were 20 major engineering, procurement and construction firms.

Before the main consultations, participating companies also worked to get a read on the local market. On Monday, they held a seminar with the Japan Electrical Manufacturers' Association and exhibition organizer RX Japan to examine trends in Japan's power equipment market and purchasing patterns. On Tuesday, they visited the Mitsubishi Research Institute and the Ukishima solar power plant to check on changes in the power market and demand for equipment.

Behind South Korean companies' interest in Japan lies a major shift in investment across the local energy industry. The Japanese government plans to encourage more than 150 trillion yen in public and private green transformation investment over the next decade to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is also providing roughly 20 trillion yen in government support alongside the private investment.

The expansion of data centers and semiconductor factories driven by the spread of AI is also reshaping the power equipment market. The Japanese government expects power demand to turn upward for the first time in about 20 years because of new and expanded data centers and semiconductor plants. It is expanding its push to secure carbon-free power sources such as renewable energy and nuclear power.

KOTRA said Japanese companies are restructuring their existing supply chains alongside this investment in power infrastructure. This could open new entry points for South Korean parts makers with strong technological capabilities.

An official from a South Korean company identified only as S, which took part in the mission, said, "We could feel that more Japanese companies are hoping to cooperate with overseas supply chains as power demand in Japan rises quickly due to data center expansion and other factors. Interest in Korean companies is particularly high right now, and through this mission we were able to hold meetings with leading Japanese power companies such as Hitachi and Toshiba. We expect this to lead to results going forward."

Park Yong-min, head of KOTRA's Japan regional headquarters, said, "Japan's recent aggressive green transformation and AI transformation promotion policies are changing the supply chain strategies of conservative Japanese companies. We will do our best to serve as a bridge that matches the needs of Korean and Japanese companies, so that the demand uncovered through this mission leads to an actual expansion of Korean parts, materials and equipment companies' presence in Japan."


kwater@heraldcorp.com