Biden, Kishida Eye Wind Power as Japan Worries About LNG Supply

US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged to intensify efforts to harness wind power and speed the transition to clean-energy amid concerns in resource-scant Japan over access to liquefied natural gas.

“The United States remains unwavering in its commitment to support the energy security of Japan and other allies, including its ability to predictably supply LNG,” the leaders said in a joint statement Wednesday after their bilateral summit in Washington.

The Biden administration’s January move to halt the approval of new licenses to export US liquefied natural gas while it reviews how the shipments impact climate change surprised Japan’s top importers and drew a rare show of concern from the government in Tokyo. Japan is highly reliant on the fuel. On Tuesday, Kishida and US business leaders discussed the implications of the moratorium.

Biden and Kishida on Wednesday pledged to maximize energy transition efforts in each country: through the US Inflation Reduction Act, which includes billions in green incentives, and Japan’s own push to promote clean-energy sources.

“The United States and Japan recognize that the climate crisis is the existential challenge of our time and intend to be leaders in the global response,” the statement said, adding that Japan is joining as the first international collaborator on a US initiative to promote floating offshore wind energy.

Japan has set its sights on offshore wind to boost its renewable energy capacity. The country is targeting 10 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030, and 30 to 45 gigawatts by 2040. That’s an ambitious target for a country that, according to a BloombergNEF report last year, is only on track for 4.4 gigawatts by the end of the decade.

Japan is looking to harness a still still-developing technology that allows turbines to float on a structure out in the sea to increase capacity. The Asian country lacks the shallow waters available in other countries like the UK and Denmark where bottom-fixed offshore wind turbines can be implemented.

US climate envoy John Podesta visited Japan in March, where he said the two nations could build out more renewable energy in Asia.