Carbon Neutral / Renewable Energy, etc.

Atsumi & Sakai has one of Japan’s top-tier energy practices, led by a partner recognized by independent commentators as being a leading practitioner in the field.

 

Our team has extensive experience in advising international investment & infrastructure funds, banks, and energy-industry companies on energy projects in Japan, including advising on over 100 cases of purchases and sales of interests in projects across the whole spectrum of energy generation, energy storage, and pollution mitigation. We advise on projects including:

• Solar power
• Wind power (onshore and offshore)
• Hydropower
• Biomass (wood, sewage sludge, and waste)
• Geothermal
• Nuclear
• Battery storage technologies
• Carbon capture, utilization and storage

We are particularly active in new energy areas such as hydrogen and ammonium.

 

Our energy team comprises expert Japanese lawyers and foreign lawyers familiar with the nuances of Japanese law in this field and we can help you with:

• Bidding procedures
• Regulatory issues and licensing
• Financing
• Security packages
• Consortium and joint venture agreements
• Design and build (DB) contracts, design, build and maintain (DBM) contracts, and EPC contracts
• Purchases and sales of interests in energy projects
• Take-or-pay, supply, and off-take agreements
• Overseas and cross-border projects

Our team also has significant experience in advising on foreign projects with Japanese interests and can call on our foreign lawyers admitted in other jurisdictions, in particular the US and England, for support as needed.

 

When advising foreign clients, our firm can field a team of expert Japanese lawyers and foreign lawyers who have relevant experience and bi-cultural sensitivity. Our team can do business and draft documents in Japanese, English, German, Mandarin, Hindi, Korean, and Marathi, and provides services around the clock through our global affiliated offices.

 

 

Related Practices

Related Publications

• Panoramic - Energy Disputes 2025, Japan chapter, Law Business Research Ltd. (2025)
• “JAPAN: An Introduction to Projects and Energy: Domestic,” Chambers and Partners (2024) 
• Contracts and Practice of Overseas Energy Projects, CHUOKEIZAI-SHA INC. (2019) 
• “CMS Expert Guide to Hydrogen,” Japan Chapter, CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP (September 2020) 
• “​​​​​​​Recent developments in power legislation in Japan,” IBA Digital Content (January, 2019)

 

Related Seminars

• “Basics and Practices of Project Finance, Part 1-2,” hosted by SHOJIHOMU Co., Ltd., September 11, 2024
• “Fundamentals of contract practice for energy projects,” held on November 27, 2020
• “Trends and Key Points on Infrastructure and Energy Projects Abroad – Upon Publishing of the Book Contracts and Practice of Overseas Energy Projects,” hosted by Atsumi & Sakai, supported by Japan Institute for Overseas Investment (JOI), November 20, 2019
• Speaker at a session entitled “The renewable power generation pricing dilemma: how to structure a bankable long-term PPA and provide power in affordable terms,” at the International Bar Association's 2019 Annual Conference held in Seoul, September 22-27, 2019

 

Related Newsletters

• "Updates on the Hydrogen Society Promotion Bill and CCS Business Bill (April 2024)"（April 2024)

• "Generation wheeling charge system" (February 2024)

• "Latest CCS Commercialization Trends in Japan"（November 2023）

• ”Revisions to the Basic Hydrogen Strategy” (October 2023)

• "Battery Storage Subsidies in Japan" (February 2023)

• "Trends in Offshore Wind Power Generation in Japan" (February 2023)
   

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