Solar power in Japan

[2] Solar power has become an important national priority since the country's shift in policies toward renewable energy after the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011.

[5][6] In line with the significant rise in installations and capacity, solar power accounted for 9.9% of Japan's national electricity generation in 2022, up from 0.3% in 2010.

[2] During the Reagan administration in the United States, oil prices decreased and the US removed most of its policies that supported its solar industry.

[8]: 143  Government subsidies were higher in Japan (as well as Germany), which prompted the solar industry supply chain to begin moving from the US to those countries.

[8]: 143 The Japanese government is seeking to expand solar power by enacting subsidies and a feed-in tariff (FIT).

Respecting the recommendations, METI finalized these as follows: Residential PV feed-in tariffs for systems below 10 kW were updated in 2017 to values between JPY24/kWh to JPY28/kWh depending on the circumstances.

In May 2021, the Japanese Trade Ministry said that Japan may require up to 370 GW of solar capacity by 2050 to reach the goal of cutting carbon emissions to zero.