The Ministry of Industry and Trade announced on Tuesday that Japanese Industry Minister Ken Saito would visit Akita, in northern Japan, on Saturday to meet with officials from the industry and the government to discuss the development offshore wind energy.

This move is in line with Japan's efforts to increase the deployment of renewable energies, particularly offshore wind farms, as it strives to achieve its goal of carbon neutrality by 2020.

Akita has been a leader in the development and deployment of offshore wind energy.

An official from the Ministry said that this is Saito’s first trip to an offshore windfarm. The visit will be a chance for him to inspect facilities in Akita, and discuss with local officials about challenges and experiences of such a development.

Saito is scheduled to visit the offshore wind farm in Akita port, which was developed and is operated by a Japanese trading company Marubeni Corp. This is Japan's largest commercial offshore wind project.

The governor of Akita Prefecture will be among the local officials he meets with.

The government is aiming to develop up to 10 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind by 2030 and up to 40 GW by 2040.

In March, the government approved a proposed amendment to existing legislation that would allow offshore wind energy to be installed in exclusive economic zones. This is a major step towards Japan's potential for wind power development. (Reporting and editing by Kim Coghill; Yuka Obayashi)