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The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), and the Korea Nuclear Energy Agency are operating the "2026 Smart Energy Week-Linked Climate Tech Trade Delegation" for five days starting on the 7th of this month. Pictured is a local buyer engaging in business consultations at a participating Korean company's booth during the 2026 Smart Energy Week exhibition. / Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) is supporting domestic renewable energy and nuclear power materials, parts, and equipment companies in entering the Japanese market. The initiative aims to leverage the Japanese government's expanded Green Transformation (GX) investments as an opportunity for South Korean firms to penetrate local supply chains.

On the 10th, KOTRA announced that it is operating the "2026 Smart Energy Week-Linked Climate Tech Trade Delegation" in Tokyo, Japan, from the 7th to the 11th, together with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) and the Korea Nuclear Energy Agency.

Seventeen domestic materials, parts, and equipment enterprises in the renewable energy and nuclear sectors are participating in the delegation. In conjunction with "2026 Smart Energy Week," KOTRA is facilitating supply chain partnership consultations between domestic companies and global Japanese firms. Ahead of the exhibition, it also arranged a seminar on the Japanese power market and visits to industrial sites.

On the 7th, KOTRA co-hosted a seminar with the Japan Electrical Manufacturers' Association (JEMA) and RX Japan to examine trends in the Japanese power equipment industry and refine strategies for exhibition booth operations and buyer consultations.

The following day, the delegation visited the Mitsubishi Research Institute (MRI)—an energy policy think tank in Japan—and the Ukishima Solar Power Plant to assess shifts in the Japanese power market and local procurement demand for power generation equipment.

KOTRA is operating a Korea Pavilion at 2026 Smart Energy Week, which runs from the 9th to the 11th. Around 50 local companies, including 20 major engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors and leading Japanese energy conglomerates such as Toshiba and Hitachi, are conducting business-to-business (B2B) consultations with the participating Korean firms.

The Japanese government is pursuing green investments totaling 150 trillion yen (approximately 1,400 trillion won) over a 10-year period that began in 2024 to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. KOTRA explained that as new facility investments and supply chain restructuring gain full momentum, fresh market entry opportunities are emerging for technologically competitive South Korean materials, parts, and equipment manufacturers.

Park Yong-min, head of KOTRA's Japan Regional Headquarters, said: "The Japanese government's aggressive Green Transformation (GX) and AI Transformation (AX) policies are reshaping the supply chain strategies of Japanese enterprises. We will serve as a bridge connecting businesses from both nations so that the demand identified through this trade delegation translates into tangible market entry for domestic materials, parts, and equipment companies in Japan."

                                                                                                            Kim Deok-ho