Offshore Wind, G7 Summit, and a Newspaper Ad

Offshore wind has enormous potential. Japanese elites are on board. Will the G7 talk about it?

Financial newspapers are powerful things. In the US, it’s the Wall Street Journal. The UK has the Financial Times and the Economist. Japan’s premier financial news is told by Nikkei (whose English-language arm is the Nikkei Asia). These are newspapers read by business elites, politicians and bureaucrats, and the market. 

Nikkei is a behemoth of a newspaper. With a circulation of its morning edition 1.7 million copies, it’s the largest newspaper in the world 🤯. On April 4, the Renewable Energy Institute (REI) and Japan Wind Power Association (JWPA) ran a beautifully designed ad.

Source: Renewable Energy Institute (https://www.renewable-ei.org/en/activities/information/osw_ad_202304.php)

Its poetic message reads:

Ocean. Seeing the potential that lies ahead,

many countries have begun full-scale efforts.

We would like to invite the G7 leaders to discuss,

at the G7 Ministers' Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment

that will be held soon,

the attracting power generation using offshore wind,

which is about to become common sense in the world.

For Japan, which is surrounded by the sea,

the benefits it brings are enormous.

While coexisting with fisheries and local communities,

while protecting the ecosystem,

we will carefully utilize the sea

as a place to create sustainable energy.

Now is the time to open the path

and set sail for a prosperous future.

The time has come to change course

in order to seriously promote CO2 reduction

together with the countries of the world.

Industry is also hoping for a shift.

Offshore wind power in Japan, too.

Hope is above the sea.

With Japan assuming this year’s G7 Presidency, the city of Hiroshima in southwestern Japan will be the gathering place for the leaders of the western world. Would an ad in a newspaper persuade Prime Minister Kishida to put offshore wind on the agenda?