Japan’s Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE) has proposed keeping feed-in support for commercial solar on land owned by national or local governments, in projects approved under municipal decarbonization plans, on solar carports, and in infrastructure such as airports, roads, railways, and ports.

ANRE presented the proposal in late September to a government renewable energy panel that reports to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

New ground-mounted commercial solar will lose FIT and FIP support from April 1, 2027, under rules Japan promulgated at the end of the 2025 fiscal year. The cut follows a package of measures on large-scale solar plants approved by Cabinet ministers in December 2025 and recommendations from the Procurement Price Calculation Committee in February. Rooftop solar already receives preferential treatment, and the agency is now selecting which other commercial categories should keep support.

The agency assessed 10 candidate categories put forward by ministries, local governments, and industry groups including the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association (JPEA). It applied three tests covering importance for future deployment, compatibility with local communities, and suitability for the FIT and FIP schemes. The deployment test draws on potential estimates and Japan’s Seventh Strategic Energy Plan, while the scheme test requires a category that can be defined objectively through documents and is expected to export power to the grid.

To pass the community test, a project must either involve no new land development or major change in land use, or be overseen by national or local government for its full operating life, with the power to correct problems.

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