In Depth: How Japan is becoming the land of the rising solar

Japan’s growing solar market is attracting a slew of overseas players, putting severe pressure on entrenched local brands.

The land of the rising sun has had a healthy market for rooftop solar panels in recent years. But with the high prices that products can command there, and the new subsidies for larger solar arrays to come into force this summer, Japan is attracting a wave of foreign companies looking for a new source of sales.

“We’re getting more and more imported products. The industry structure is changing,” says Hidemichi Tonari, promotion director at Kyocera, the market’s second-biggest brand.

Japan’s solar market grew by 31% last year to 1.3GW, bringing…

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