Close to a small fishing port in southwestern Japan, the slim white turbines of the country's first commercial-scale floating wind farm glimmer offshore, months before a key project in Tokyo's green-energy strategy begins.

Still heavily reliant on imported fossil fuels, Japan has de

That's despite rising project costs and fears over inadequate infrastructure to produce turbines en masse.

Floating turbines are particularly well suited to Japan as its deep coastal waters make fixing them to seabeds tricky, while the country is also prone to natural disasters.

"Floating structures are relatively stable even in the case of earthquakes or typhoons," said Kei Ushigami, head of marine renewable energy for construction company Toda, a key player in the project.

The eight turbines -- sitting f

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