Japan Natural Energy

What Japan Natural Energy does

Japan Natural Energy Company Limited (日本自然エネルギー株式会社, JNE) is a Tokyo-based private company founded in November 2000 that operates Japan's largest third-party-certified environmental value certificate platform. It issues Green Power Certificates (グリーン電力証書) covering electricity from solar, wind, hydro, and biomass sources, and Green Heat Certificates (グリーン熱証書) covering thermal energy from biomass and solar thermal sources. All certificates carry serial numbers independently verified by the Japan Quality Assurance Organization (JQA), enabling customers to claim Scope 2 renewable energy usage under the GHG Protocol and to satisfy RE100, CDP, SBT, and Tokyo/Saitama emissions trading obligations.

JNE monetizes certificates through two primary channels: an enterprise field-sales motion for contracts above 200,000 kWh (individually negotiated multi-year terms, certificates delivered physically in A3/A4 format) and the Green Pokke (グリーンポッケ) self-service online platform for purchases between 100 kWh and 200,000 kWh, which delivers same-day PDF issuance 24/7. Pricing on Green Pokke starts from 3.5 yen/kWh. The company has also expanded into J-Credit, FIT Non-Fossil Certificate, and Excess Reduction Credit intermediation. It supports a network of over 346 corporate customers (including JR East Building Tech, LINE Yahoo, Nichirei Foods, Ajinomoto, TBS Holdings, Odakyu, Chugai Pharmaceutical, Toyota, Minato Mirai 21 District Heating, Asahi Beverages, and Yomiuri Land) with annual contracted volumes of 181.8 million kWh of green power and 843 million MJ of green heat.

The business is backed by a founding shareholder consortium of nine Japanese regional electric utilities (Tokyo Electric Power Energy Partner, Tohoku, Chubu, Kansai, Shikoku, Hokuriku, Kyushu Electric Power, Japan Wind Development), the trading houses Sumitomo Corporation and Mitsui & Co., and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. JNE generates additional revenue through trademarked Green Power Mark and Green Heat Mark licensing for PR use, agency partner commissions, municipal partnerships (notably Yokohama City's 'Hamakko GREEN' launched in June 2026), and event-driven certificate sales supported by a J-League climate action partnership.

Name

Japan Natural Energy

Legal name

日本自然エネルギー株式会社 (Japan Natural Energy Company Limited)

Website

https://natural-e.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Japan Natural Energy (JNE) is a Tokyo-based, 25-year-old private operator of Japan's largest third-party-certified environmental value certificate platform, issuing Green Power and Green Heat Certificates to over 346 corporate customers for RE100, CDP, and emissions-trading compliance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Value Certificates / Renewable Energy Certification

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

SIC

Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

REC/GO Trading Platforms & Exchanges (EUAMAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

REC/GO Retail Supply & Green Tariffs (Bundled/Unbundled) (EUAMAKAF), REC/GO Issuance Registries & Tracking Systems (EUAMAKAA), Certificate Registry & Transfer Operations (Account Mgmt, Transfers, Retirement) (EUAGAFAH), Environmental & Emissions Commodities Exchanges (Carbon, Renewable Certificates) (FSAFAMAE)

Keywords

• Green energy certificates
• Renewable energy credits
• Environmental value trading
• Carbon credit brokerage
• RE100 compliance services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Green Power Certificate Sales: Sale of green power certificates to enterprises and organizations. Revenue generated from certificate fees based on kWh volume purchased. Pricing varies by contract type: enterprise contracts (over 200,000 kWh) negotiated individually, standard contracts (100 kWh - 200,000 kWh) starting from 3.5 yen/kWh through Green Pokke online platform.
2. Green Heat Certificate Sales: Sale of green heat certificates for heat energy environmental value. Minimum purchase volume of 1,000 MJ for enterprise contracts. Revenue based on MJ volume purchased.
3. J-Credit Trading Intermediary: Brokerage service for J-Credit (government-certified CO2 reduction credits) and FIT non-fossil certificates. JNE acts as intermediary between credit sellers and buyers.
4. Excess Reduction Trading (条例対応): Intermediary services for excess reduction credits used in Tokyo and Saitama emissions trading systems. Both buying and selling intermediary services provided.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Japan Natural Energy issues, certifies, and trades environmental value certificates (green energy certificates) representing renewable electricity and heat, J-Credits, FIT non-fossil certificates, and excess reduction credits used by Japanese corporates for RE100 compliance, ESG reporting, and emissions trading obligations. The company operates a proprietary issuance platform (Green Pokke) that allows buyers to acquire and trace certificate ownership online.

Product overview

Japan Natural Energy Company Limited (日本自然エネルギー株式会社, also known as JNE) operates as a provider of environmental value certificates, offering a portfolio of four main certificate products: Green Power Certificate (グリーン電力証書) for electricity from renewable sources, Green Heat Certificate (グリーン熱証書) for thermal energy from biomass and solar sources, J-Credit & FIT Non-Fossil Certificates (J－クレジット＆FIT非化石証書) for government-certified emission reductions and feed-in tariff renewable energy, and Excess Reduction Credits (超過削減量) for Tokyo/Saitama cap-and-trade compliance. The company provides these through two primary channels: a traditional contract-based service for large-volume buyers (over 200,000 kWh) with physical certificate delivery, and an online self-service platform called Green Pokke (グリーン電力証書オンライン発行サービス) for smaller purchases (100 kWh to 200,000 kWh) with same-day digital issuance. Additionally, JNE offers Yokohama city-specific product はまっこGREEN in partnership with municipal government. All certificates include tracking information verified by third-party certification body JQA, enabling use in GHG Protocol reporting, RE100, and CDP disclosures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Green Pokke: Online issuance service for green electricity certificates operated by JNE.

Quantifiable outcome

• Companies can reduce Scope 2 emissions by matching electricity consumption with green power certificates under GHG Protocol
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Yokohama City GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 June 2026Partnership agreement with Yokohama City to promote renewable energy usage. JNE sells 'Hamakko GREEN' green power certificates sourced from renewable energy facilities in linked municipalities. Part of sales revenue is returned to linked municipalities for facility maintenance.
• J-LeagueflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 30 November 2023Climate action partner contract with J-League. JNE provides green power certificates to support J-League's climate action initiatives.
• TBS Holdings CorporationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor media company using JNE's green power and green heat certificates to achieve carbon-neutral broadcasting. TBS has achieved CO2-zero for major facilities and broadcasts using 100% renewable energy.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NTT Anode Energy Corporation: NTT Anode Energy is a subsidiary of NTT Group providing renewable energy solutions including corporate renewable energy certificate services and PPA offerings in Japan. It competes with JNE for large enterprise renewable energy procurement contracts and RE100-aligned buyers, particularly within the telecommunications and data center verticals.
• Japan Green Power Co., Ltd. Japan Green Power is the most direct competitor to JNE, operating in the same Japanese voluntary green energy certificate market since 2001. Both companies issue JQA-certified Green Power and Green Heat Certificates, target enterprise customers for RE100/CDP reporting, and serve as intermediaries between renewable generators and corporate buyers.
• ENECHANGE Ltd. ENECHANGE operates an energy comparison and switching platform in Japan and has expanded into renewable energy certificate distribution and corporate decarbonization services. It overlaps with JNE's Green Pokke in providing online-accessible environmental value products and competes for SMB and mid-market certificate buyers.

Broad incumbents

• ENEOS Corporation: ENEOS is Japan's largest petroleum and energy conglomerate and has expanded into renewable energy generation, hydrogen, and environmental value certificates. Through its subsidiaries and retail operations, ENEOS competes with JNE across certificate issuance, distribution, and bundled retail energy offerings to large enterprises.
• Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. Tokyo Gas is a major Japanese utility expanding into renewable energy and environmental value certificate services for corporate customers. It competes with JNE in supplying green certificates and decarbonization solutions to large Japanese enterprises, often bundling certificates with energy supply contracts.
• SoftBank Corporation: SoftBank Group operates renewable energy businesses (SB Energy, etc.) and has corporate decarbonization initiatives that include certificate-related offerings. Its scale and captive renewable generation assets position it as a broad incumbent that can supply environmental attributes directly to large customers, competing with JNE.

Emerging players

• Climate Impact X (CIX): Climate Impact X is a Singapore-based carbon exchange and environmental commodities trading platform backed by DBS, SGX, Standard Chartered, and Temasek. It provides Asian corporates with access to high-quality carbon credits and renewable certificates, representing a global trading venue alternative to domestic Japanese certificate providers like JNE.
• South Pole Group: South Pole is a global climate solutions provider offering carbon credits, renewable energy certificates, and corporate decarbonization advisory. While headquartered in Switzerland, it serves Japanese multinationals and competes with JNE for international RE100-aligned certificate procurement by Japanese corporates.
• Trende Inc. Trende operates a solar PPA and renewable energy marketplace in Japan, enabling corporate and residential buyers to procure solar power directly. While primarily a PPA platform rather than a certificate intermediary, it competes with JNE by offering corporates a direct-procurement alternative to green power certificates for RE100 reporting.

Others

• Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (Environmental Value Business): Mitsui & Co. is both a core shareholder of JNE and an active participant in environmental value trading through its own trading house energy desks. Its parallel trading activities and global reach make it both an enabler and a potential competitor to JNE in the renewable certificate value chain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Japan Natural Energy