Overview

• The Environment Ministry announced a liaison council to examine solar development and regional coexistence, with a first meeting set for Sept. 24.
• Participants will include the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, the Forestry Agency, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs, with bureau‑level officials sharing issues and exploring institutional responses.
• Environment Minister Keiichiro Asao said Japan must maximize renewable energy but restrain projects that fail to coexist with communities, promising to move discussions forward quickly.
• Kushiro Mayor Hidenori Tsuruma met Asao on Sept. 19 to seek national legal changes that would let municipalities regulate solar facility construction.
• The Kushiro City Assembly approved an ordinance on Sept. 17 to curb poorly sited mega‑solar projects near the wetlands, a step other municipalities have also taken.