The Japanese Capital passed a new regulation that stated that all new houses in Tokyo built by large-scale homebuilders after April 2025 must install solar power panels to cut household carbon emissions. Currently, Japan stands in the fifth spot in the world's largest carbon emitters list.
This new regulation for newly built homes requires about 50 major builders to equip homes of up to 2,000 sq mt (21,500 sq ft) with renewable energy power sources, mainly solar panels.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike also noted that just 4% of buildings where solar panels could be installed in the city have them now. However, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government aims to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared with 2,000 levels.
Japan is the world's fifth-largest carbon emitter. The country has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. However, it faces difficulty as Japan has relied heavily on coal-burning thermal power after most of its nuclear reactors were in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
Risako Narikiyo, a member of Koike's regional party Tomin First no Kai said, "In addition to the existing global climate crisis, we face an energy crisis with a prolonged Russia-Ukraine war. There is no time to waste."
Meanwhile, scientists at the California Institute of Technology also launched a space solar program after a $100 million grant in 2013, while teams in nations including Japan, Russia, and India are also studying the possibilities.
