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Wind Power News: Japan
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Internal email sheds light on wind-power bribery scandal
A former president of Japan Wind Development, currently at the center of a bribery scandal, told executives of the firm that he had asked a lawmaker to make a parliamentary statement in connection with the company’s operations, informed sources said Saturday. Masayuki Tsukawaki, 64, sent an email to multiple Japan Wind Development executives saying that he urged House of Representatives member Masatoshi Akimoto, 48, who was arrested for allegedly receiving bribes, to ask a question in the country’s parliament about . . . Complete story »
Prosecutors question Japan lawmaker over wind farm bribery case
Tokyo prosecutors have questioned lower house member Masatoshi Akimoto on a voluntary basis over allegations that he received tens of millions of yen from a wind power company, sources familiar with the matter said Friday. The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office’s special investigation squad is expected to decide whether to build a bribery case against the former ruling Liberal Democratic Party member, known as an advocate of renewable energy. The president of Japan Wind Development Co., Masayuki Tsukawaki, has decided . . . Complete story »
Transition to “clean energy” is hurting Indigenous communities
When Francisco Calí Tzay, the United Nations special rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous peoples, spoke at the 22nd United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, or UNPFII, last week, he listed clean energy projects as some of the most concerning threats to their rights. “I constantly receive information that Indigenous Peoples fear a new wave of green investments without recognition of their land tenure, management, and knowledge,” said Calí Tzay. His statements – and those made by other delegates – at . . . Complete story »
Japan suspends wind power projects over threat to endangered birds
The central and local governments have suspended a number of wind farm construction projects over concerns about the protection of endangered birds. Japan is currently pursuing wind power as a source of clean energy with an eye on reducing carbon dioxide emissions, but fears have also been voiced over wind turbine strikes on rare avian species. There have been many cases in which imperiled birds of prey – including golden eagles and mountain hawk-eagles – have been killed in bird strikes both . . . Complete story »
Akimoto quits LDP as wind farm bribery case heats up
Prosecutors on Aug. 5 searched the home of the president of a wind farm developer as part of a bribery investigation, triggering the resignation of a ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker who is also embroiled in the case. Investigators with the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office searched the home of Masayuki Tsukawaki, 64, in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward. Tsukawaki is president of Japan Wind Development Co. On Aug. 4, investigators searched the offices of Masatoshi Akimoto, 47. That same day, Akimoto . . . Complete story »
Sojitz cancels Hokkaido wind project on costs, local objections
Japanese trading company Sojitz Corp. canceled its plan to build a wind power plant in Hokkaido, amid soaring material costs and growing local criticism about the environmental impact of the project. “After re-examining the business plan from various perspectives, including the recent sharp rise in material prices, we have concluded that this project does not meet Sojitz’s investment criteria,” the company in a statement on Saturday. The decision adds to a recent trend of wind project cancellations, likely creating a . . . Complete story »
Onshore wind power projects face local opposition in northeast Japan
Several wind power plant construction projects in the Tohoku region are facing opposition from local mayors and residents concerned over potential damage to the environment. In the last several months alone, a number of projects have been scrapped in the face of strong opposition, though one particular project is moving ahead after the operator coordinated closely with locals. According to one expert, projects that are green-lighted have a common theme: Companies deal sincerely with the concerned local communities. On Dec. . . . Complete story »
‘I couldn’t get a TV signal’: The hidden downside of wind turbines in Japan’s Akita Pref.
AKITA – Wind power generation is being introduced across Japan both onshore and offshore as a pillar in the shift to renewable energy as a leading source of power. But the size of the wind turbines, which can tower as high as some tall buildings, and the rotation of their huge blades can apparently cause disruptions when they stand in the way of communication waves essential in people’s lives today. The city of Katagami in Akita Prefecture, which faces the Sea . . . Complete story »
Wind power infrastructure hindering Japan defense radars: sources
Wind energy infrastructure being installed across Japan was found interfering with Self-Defense Forces radars for detecting missiles, prompting the Defense Ministry to call for changes in some projects, multiple sources related to the matter said Saturday. In some instances, the ministry also called for such infrastructure not to be installed in areas that had been singled out by the government as favorable locations for offshore wind power generation, the sources said. The government is now considering reviewing rules governing wind . . . Complete story »
Mitsubishi and Kyushu Electric Power to spend more on grid-scale storage to reduce financial losses from curtailment
Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp. and Japanese utility Kyushu Electric Power Co. are teaming up with Tokyo-based battery supplier NTT Anode Energy (NTTAE), a subsidiary of Japanese telecoms group Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. (NTT), to use grid-scale battery storage to reduce the impact of solar curtailment on the island of Kyushu, in southern Japan. “By spring 2022, solar power curtailment has been carried out in Kyushu region, where solar power spreads even earlier in Japan,” Mitsubishi said in a statement. “Solar . . . Complete story »
