According to a new regulation passed by Tokyo’s local assembly, all new houses built by large-scale homebuilders after April 2025 must include solar power panels to reduce household carbon emissions.
The mandate, the first of its kind for a Japanese municipality, requires approximately 50 major builders to install renewable energy power sources, primarily solar panels, in homes measuring up to 2,000 square metres.
Each housing supplier will be required to meet the “Renewable Energy Installation Standards” and install solar power generation on a percentage of the houses they supply.
Buildings account for 70% of emissions in Tokyo. Further, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike stated last week that only 4% of buildings in the city where solar panels could be installed currently have them. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government intends to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 when compared to 2000 levels.