Progress in the development of renewable energy that utilizes the abundant resources in rural areas is expected, but the lack of local independence in development remains an issue. We used the Waita geothermal power plant in Oguni, Kumamoto Prefecture, as a case study and interviewed local government, residents, and developers to clarify the strategy of community-contribution geothermal power projects and the roles of local government and residents. The business entity was a limited liability company invested by local residents, and a plan by which the operation and management of power plants is outsourced to external operators was implemented so that residents would have the right to make decisions and determine how the proceeds from selling electricity will be used. Additionally, the local government utilized two consultative bodies to coordinate the interests of business operators and residents, allowing them to return benefits to the community and improve local receptivity to development.

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In this study, we used a spatially variable coefficient model to analyze the relationship between air pollution concentrations and respiratory diseases based on receipt data in cities, wards, towns and villages in 14 prefectures centered on the Pacific Belt region. In addition, meteorological and natural conditions as well as socio-economic variables are considered for the estimation. The results showed that the higher the annual average PM2.5 concentration, the more inpatient and outpatient bronchodilators were used, and that there was no relationship with air pollution concentration for other respiratory drugs.

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To utilize asbestos countermeasures by the local governments, characterization analysis was conducted to the reports by demolition and repair contractors by experimental application of community ecological index. The results showed that " building type " and " geographical range " was strongly associated with the increase or decrease in the number of works for demolition contractors and reform contractors, respectively. This indicated that they had different characteristics. In addition, it was suggested that the niche overlap index among demolition contractors with illegal activity records tended to be higher than that without the records.

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First, we created a capital flow diagram from tracking 15 downstream combined heat and power plants (CHP), midstream fuel production, and upstream forests of local circulation systems (LCSs) that use pellets and those that use chips. Second, by this diagram, we obtained the local multiplier effect (LM4) and domestic income of LCSs at 15 locations. If loan repayments at power plants are made locally and logs at fuel productions are purchased mostly local forest, then the LM4 of the LCS will be 2.07 or higher for small LCS that use pellets and chips, contributing to local economic circulation. Domestic income is higher for small LCS that use pellets than for LCS that use chips, but this is conditional on ensuring a sustainable supply of upstream logs. Designing an outlet for heat demand that matches the downstream CHP heat supply is a prerequisite for achieving environmental value and synergistic outcomes.

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This research focused on Togakushi, a mountain religious site, and examines the religious interpretations shown to mountain religious objects, the actions and manipulations of religious objects, the benefits that believers receive from interpretations and efforts, and the mutual relationships between them. We focused on the formation process of Togakushi's cultural landscape from a historical perspective. As a conceptual model that captured the formation process of cultural landscapes, we focused on the context of historical changes. This model showed the site where actions and consciousness are accumulated, and there are various religious origins and temple systems, mechanisms, ingenuity to address and suggest people's concerns, and the monks, ascetics, and priests who have leaded these religious values and strengthened the propagation of religious values.

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In the middle and lower reaches of the Ishikari River, flatlands and plateaus have changed from wetlands to agricultural land, and mountainous areas have changed from natural forests to artificial forests and secondary forests. In addition, the management of agricultural land changed due to changes in social conditions. As a result, the basin soil is expected to undergo major changes, leading to changes in water quality and agricultural productivity in rivers and coastal areas. Therefore, in this study, we conducted a survey to understand the current state of the soil in the basin. It was considered necessary to pay attention to soil carbon content when considering environmental conservation such as water quality, and to soil chemistry when considering agricultural productivity.

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This study estimated retail investors’ willingness to invest in green bonds (GB) and blue bonds (BB), which address environmental issues, and sustainability bonds (SB), which contain broader social issues in addition to environmental problems, using a contingent valuation method. Investors prioritizing environmental issues preferred GB even at lower yields. BB, being less known, required higher yields, but investors interested in marine issues were affirmative about investing in BB. The study highlights the importance of providing investors with more detailed information about the contents of bonds when issuing environmental bonds. To expand the environmental bond market, it is necessary to issue bonds that focus on specific environmental issues and establish rules to support this end.

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The aim of this study is to determine how the provision of visualized climate change data affects the public's perceptions and anxiety regarding climate change. Specifically, 2000 randomly selected citizens were given information in either general graphical format (control group) or visualized data format (experimental group) by mail. Pre- and post-survey results showed that no statistically significant changes in perceptions and anxiety in the control group, while a significant increase in perceptions of climate change in the experimental group. The regression analysis was used with the change of perception as the dependent variable, and evaluation of information provision as the independent variables. Our findings show that familiarity with the design and readability of text were important in changing the perception.

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This study focuses on ecotourism of Ramsar sites and explores the development of Lake Tofutsu in Abashiri City and Koshimizu Town, Hokkaido. This site has been under consideration for ecotourism since it was registered under the Ramsar Convention in 2005. Although a project to train certified guides failed in the early 2010s, kayak-based bird monitoring tours have begun in recent years. In this case, the important elements for the development of ecotourism are (1) the construction of a base facility, (2) continuous discussion among stakeholders, and (3) the formulation of local rules for conservation and sustainable use, all of which originated with registration under the Ramsar Convention. However, difficulties were also identified in securing ecotourism guides.

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In this study, we set 30 and 50 years as renewal periods for five representative street tree species (Ginkgo biloba, Cinnamomum camphora, Cerasus yedoensis 'Somei-yoshino', Zelkova serrata, and Cornus florida), and calculated life cycle costs (LCC) and monetary values of multifaceted functions (total benefits) during 100 years based on growth forecasts. Then, we examined the optimal renewal method of street trees based on cost-effectiveness. The highest cost-benefit ratio was 0.80 of the 50 years-renewal Z. serrata. And cost-benefit ratios of the 50 years-renewal trees were higher than those of the 30 years-renewal trees at all tree species. Therefore, we suggest as the optimal renewal method setting longer renewal periods and growing the trees to larger sizes if there is a sufficient planting space.

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To achieve Safe and Just Operating Space (SJOS), considering Planetary and Social boundaries, Evaluating SJOS performance at local levels is essential. This study attempted to build an indicator database in the prefecture scale and evaluate SJOS performance and analyzed the overshoots and shortfalls based on the global threshold. The result showed that although carbon emissions and ecological footprint overshoot, most prefectures have sufficient social infrastructures. The next challenge is to fill the data gaps in the Planetary boundaries indicators and explore the localized indicators for SJOS evaluation.

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This paper conducted a comparative analysis of the “Residential Self-Sustaining Area”, and “Regional Circulation and Ecological Sphere” as the approach that take into account the characteristics of both urban and rural and considers the range of their effects as an area, in order to clarify its characters and relationship. As a result, it was found that the former aims at efficient supply of urban functions to rural areas, while the latter aims at circulation around natural capital in rural areas. It also became clear that each area plan takes the opposite position in terms of urban intensification and rural decentralization, and both concepts are coming closer as time proceeds.

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Although salt-containing wastewater affects capacity of activated sludge，it is believed that organic matter can be treated by adapting adequately with salt．In this study，we used activated sludge to treat high-concentration salt-containing wastewater using activated sludge and analyzed its bacterial flora. The results showed that activated sludge adapted to a salinity of 3% over a certain period had a higher treatment capacity than activated sludge that had not been acclimated and had an organic matter removal capacity equivalent to that of 0% salinity．Comparison of the bacterial flora of activated sludge with 3% salinity and activated sludge with no added salt confirmed bacteria that may be able to treat wastewater even in a high-salinity environment．

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In order to deal with increasingly complex issues such as environmental issues, high-quality discussions need to be held widely. The discussion quality index DQI is often used in studies that focus on discussion utterances, but there are challenges in applying it to domestic cases. Therefore, in this study, we first presented a methodology to address these issues. Then, through case studies, we attempted to characterize the utterances that trigger high-quality discussions using factor analysis techniques. The results suggested that these utterances have characteristics that emphasize maintaining communication, such as consideration and empathy for the other person's feelings, and being careful about one's appearance. Although it is necessary to accumulate more case studies in the future, we were able to present the methodology this time.

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This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of providing information in facilitating the sound impressions and acceptance of public facilities as a noise source. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey with adults living in Tokyo (1,814 valid responses). The survey included an experimental intervention in which respondents were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (received information on the nature and necessity of noise emission) or the control group. The statistical analysis revealed that the intervention group showed significantly higher facility acceptance and improved sound impressions. These results suggest that providing residents with information about the benefits and necessity of sound emitted from public facilities can enhance public acceptance of these facilities.

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The environmental conditions on the retaining walls, which can serve as secondary habitats for the native sea-cliff plant Boehmeria splitgerbera, were investigated in the Wanishi area, Muroran City, Hokkaido, Japan. The plant was observed on 10 out of 36 retaining walls, and 6 of these were made of concrete blocks. The maximum distance of the shoreline to these retaining walls was 713.7 m (mean, 375.3 m; standard deviation, 193.1). Based on the results of Welch's t-test and decision tree analysis, it was considered that the distance to the shoreline had the strongest effect on the growth of this species, followed by sky coverage and distance from the sea cliffs. From these findings, it was concluded that retaining walls close to the coast and sea cliffs can be used as secondary habitats for cliff plants such as B. splitgerbera, and that factors related to sky coverage, should be taken into consideration.

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The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been recognized as keywords by municipalities in Japan, and many municipalities have reflected the SDGs in their comprehensive administrative plans, which are the top-level plans of them. However, how was the method devised to reflect the SDGs in the plan, which has not been shown in specific ways to be utilized? In this study, utilizing Shimokawa-Town, Hokkaido as a case study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the people concerned at that time, and analysis was attempted using the framework of government learning. As a result, it was confirmed that the officials had acquired theoretical knowledge on the SDGs, and by combining it with their own experiential knowledge, they had created specific methods to reflect the SDGs in their plan.

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In this study, we evaluated the status of decarbonization efforts in accommodation facilities and the potential demand for such efforts in Norikura Plateau, the first area in Japan to be registered as a zero-carbon park. Many accommodation facilities in Norikura Plateau are engaging in decarbonization initiatives, but it is difficult to accelerate these efforts due to a lack of successors and other factors. The demand evaluation for decarbonization showed that respondents with high awareness of climate change, interest in outdoor activities, and prior experience visiting Norikura Plateau highly valued the decarbonization efforts. This aligns with the tendencies of tourists visiting Norikura Plateau, revealing that advancing decarbonization efforts matches the demands of the tourists.

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A comparative study of the interannual change of water quality in a eutrophic lake, Oshima Ohnuma in Hokkaido, between 1984-2005 and 2009-2021 showed that the main factor of the change in COD 75％ value was the number of beef cattle in the basin before 2005, but it was the maximum snow depth (MSD) in the previous winter since 2009. This change since 2009 may be due to the recent reduction of livestock load, and the climate change to amplify the interannual change in MSD. The dilution effect by snowmelt water on the lake water seemed to change the interannual change in COD value. As a future measure to suppress the eutrophication of the lake, it was proposed to introduce a livestock load adjustment system that predicts the upper limit of compost use for each cattle farm in the basin according to MSD in the previous winter.

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This study sought to develop an urban model for a commercial area in the city center by linking BIM and GIS through visual programming to evaluate the sunlight in the urban space and to create a good sunlight environment through parametric studies. The linkage between GIS and BIM made it possible to easily visualize the analysis results and provide feedback for the optimal urban model. The use of Dynamo enabled the rapid creation of a wide-area sunlight evaluation model by hierarchy from geospatial information, and the parametric study was realized through repeated feedback.

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This study examined how air passengers in Japan perceive the environmental impacts of air travel and how it is related to their offsetting behaviors and subjective well-being. The analysis of questionnaire data from 1,624 customer loyalty program members of a domestic airline company showed that the perceived environmental impacts of air travel were positively associated with pro-environmental behaviors in daily life and traveling domains, pro-social behaviors, and willingness to pay for carbon offsetting. Additionally, pro-social behaviors and willingness to pay for carbon offsetting were positively related to subjective well-being. The study also explored potential direct and alternative approaches to achieve sustainability in air transport.

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This study examined the trends and predictors of children’s pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) related to climate change mitigation in Japan and China. Analysis of questionnaire survey data (Japan: N = 443, China: N = 452) showed that Readiness to Change and children’s influence in family decision-making were positively associated with PEBs in both countries. However, psychological barriers were negatively linked to PEBs only among Chinese respondents. The relationship between age and PEBs was non-linear in both countries, with an inverted U pattern in Japan and a U pattern in China. These findings underscore the significance of environmental education at school and home in raising awareness and fostering positive attitudes, thus promoting the adoption of environmentally friendly practices among children.

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Solar power has gained significant attention as Japan strives to achieve a decarbonized society. However, introducing large-scale solar farms has often led to conflicts with ecosystem conservation and local communities. This study aims to clarify the spatial gaps between the potential and actual installation of solar power to inform future renewable energy expansion in Japan. The results showed that 98.5% of the 500 m grid cells with installation potential nationwide did not have solar power. In the grid cells where installation has occurred, the installed capacity was 1.9 times higher than the estimated potential. Furthermore, 45.0% of the installed capacity in grid cells without estimated potential was constructed by converting forests. The findings highlight important considerations for designating promotion areas across the country in the future.

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The purpose of this study is to clarify the process of conversion of agricultural irrigation to environmental utilizaion.This area is located near urban areas, and as the agricultural structure changed from paddy fields to farmland, the waterways lost their irrigation and transportation functions. In recent years, new approaches are being called for, such as the legalization of environmental water use from the perspective of water resource management.

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Some prefectures set strict standards to create suitable areas for renewable energies in a spatial planning what we call " Zoning ". It may prevent the realization of the carbon neutral society. This paper examines the feasibility in municipalities to achieve 100% renewable energy (RE100, limited to focus on the deployment of photovoltaics in this study) society in Nagano Prefecture which tends to set strict standards as a case study through the analysis of GIS. The result shows over 80% of municipalities can achieve RE100 under the current standard, and others can also achieve it by the scenarios with relaxing standards related to forest and farmland preservation, and promotion of photovoltaics on roof-tops.

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The MLGs have been established to aim for a sustainable society through the conservation and utilization of the natural environment resources in the Lake Biwa basin. Various stakeholders are taking action to achieve these goals. In this study, a survey was conducted among Shiga Prefecture residents to reveal the impacts of personal characteristics on environmentally conscious behavior. The results suggest the following: i) in the groups of the younger generation and with high priority on environmental conservation, stronger intuitive behavior characteristic tend to act directly without MLGs' motivation to act.; ii) in the groups of women and the younger generation, thoughtful type of person tended to take action.

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This study is an exploratory analysis based on the results of a questionnaire administered to residents of Tsushima, Nagasaki, Japan, regarding how willingness to participate in the conservation of the Tsushima leopard cat increases. Binomial logistic regression analysis revealed that willingness to participate in the action was increased by “sighting living body,” “recognition as a local symbol,” “concern for protection,” “expectation for protection,” “concern for environmental issues,” “expectation for future population,” and “approval for re-introduction project,” and cross tabulation revealed that in such cases, which showed that the method of environmental education can be inferred.

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In order to clarify the actual situation of heat stroke during practice, a fact-finding survey was conducted on members of a university baseball team over 21 days during the summer. The survey asked about the presence or absence of symptoms of heat stroke, preventive actions against heat stroke during practice, and the content of daily activities. The results showed that the club members' awareness of the risk of heat stroke and their intention to take preventive action were high, but symptoms of heat stroke were still confirmed in about half of the participants. Furthermore, the logistic regression analysis results showed that the physical condition of the day, WBGT, number of consecutive activity days, and sleeping time affected the symptoms of heat stroke during practice.

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We investigated and analyzed the remaining status of plastic microcapsules of coated fertilizers in soil and runoff in drainage in paddy fields in Fukushima Prefecture, and examined measures to control runoff. The results revealed the following: 1) Plastic microcapsules were found in 43 spots (51%) of 85 soil survey spots; 2) 51 (91%) plastic microcapsules were found at depths of 0-10 cm and 5 (9%) at depths of 10-20 cm; 3) The average number of collected plastic microcapsules per day was less than 15 in the fields of farmers who used shallow-water plowing as a measure to control runoff, whereas the number exceeded 100 after plowing in the fields of farmers who did not take any preventive measures.

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The purpose of this study is to evaluate the heat mitigation effect of cool spots in front of train stations with combined installation of sunshades and mist spraying devices. a method was proposed to compare and rank cool spots with sunshades and misting devices using WBGT. Field measurements were conducted at three sites in Osaka Prefecture, and the WBGT differences between cool spots with and without heat mitigation measures were analyzed. We also proposed an evaluation method using the WBGT values observed by the Osaka District Meteorological Observatory as reference values, and made it possible to rank the WBGT values measured at different dates and times at the three sites by making them relative.

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In this study, we used 72 citizen groups engaged in SATOYAMA conservation activities in the Kinki region as examples to understand the actual situation of the groups and examine the satisfaction level of the people who run the groups. In addition, we clarified the relationship between the overall satisfaction level of the organization's managers with the organization as a whole and their awareness of future sustainability. As a result, many group managers and group staff are older. Additionally, 70% of operators' overall satisfaction was positive, and this was positively correlated with the organization's future sustainability consciousness. Using CS portfolio analysis, we examined the relationship between the overall satisfaction level of group managers and items related to various aspects of group management.

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In rural areas of Japan, depopulation has occurred; however, the number of migrants is increasing, thus resulting in an increase in entrepreneurs. By performing GIS analysis, this study analyses the locations where migrant entrepreneurship occurs in municipalities designated as depopulated or partially depopulated areas. The result shows that, even in depopulated areas, migrant entrepreneurship occurs in the central areas across all industries. Conversely, entrepreneurship is observed in more disadvantaged areas, particularly in sectors such as accommodation and food services industries, thereby indicating the presence of distinct industry-based characteristics.

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Simultaneous observations of ultraviolet radiation were conducted at multiple locations in the Kobe and Hanshin areas, covering various land types, including mountainous, residential, urban, and coastal areas, focusing on differences in the configuration of city blocks, such as the arrangement of structures and land cover. As a result, the ultraviolet（UV）intensity deviation from each observation point from 17:00 to 7:00 was not large（－0.5 to 0.5 mW/cm²）, but from 10:00 to 14:00 was－3.0 to 2.0 mW/cm². The difference in UV intensity between observation points was significant. Conversely, because the size of the UV deviation is related to the solar altitude, it is necessary to examine their relationship. Correlation analysis showed a positive and significant correlation（r = 0.74) between daily maximum UV anomaly and solar altitude.

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In this study, we used motion sensor cameras and monitored mammal appearance patterns in the Wakayama University campus area located foothill development site with remaining forest patches between January 2023 and January 2024. We also estimated wild boar population density using the REST model. A total of 1065 days of camera operation and 9433 effective shots were taken, confirming the presence of 11 mammal species. The most frequent species was wild boar as 72.59 times/100 days. The result of the density estimation was 50.8 animals/㎢. These results indicate that the remnant forest in the foothill development area, adjacent to the human living spaces, functions as a habitat for various mammals.

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The expansion of abandoned bamboo forests into neighboring forests is an important issue. Previous studies have proposed methods for estimating the expansion rate of bamboo forests by comparing aerial photographs of the bi-temporal combination or by using the density of culms collected during field surveys at a specific mono-temporal. However, these methods have issues with limited archives of previous imagery data and difficulties of physical access to unmanaged bamboo forests. In this study, we attempted to estimate the bamboo forest expansion using UAV images captured at a mono-temporal. We used conventional and our proposed methods as a trial case study at a bamboo forest in Ehime prefecture. We examined the difference in estimated speed due to the difference in method and the factors behind it. In this study, when UAV images were used, the extraction rate of culms was higher at the invasion frontier than in a pure bamboo forest, suggesting an impact on the expansion speed.

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This study examines trends among absentee owners who own assets such as forests, farmland, and houses in Japan and still live far from the location of their assets by conducting a nationwide Internet survey. The objectives of this study were to (1) identify trends in asset ownership among absentee owners who live far from where their assets are located and (2) compare the results with similar surveys conducted in 2017 to identify changes. Using descriptive statistical analysis, we found that the results of this survey tended to be similar to those of 2017. At the same time, the aging of the population reveals absentee owners who are finding it more difficult to manage their assets.

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Legal councils have been established in each region for the designation of promotional zones for offshore wind power projects. A legal council includes government officials, prefectures, local governments, stakeholders mainly from the fisheries industry, experts and others discusses various issues and prepares the council's opinions. The council's opinions is attached to the public call for the offshore wind project, so that local voices are reflected in the project. In this study, a comparative study was conducted to identify the characteristics of the legal councils’ management and it discussed that the region where the pilot project have been discussed and installed can discuss better about the concept related to local development.

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This study aimed to consider the process of imposing the tax of regional coexistence under ordinance related to renewable energies for social consensus building, in the case of Miyagi Prefecture. The results showed the purpose of this new tax is leading developments to suitable areas, and the targets of project are accumulated sets at 0.5 hectares or more. And the revenue of tax is used for public in the prefecture. Furthermore, the projects follow the current system that prioritizes consensus building measures are tax-exempt, and the relevant guideline was published to advise consensus building in municipalities. Therefore, it was considered that the process would lead to the formation of social consensus building.

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A questionnaire survey was conducted in 25 municipalities that have experience in field breeding of storks by 2023. The results showed that in many municipalities, the department that handles cultural properties was responsible for the field breeding. Human resource and cost issues were pointed out. About half of the respondents were interested in the utilization of storks as a local resource in education. Seventeen municipalities were interested in collaboration with local governments. Interest in cooperation among the neighboring area was selected most frequently, and information sharing was cited. The expansion of a social environment that can accommodate field breeding is necessary for stable habitat, and a system that can improve human resources and costs is urgently needed.

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To understand Japanese perceptions of decarbonization, we conducted a survey addressing five points: 1) Is decarbonization a crucial issue? 2) Is it excessive? 3) Is it impossible? 4) Will it make life harder? (5) Will it enrich life? Responses were categorized as positive, negative, or " unsure/neutral " and analyzed using latent class analysis. The results showed that about 30% of respondents supported or were skeptical of decarbonization, while 48.3% viewed it merely as an issue, and 12.8% were indifferent. This trend was consistent even among Gen Z, known for high environmental awareness. These findings suggest that a concrete understanding and discussion of decarbonization have yet to deepen in Japan.

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