This article consists of three parts. First, we discuss the necessity of renewable energy based societies in Japan. Next, we explain the status-quo of renewable energy and issues to be addressed. And lastly, we examine a policy road map toward renewable energy based societies.

In Germany, the transition from conventional energy to renewable energy was promoted by the red-green coalition which was established in 1998. The coalition passed the German renewable energy act in 2000 and it is believed to be one of the most successful laws on energy transition. This article describes the law and its subsequent influence on the decentralization of the German energy system. Not only big suppliers, but also local entities contribute to the growth of renewable energy installation. Furthermore, the transition was mainly achieved by a large number of energy cooperatives in support of the law. In this paper, the law is first described in detail and its impact is explained. This is followed by an explanation of the character of energy cooperatives in Germany and their influence on the energy system.

The citizens of Iida City have long been involved in city planning, based on a strong and traditional bond between the citizens and the Iida City government. Key parties active in Iida City cooperate with Iida citizens to encourage businesses in the Iida area to increase use of renewable energy. In this article, I describe concrete examples of the current renewable energy situation.

After the Great East Japan Earthquake in the Tohoku region and the explosion of the Fukushima Daiichi (first) Nuclear Power Plant in March 2011, the market of renewable energy in Japan rapidly expanded as the FIT (Feed-in Tariff) now covers a capacity of 56GW (2012.7-2014.3). Renewable energy was originally suited for community-based economies, but in fact, large companies own most renewable energy power plants in local areas, yet they have not contributed to activating the local economy; results lack in local benefits such as human resource hiring and money circulation. The community-based renewable energy movement was born in Europe and gradually spread throughout Japan. The objectives of this movement are activation of the local community and achievement of autonomy through renewable energy. This paper introduces one such community-based renewable energy project, located in Tama, a suburb of Tokyo. It considers the possibility of building social capital through characteristic projects, such as a citizen fund, driving the public with two different organizations, and youth training programs related to renewable energy.

Aiming to better understand residents' preferences for municipal solid waste management (MSWM) by using life-stage segmentation, we conducted a questionnaire survey targeting Kawasaki city residents (n=1308). The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was applied to develop a hierarchy structure consisting of the goal (high satisfaction MSWM system), criteria (hygiene, environment, economy, reliability, convenience, and community), and corresponding sub-criteria. The estimated weights of the criteria were compared by age and life-stage. It was shown that prioritized criteria differed across life-stage. For example, young single males didn't have particular preferences, young couples prioritized household hygiene and economy, and young families prioritized the environment and the safe operation of facilities.

By using life-stage segmentation analysis, we should be able to design effective and efficient policy measures to raise the levels of residents' satisfaction toward the MSWM system and their participation in it