Environment Protecting Forests and Bringing Sunshine--Kochi Prefecture's Forest Environment Tax and Mega Solar 2023

Environment Protecting Forests and Bringing Sunshine--Kochi Prefecture's Forest Environment Tax and Mega Solar 2023

Kochi Prefecture's forest environment tax, introduced in 2003 for the first time in Japan, is still in effect, with each resident contributing 500 yen per year. The tax has been a source of revenue to support a wide variety of activities, including thinning of degraded planted forests, afforestation, support for forest education and volunteer activities, and restoration of water source recharge functions. In 2023, the fund entered its fifth year, with approximately 1.7 billion yen distributed to prefectures and municipalities, including the concessionary tax on forest environment levied by the national government. The use of tax revenues is made transparent through a fund, and projects are steadily being developed in a manner that emphasizes forest conservation and the participation of prefectural residents. The efforts to restore the power of the mountains, which were lost after the period of rapid economic growth, are still a pillar of Kochi's regional policy.

At the same time, Kochi Prefecture has been active in introducing renewable energy, particularly solar power generation. The prefecture, municipalities, and private sector have jointly invested in the "Kochi-style Community Renewable Energy Project," and have set up a system to return the profits to the community. The prefecture is promoting the installation of solar power in prefectural facilities, residences, and business establishments, and is developing a step-by-step action plan for a decarbonized society, such as promoting the electrification of official vehicles. This approach is seen as an effort to "bring in the sun while protecting the forest" for the future.

However, the construction of mega solar power plants is not uniformly welcomed. In Tosashimizu City, for example, residents have expressed concern about the landscape and land use, and there have been opposition movements. While promoting the introduction of renewable energy, Kochi Prefecture has shown that it will not tolerate unplanned overdevelopment and that it values local consensus and environmental considerations. The tax to protect mountains and forests and the technology to attract solar energy. How to harmonize the two is an issue that Kochi Prefecture has entrusted to the future, and is a touchstone for the creation of a sustainable society.

The forest environment tax and mega solar power have no direct institutional relationship. The former is intended to support thinning and afforestation to protect the public functions of forests, such as water source recharge, disaster prevention, and CO₂ absorption, while the latter is a renewable energy policy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. However, the two intersect over land use. If forests are cut down to make way for large-scale mega-solar power plants, the public interest function that the forest environment tax is intended to protect may be undermined. On the other hand, if environmentally friendly solar power is installed on abandoned or deforested land, reforestation and energy security can complement each other. The renewable energy policy being pursued by Kochi Prefecture is a challenge to achieve this harmony. The key to shaping the future of the region lies in striking a balance between the forests that need to be protected and the sunlight that needs t
o be harnessed.