Sustainable Building in Japan – Observations on a Market Transformation Policy

Abstract

Despite the lack of mandatory thermal requirements in the housing sector, an average Japanese household consumes around one-third of the energy for heating and cooling compared with a UK or German household. Based on a policy analysis and interviews, this paper identifies the concept and policies for sustainable building in Japan considering the characteristics of the building stock and household energy use behaviour. Energy and housing policies are described in terms of regulations, fiscal instruments and labels, and visualized in the context of a market transformation. The research shows that the Japanese policy has a clear preference for market-based instruments. Thermal regulations are limited to large developments only (over 300m2 ) and exclude most of the residential sector. The market transformation is likely to work with appliances, and the Top Runner programme has proved to be an effective policy in making a current market leader a future standard, but the 'scrap and build' housing policy leaves little incentive for energy investments in the building sector; in 24years the resale value of a Japanese home declines to almost zero and the payback time of most environmental measures exceeds the life-cycle of a building. As the implementation of environmental policies is voluntary, and the insulation levels low, the low heating demand per household seem to be due to different behavioural culture. The research concludes the necessity of introducing mandatory thermal regulations in housing in addition to market based instruments in order to gain further savings in the housing sector.

Lower Physical Performance in Colder Seasons and Colder Houses: Evidence from a Field Study on Older People Living in the Community

“…Houses in Japan typically have cold indoor temperatures in the winter. This is mainly due to low insulation and partial heating systems in the form of an electric foot warmer [ 20 ]. However, evidence remains limited on the determinants of vulnerability particularly in relation to socio-economic factors including fuel poverty, and the role of thermally inefficient housing in Japan.…”

“…The Japanese policy has a clear preference for non-residential building, and thermal regulations are limited to large developments only (over 300 m 2 ) and exclude most of the residential sector. As the implementation of environmental policies is voluntary, and the insulation levels low, the low heating demand per household seems to be due to a different behavioral culture [ 20 ].…”

The Influence of Local Governments on National Policy‐Setting Processes to Regulate Japan's Vehicle Emissions

“…Carbon dioxide emission standards are the ones that are more likely to be strengthened through regulation in the future. Japan has adopted the ‘top runner’ method for vehicle fuel efficiency, whereby, instead of having the government establish regulated standards, efficiency improves through the promotion of free competition among manufacturers (Sunikka‐Blank, ). It is hard to imagine situations like those that occurred in the past – in which citizens might launch lawsuits against local governments demanding reductions of carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles – so it is hard to think that local governments will criticize the national government's policies as being ‘lukewarm’, and establish their own independent standards even in defiance of the national government.…”

Identifying Public Policies to Promote Sustainable Building: A Proposal for Governmental Drivers Based on Stakeholder Perceptions

“…The findings identified current legislative privileges for new buildings. Sunikka-Blank and Iwafune [72] concluded on the need to introduce mandatory thermal regulations in housing in addition to market-based instruments to obtain more significant savings in the housing sector in Japan. Sayce et al [73] discussed the possibility of stimulating, through the tax system, measures to reward sustainable practices in property investment and management in the UK, facilitated by a more open dialogue with government bodies.…”