ID: 1826
Presenting Author: Ayano Takeuchi
Session: 550 - (Re)building trust and transparency to navigate complex energy transitions
Status: pending
Without formal SEA, Japan’s wind sector cultivates informal SEA functions—mapping, co-design, participation—through which trust-building and strategic environmental governance gradually emerge.
Japan remains one of the few developed countries without a formal system for Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). While the national Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) framework is well established, it is largely procedural and implemented too late to guide strategic decisions. However, the rapid expansion of wind and offshore wind power under Japan’s carbon-neutral policy has forced both institutions and corporations to experiment with SEA-like practices in the absence of formal regulation. This study investigates how these actors have compensated for the missing layer of strategic assessment and what lessons can be drawn for potential institutionalization of SEA. Drawing on policy analysis and interviews with developers, consultants, and government officials, the research reveals that SEA functions—such as early integration, alternatives assessment, and participatory dialogue—are emerging informally through existing mechanisms: suitability mapping, regional coexistence programs, local consultation platforms, and corporate-led joint fact-finding with communities. Although fragmented and voluntary, these initiatives collectively represent a de facto SEA culture taking shape within Japan’s renewable energy sector. Companies increasingly view early-stage dialogue and environmental co-design as essential for building trust and reducing project risk. The findings suggest that Japan already possesses many of the procedural and cultural foundations necessary for SEA to work effectively. Rather than an institutional void, Japan’s experience shows a process of gradual conve
Ayano Takeuchi is a associate professor at Toho university, Chiba prefecture, Japan. Her research interest is renewable energy and social acceptance.
Coauthor 1: Mitsuru Tanaka