TOKYO, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Tokyo metropolitan government said on Thursday that it will introduce a system mandating that newly built homes be equipped with solar panels starting from the fiscal year of 2025.
The decision came among the country's efforts to reduce carbon emissions from the household sector.
The revised environmental security legislation that would implement the system was approved by a majority vote on the penultimate day of the regular Tokyo metropolitan assembly session on Thursday, becoming the first mandate of its kind in Japan, Kyodo News reported.
Major housing construction companies will be required to install solar panels on buildings with a total floor area of less than 2,000 square meters, according to the metropolitan government.
Home buyers will also be required to cooperate, and those privately contracting the construction of a residence 2,000 square meters or more will be obligated to fit it with solar panels, the media reported.
The metropolitan government predicted that the original cost of the 4-kilowatt panels, which totals about 7,200 U.S. dollars, can be recovered through electricity sales revenue in 10 years, and that it can be further lowered to six years with the help of subsidies.
Leasing companies would also receive subsidies for the upfront expenditures to lessen the strain on homebuyers, the administration added.
By 2030, Tokyo aims to cut its carbon emissions in half from the level in 2000. A supplemental budget of about 853.71 million U.S. dollars, which included grants for installing the panels, was also approved for the program. ■
