GENEVA — Japan has initiated a trade dispute against Canada related to renewable energy equipment in the province of Ontario, the World Trade Organization confirmed on Monday.
The Japanese mission to the WTO said the dispute centres on guaranteed long-term pricing for solar and wind generators made with a certain percentage of locally-produced components. Continue reading
The Japanese Conference against Big Wind was held on April 30 in Tokyo. Victims of low frequency noise from wind turbines and protesters against additional wind turbines gathered from all over Japan. More than 100 people came and 6 people gave speeches.
1. OKAWA, Tsuyoshi (Tahara-city, Aichi-prefecture)
He is a farmer living on Atsumi Peninsula. His house is near a wind turbine (1,500kW), which was built in July 2007. There are three houses (including his) within 350m of the turbine.
He has been suffering from the turbine’s low frequency noise since it began turning. He had never been told about the noise by the wind power company (M & D Green Energy). He asked the company and Tahara-city to measure the noise level. The conclusion of the measurement was “There is no problem”.
He and his family had to sleep at a hotel far from the turbine. Now they stay in their house in the daytime and sleep in an apartment far from turbine at night. Continue reading
Japan Voices Concern Over Ontario Green-Energy Program
By Stuart Weinberg DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
TORONTO (Dow Jones)–In a meeting this week, Japanese trade officials asked Ontario government officials to “get rid of the local-content requirement” contained in Ontario’s feed-in-tariff program.
Toshihiko Fujii, director of trade rules and dispute settlement for Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, said Ontario didn’t agree to the request but the two sides will continue the discussion.
Fujii said he made it clear that Japan “cannot rule out the possibility” of a legal challenge of Ontario’s domestic-content requirements at the World Trade Organization in Geneva. Continue reading
Shimbun Denki (January 25, 2010)
TOKYO, JAPAN –The Japanese Ministry of the Environment (MOE) intends to embark on its first survey ever of possible health impairment caused by wind power generation in fiscal 2010. The reason is that residents in the vicinity of wind turbines have complained of ill physical effects due to low-frequency sound emitted when the turbines turn. The MOE is going to consign execution of a fact-finding survey to a research institute. The survey results will provide the basis for studies to determine countermeasures by a newly established committee of experts.
The MOE is openly offering the survey job to research institutes and has thus far received applications from three. The survey will begin in fiscal 2010 and continue for a period of four years at most. It will cover wind farm facilities across the country and examine items such as the derivation of noise and low-frequency sound as well as the complaints, if any, from local residents.
Credit: BY AYA ITO AND TSUYOSHI TAKEDA, THE ASAHI SHIMBUN, www.asahi.com
An Asahi Shimbun survey, meanwhile, has found that residents have filed complaints to the state, local governments or operators over turbines at 30 locations (31 municipalities) in 18 prefectures. Some sites straddle two municipalities.
At the 30 locations where complaints have been filed, 90 percent concerned health problems. Residents say they suffer from insomnia, headaches, dizziness or buzzing in the ears. Continue reading