Is Deforestation Really Eco-Friendly?

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Mountaineer Ken Noguchi has sounded the alarm over plans to build large-scale solar power plants (mega-solar) around Hokkaido's Kushiro Shitsugen National Park. In an interview with The Sankei Shimbun, he warned that deforestation and altering the landscape in the name of clean energy undermine the very idea of being environmentally friendly.

According to Noguchi, wherever mega-solar projects appear, local communities are left in distress. "People come to my office saying, 'Please help us do something,'" he explained. In 2019, he even convened a national conference in Tokyo to discuss the growing wave of problems nationwide.

A Fragile Habitat at Risk

Kushiro Shitsugen, Japan's largest wetland, is protected as a national park, with its core zone listed under the Ramsar Convention. It serves as a vital breeding ground for the red-crowned crane, a designated special natural monument, and also provides habitat for white-tailed and Steller's sea eagles. Rivers winding through its reedbeds, sedge fields, and alder forests shelter the giant freshwater fish, ito (Japanese taimen).

But this delicate ecosystem cannot withstand unchecked development. Kushiro City has already identified 27 mega-solar projects planned or under construction nearby. Although the wetlands are surrounded by zoning that limits urbanization, outdoor solar installations are exempt from the Building Standards Act, a loophole that developers have been quick to exploit.

From Silence to Outcry

Noguchi has spoken out about mega-solar many times on social media, but the response to Kushiro was unprecedented. "Frankly, I was surprised," he admitted. "The words 'Kushiro Wetlands' have such an impact, and I think frustration and anxiety had already been building up."

Developers, Noguchi acknowledged, are operating within the law, which makes halting projects difficult. But after Dr Keisuke Saito, head of the Institute for Raptor Biomedicine Japan, shared footage from the site, Noguchi decided it was time to speak out.

He also revealed that entertainer Tsuyoshi Tsuruno has agreed to visit Kushiro. "If possible, I'd like to hold a press conference there," Noguchi said. He and Dr Saito are also discussing the idea of a national conference in Kushiro.

To have impact, he added, private groups must work together with Kushiro City, which has declared "No More Mega-Solar."

*Large-scale solar power plants being built one after another around the Kushiro Wetlands. August 20, Kushiro City, Hokkaido. Taken by drone.*

Clean Energy, Dirty Footprint

Noguchi questioned whether destroying nature in order to produce clean energy makes any sense. "Cutting down forests and altering the landscape — can that really be called eco-friendly?" he asked.

He noted that Germany imposes strict requirements, such as creating six times more forest to offset trees removed for facility construction. "In Japan," he said, "development has gone ahead without any such legal framework."

He added that while the Fukushima nuclear accident was one trigger for the solar boom, Japan now urgently needs new rules and restrictions.

Concern Over Abandoned Panels

Noguchi also expressed concern about the long-term future of the facilities, particularly those operated by foreign firms. "Will they really take responsibility for disposing of panels after their lifespan ends?" he asked.

Utilities are required to buy solar-generated electricity — a system whose durability he questioned. "That won't last forever," Noguchi said. "Once companies say, 'We won't buy anymore,' and profits disappear, I fear the panels will simply be abandoned."

Noguchi stressed that he is not opposed to solar energy itself. "I'm not saying mega-solar is bad," he clarified. "But when it spreads unchecked, without proper laws and safeguards, what happens then?"

The answer, he argued, is for the issue to be debated nationally. "If people across Japan think about it together, the government will be forced to act."