Compliance with Building Standards under the New Energy Regulations in Japan

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1. Introduction
The government of Japan has declared that it would strive to realize carbon neutrality by 2050. As its nationally determined contribution under the Paris Agreement, it also committed to achieve a 46% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 compared to FY 2013.
Energy consumption of buildings takes up approximately 30% of the total energy consumption in Japan. Thus, the government deemed that initiatives were urgently needed for energy efficiency and renewable energy in the field of buildings. Hence, the Act on the Improvement of Energy Consumption Performance of Buildings, also known as the Building Energy Efficiency Act (the “Act”),1 which is the main energy efficiency law for buildings in Japan, was amended in 2022 (the “Amended Act”). The Amended Act will take effect in stages from 2023 to 2025