an environmental model city. The town is also undertaking projects to promote the use of timber produced in the town. When the Yusuhara General Government Building was rebuilt, timber produced in the town was used, under the plan formulated through collaborative research by industry, the government, and academia. The construction was completed in 2006.

In 2009, the Yusuhara Town formulated its environmental model city action plan. The plan set targets of realizing a low-carbon society that is friendly to living beings and contributing to energy self-sufficiency. In order to achieve those targets, the town is operating a wood biomass local cyclical use model project, a $ CO_{2} $ forest absorption project, a $ CO_{2} $ emissions reduction project, and a capacity and mechanism-building project with national government assistance. In addition, through collaboration with national strategy projects aimed at revitalizing Japan in the 21st century, set forth in The New Growth Strategy that was formulated in 2010. Under the New Growth Strategy, this concept aims to bring about the world's top-class successful examples through technology, schemes, services, and community building that is aimed at the future. Using these resources, the aim will be to establish “environmental future cities” that will expand both domestically and internationally. It is expected that such efforts will bring about a transformation to a sustainable economic and social structure, which is driven by independent regions.

## (3) Trend of Utilizing Biomass Resources to Establish a Low-Carbon Society

In order to promote establishment of a low-carbon society and break free from reliance on exhaustible resources, it is necessary to improve the efficiency of resource and energy use, promote recycling of resources and actively work to replace exhaustible resources with renewable resources. Here we will take a look at the trend of utilizing biomass resources in Japan and the technological development and efforts that contribute to that trend.

### A. Fundamental Plan for the Promotion of Utilization of Biomass

Japan has an abundance of biomass, such as logging residue stems (e.g. unused forest chips from thinning) and domestic animal waste. Biomass is a resource that is sustainably renewable as long as there is life and solar energy, and the utilization of such resources will contribute significantly to mitigation of global warming and achieving a sound material-cycle society.

In order to accelerate the utilization of biomass, the government formulated the Fundamental Plan for the Promotion of Utilization of Biomass (approved by the Cabinet in July 2010) that stipulates the basics of policies for promoting utilization of biomass.

This Fundamental Plan for the promotion of Utilization of Biomass sets numerical targets that should be forest cooperatives and private commercial operators the town has established the semi-public-sector "Yusuhara Pellet Co., Ltd." and is manufacturing wood pellets from unused timber such as materials remaining in forests, mill ends from lumber sawing, and scrap logs, etc. Yusuhara Town will continue to promote the use of pellets in the agricultural and private sectors, and it is further promoting the creation of forests using income from projects, and formulating plans for cyclical forest operation.

Yusuhara Town has also set other high targets such as installing 40 wind power stations by 2050, and it is making other advanced efforts. In Japan, where 70% of national land is forested, it is expected that an environmental model city Yusuhara Town will serve as a good example of a sustainable, low-carbon society in a mountain village.

achieved in 2020 and aims to promote measures for their achievement. First, in order to achieve a “sustainable society with little environmental load”, the Plan aims to achieve approximately 26 million tons of biomass of carbon equivalent used annually in 2020, by setting separate targets for each type of biomass and promoting the use of biomass of the various types. For example, currently there are approximately 8 million tons (dry weight) of materials left in forests (e.g. timbers from

Source : Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries