# Research Trends and Future Direction for Utilization of Woody Biomass in Japan
## 5 Social Impact Assessment of Woody Biomass Utilization
### Factors Contributing to Collaborative Behavior towards Woody Biomass Utilization  
The factors promoting cooperation in the utilization of woody biomass are summarized from three perspectives--government, companies, and the public--and the results are presented in Table 5. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Perspective** & **Paper No.** & **Year** & **Factors** & **Reference** \\ \hline \multirow{8}{*}{Goverment} & 7 & 2012 & 1. & New energy vision from the Kyoto Protocol (Climate change) & [49] \\  & 5 & 2013 & 1. & Measures to create a recycling-oriented society (Reycling-oriented society) & [47] \\  & & & 2. & Forestry revalidation initiatives (Regional revitalization) & \\  & & & 1. & Creation of a forest low-carbon society (Climate change) & \\  & & & 2. & Reduction of fuel costs from fossil fuel substitution (Climate change) & \\  & & & 3. & Measures to promote forestry and an aging society (Regional revitalization) & \\  & & & 4. & Improvement of energy self-sufficiency (Reycling-oriented society) & \\  & & & 5. & Contribution to the local economy (Regional revitalization) & \\  & & & 6. & Creation of local employment (Regional revitalization) & \\  & & & 1. & Local production and consumption of energy resources (Recycling-oriented society) & \\  & & & 2. & Revitalization of the town (Regional revitalization) & [43] \\  & & & 3. & 2021 & 1. & Regional industry promotion and job creation (Regional revitalization) & [45] \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 5: Factors contributing to collaborative behavior towards woody biomass utilization. From a government perspective, the reviewed papers focused primarily on local governments in Japan. Regional revitalization has emerged as a key factor driving the participation of local governments in the woody biomass business, addressing issues commonly observed in Japanese localities such as population decline and industrial downturns. Furthermore, the involvement of woody biomass businesses aligns with the recent environmental policy of the Japanese government, which is primarily characterized by its commitment to addressing climate change, fostering regional revitalization, and promoting a recycling-oriented society. From the companies' perspective, there is a strong likelihood that they will consider collaborative woody biomass activities as part of their business expansion. Many companies aim to increase their revenue through the development of woody biomass businesses, either by expanding their operations or reducing costs. Moreover, heightened awareness of woody biomass and regional development are pivotal factors that encourage companies to engage in woody biomass utilization. Increased awareness of woody biomass can motivate companies to participate more actively, and regional revitalization can enhance the local economy and attract companies with a regional focus. From a public perspective, we classified the factors into three categories: intention to use, reasons for utilization, and factors influencing cooperative activities for woody biomass utilization. Private utilization of woody biomass is primarily for heating in households or public facilities and can be classified into direct utilization, which involves the purchase of heating equipment fueled by woody biomass, and indirect utilization, which involves the use of public facilities fueled by woody biomass. Public willingness for direct utilization is not particularly strong, while in some regions, more than half of the respondents expressed a willingness for direct utilization, and the actual number of users remained small [51,54]. Furthermore, the majority of respondents expressed reservations about the drawbacks associated with heating equipment fueled by woody biomass, such as its complex operation and high costs [53]. In contrast, public willingness for indirect