Japan: Ministry relaxes wind power rules

The Environment Ministry has decided to ease restrictions on wind power generation within national parks and promote clean energy supplies in an effort to combat global warming, government officials said Friday.

To date, the ministry has given permission for a limited number of wind power projects inside national parks, but has applied strict regulatory criteria under the National Parks Law to keep natural landscapes intact and ensure wild fowl do not accidentally hit the wind turbines.

The ministry will earmark a total of 3 billion yen for a three-year period from fiscal 2007–1 billion yen per year–to study the most effective ways to prevent “bird strike” cases at wind power facilities.
Daily Yomiuri