Research & reports

Naomi Shimpo · · Japan (Kobe City)

This chapter presents two case studies of community gardens in old neighborhoods of Kobe City, Japan, to demonstrate their establishment process and the social connections formed. Community gardens serve as open spaces for evacuation and food sources after earthquakes, and daily gardening activities can build social capital crucial for mutual aid in a crisis. The cases illustrate the potential for social capital building through community gardening, particularly for foreign and elderly residents, and highlight the need for city government support for such bottom-up disaster preparedness efforts.

Naomi Shimpo, Sakura Yamada · Toshi keikaku hokokushu/Toshi keikaku houkokushuu · Japan (Tokyo)

This paper reports on the establishment of "Harajuku Harappa Farm," a community garden initiated by local residents on approximately 1,500m² of unused national land in central Tokyo. The project overcame barriers to national land use through multi-stakeholder collaboration, featuring experimental, shared, and educational plots with an emphasis on composting and local resource circulation. This case suggests the potential for temporary use of public land for environmental education, community building, and circular resource management in urban areas from an urban planning perspective.

Kosuke Sakura, Ignacio Grávalos Lacambra, Manuel Alejandro Rufasto Ñañez, Patrizia Di Monte · Dearq · Japan (Nagano)

This article presents an active service-learning methodology as a pedagogical approach in architecture schools, focusing on community-led appropriation of public space. This methodology was implemented through the Machi Hata Project, which aimed to transform three abandoned areas near Zenkoji Temple in Nagano—Sukeroku Garden, La Rencontre Backyard, and A Goat Garden—into "civic gardens." The study documents the sequential processes of analysis, design, and community-led construction of these community gardens, highlighting their potential as both educational tools and catalysts for urban regeneration.

李　錦東 · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan (Kitakyushu)

Kitakyushu City has faced challenges due to continuous population decline and aging since the 1980s, while some shrinking cities abroad have used urban agriculture to solve local issues. This study conducted a questionnaire survey targeting Kitakyushu citizens to clarify the current status and needs regarding their urban agricultural activities. The research aims to provide considerations for promoting urban agricultural activities in Kitakyushu.

Shuang Gan, Wanglin Yan · Applied Geography · Japan

A multi-scale analytical framework examined changing relationships between urban expansion and farmland protection during the transition from population growth to decline, applied to the Odawara region of Japan. Since population decline began in 2010, conflicts between urban expansion and farmland protection have remained concentrated along the urban-agricultural fringe, with farmland loss and fragmentation continuing despite reduced development pressure, and population change was found to indirectly cause paddy field loss via built-up land expansion with a five-year lag. The main driver of farmland loss has shifted from urban development to agriculture-related loss driven by labor shortages and low farming efficiency, and agricultural promotion areas moderately retain paddy fields but offer only limited protection against fragmentation.

Honoka TAHARA, Takafumi OISHI · 農村計画学会誌 · Japan

An internet-based questionnaire survey of students, faculty and staff of a Faculty of Agriculture in Japan examined the feasibility of introducing Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) into university-regional cooperation. Awareness of CSA was low and prior participation limited, but respondents tended to rate CSA favorably as a university-regional cooperation initiative; ordered logistic regression showed willingness to pay CSA membership fees was associated with occupation, prior experience (home delivery, farm work), interest in food, CSA awareness, favorable evaluation of CSA for cooperation, and intention to participate in non-purchasing CSA activities.

· 農林水産省 農村振興局 · Japan

MAFF's tally of certifications under the Urban Farmland Leasing Facilitation Act, broken down by prefecture and municipality. As of end-March 2025: 840 cases covering 1,358,850 m², up from 725 cases and 1,167,531 m² a year earlier. Split between leases for the tenant's own cultivation and specified urban farmland lettings (allotment gardens).

· 農林水産省・経済産業省 · Japan

Statistics on projects certified under the agriculture-commerce-industry collaboration scheme, tallied by region (Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Hokuriku, Tokai, Kinki, Chugoku-Shikoku, Kyushu, Okinawa) — showing where collaborations between small businesses and primary producers are actually forming.

環境省 · 環境省 環境再生・資源循環局 廃棄物適正処理推進課 · Japan

A press release from Japan's Ministry of the Environment summarizing FY2023 nationwide municipal solid waste generation and disposal. Total waste generation was 38.97 million tonnes (down 3.4% year on year), the recycling rate was 19.5%, and final disposal volume was 3.16 million tonnes. Of 1,004 incineration facilities, 411 had power generation equipment, generating 10,254 GWh in total.

農林水産省 · 農林水産省 新事業・食品産業部 · Japan

Industry-specific targets for food-recycling implementation rates set under Japan's basic policy on promoting the recycling of food-related resources (Food Recycling Act), published March 14, 2025: 95% for food manufacturing, 75% for wholesale, 65% for retail, and 50% for food service.

環境省 · 環境省 環境再生・資源循環局 廃棄物適正処理推進課 · Japan

Japan's Ministry of the Environment statistical compendium on FY2023 municipal solid waste management. The national waste-flow chart shows total waste generation of 38,974 thousand tonnes and total recycled volume of 7,633 thousand tonnes (recycling rate 19.5%). Of the 6,234 thousand tonnes recycled by municipalities, 119 thousand tonnes (1.9%) went to fertilizer and 6 thousand tonnes (0.1%) to animal feed.

消費者庁 · 消費者庁（農林水産省・環境省と連携） · Japan

Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency published its FY2023 food loss estimate on June 27, 2025. Total food loss was 4.64 million tonnes, down from 4.72 million tonnes the prior year, split between 2.31 million tonnes from businesses and 2.33 million tonnes from households.

環境省 · 環境省 · Japan

Japan's Ministry of the Environment estimates FY2023 food loss at about 4.64 million tonnes (2.33 million tonnes household, 2.31 million tonnes business), down from 4.72 million tonnes the previous year. Under the Food Loss Reduction Promotion Act's basic policy, Japan targets halving household food loss and cutting business food loss 60% by FY2030, both against a FY2000 baseline.

国土交通省 · 国土交通省 · Japan

Japan's Civic Green Space Certification system, based on Article 60 of the Urban Green Space Act, lets a private landowner who establishes and manages green space for community use obtain municipal certification for a management plan. Qualifying sites must be at least 300 square meters, have at least 20% greenery coverage, and be maintained for at least 5 years. Certified green spaces managed by a Midori Corporation receive a fixed-asset and city-planning tax reduction — in principle one-third off for 3 years (municipalities may set 1/2 to 1/6 by ordinance) — under a time-limited measure running through 31 March 2027.

国税庁 · 国税庁 · Japan

According to Japan's National Tax Agency, when a qualifying heir inherits farmland from a deceased person who had been farming it and continues farming (or leases it under a designated arrangement), payment of the portion of inheritance tax corresponding to the value of the land above its agricultural investment value is deferred. This deferred tax is forgiven if the farming heir dies while still farming, among other conditions. Designated leasing arrangements include those under the Act on Facilitation of Leasing Urban Agricultural Land.

国土交通省 · 国土交通省 · Japan

This MLIT page hosts MLIT's annual survey of city-planning designation status as of 31 March 2024, conducted with the cooperation of prefectural urban planning divisions. It provides open-data links to 14 categories of results — urbanization-area and district designations, urban redevelopment projects, location optimization plan status, and more. The page itself contains no aggregate figures; the numbers reside in the linked data files.

国土交通省 · 国土交通省 · Japan

This press release, published by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on March 18, 2025, reports the results of the 2025 official land price survey covering 26,000 points nationwide. The national average for all uses, residential land, and commercial land rose for the fourth consecutive year, with the rate of increase widening. Among the three major metropolitan areas, Tokyo and Osaka saw continued acceleration while Nagoya's increase slightly narrowed; regional areas rose for a fourth straight year, though the rate slightly narrowed in the four major regional cities (Sapporo, Sendai, Hiroshima, Fukuoka).

石井健太朗 · 大和不動産鑑定株式会社（DREA REPORT） · Japan

Published in April 2025 by Kentaro Ishii of Daiwa Real Estate Appraisal Co.'s Research & Marketing Department, this report analyzes Japan's 2025 official land price survey (as of January 1, 2025), based on MLIT data. It shows the national all-use average rose for a fourth consecutive year with an accelerating rate (+2.1% in 2025), driven by steady housing demand and strong retail/hotel demand in commercial areas. The residential land price increase was highest in Furano, Hokkaido, and the commercial increase was highest in Chitose, Hokkaido (site of semiconductor plant investment); among prefectural capitals, Naha posted the largest residential gain (+5.9%) and Saga the largest commercial gain (+9.0%).

東京都環境局 · 東京都環境局 · Japan

Tokyo's Green Plan System, based on the Tokyo Ordinance on Protection and Recovery of Natural Environment, requires development and building projects on sites of 1,000 sqm or more (250 sqm or more for national/local government sites) to meet a minimum greening standard. It cites heat island mitigation, air purification, and rainwater infiltration as goals, and publishes wall-greening guidelines and rooftop greening performance data.

東京都 · 東京都例規集 · Japan

Article 14 of the Tokyo ordinance requires developers building or renovating on sites of 1,000 sqm or more (250 sqm or more for national/local government sites) to submit a greening plan covering both ground-level and building-top (e.g. rooftop) greening to the governor before starting work, to report completion of the greening afterward, and to properly maintain the resulting green space. Enacted December 22, 2000, with the most recent amendment taking effect June 1, 2025.

国土交通省 · 国土交通省 · Japan

According to this December 12, 2025 announcement by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, approximately 14.5 hectares of green roofs (equivalent to about two National Stadiums) and 4.6 hectares of green walls were newly installed nationwide in FY2024. Cumulative installations from FY2000 through FY2024 (25 years) reached about 633 hectares of green roofs and 131 hectares of green walls.

農林水産省 · 農林水産省 · Japan

According to MAFF's community garden survey results as of the end of March 2025, Japan has 4,273 community gardens with 188,713 plots covering 1,284 hectares nationwide. By operator type, local governments run 1,977, agricultural cooperatives 414, farmers 1,433, and companies/NPOs 449.

東京都環境局 · 東京都環境局 · Japan

This Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Environment page describes the Green Space Plan Notification System, which requires developers building or expanding structures on sites of 1,000 m2 or more (250 m2 or more for national/local government sites) to file a green space plan and meet a minimum greening standard, under the ordinance on nature protection and restoration in Tokyo. The system aims to restore lost green space and mitigate the urban heat island effect, requiring prior consultation and post-completion reporting.

東京都環境局 · 東京都環境局 · Japan

This Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Environment page compiles and publishes rooftop, wall, and balcony greening results based on green space plan filings from FY2000 through FY2024. The page text itself does not state cumulative totals; detailed figures are provided separately in downloadable Excel and PDF result tables.

豊島区 · 豊島区 · Japan

The rooftop garden "Toshima Forest" on the 10th floor of Toshima Ward Office recreates the ward's former Musashino plateau, valley, and cliff-line terrain and vegetation, with tanks and biotopes for observing creatures of the Arakawa river system. The Board of Education runs environmental education programs for children linked to the garden, such as returning medaka fish to their habitat.