Smart Cities and Japan’s Energy Transition: Past, Present, and Future

This book offers a complex and problem-based analysis of the past, present, and future of smart cities in Japan’s energy transition.

With 92% of Japanese living in urban areas and a goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, Japan’s energy future will depend largely on how its cities can become smarter, greener, and more resilient. To reach these ambitions, a collective effort is required, with actions coming from Tokyo to Kumamoto, from Yokohama to Sapporo, and throughout dozens of smaller and bigger Japanese urban structures. This book addresses the key issues that have emerged or may emerge in various Japanese cities that are pursuing smart energy initiatives. The authors examine several issues, including international cooperation, heating decarbonisation, foreign direct investments, city planning, housing policies, and technology-related risks in the context of Japan’s energy transition.

Drawing on case studies from different regions of Japan and sectors of Japanese economy significant for reaching carbon neutrality, this book will be a valuable resource for all interested in energy transition, climate action, and smart cities, where Japan and Japanese smart cities serve as excellent benchmarks.

Maciej M. Sokolowski, PhD, DSc, is a Specially Appointed Associate Professor at the Faculty of Policy Management of Keio University, also affiliated with the Faculty of Law and Administration at the University of Warsaw. Professor Sokolowski has extensive experience in energy law and the energy sector; he has authored 100 papers and reports on the energy sector, including three solo books on energy regulation, combined heat and power, and the energy transition. Professor Sokolowski is a fellow of several institutions and networks, including the Sustainability College Bruges, the SI Network for Future Global Leaders, the Polish Electricity Association, the Australian Network for Japanese Law, the Japan Association of EU Studies, and the Japan Society of Public Utility Economics. He has been awarded numerous distinctions, including the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship, the Swedish Institute Visby Programme scholarship, and the Prime Minister of Poland’s Research Award. In 2024, Professor Sokolowski was named one of Stanford University’s ＂World’s Top 2% Scientists＂.

Fumio Shimpo, PhD, is a Professor of Law at the Faculty of Policy Management of Keio University. Professor Shimpo is an active scholar in the fields of data protection, privacy, information law, AI, and robot law in Japan. He serves as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Association of Law and Information Systems, the Executive Director of the Japanese Constitutional Law Society, a Board Member of the Japan Society of Information and Communication Research, the Director of the Law and Computer Society, and a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Information and Communications Policy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. He was previously the Commissioner for International Academic Exchange at the Personal Information Protection Commission of Japan (2018-2023) and the former Vice-Chair of the OECD Working Party on Security and Privacy in the Digital Economy (2009-2016).