Message from the President
Environmental issues such as climate change are now urgent issues for human being, and CO2 reduction and ensuring energy conservation are essential for residential and no-residential buildings. In this context, the Act on Improvement of Energy Consumption Performance of Buildings came into force in 2017, and regulatory incentives related to energy conservation in buildings are being further enhanced in stages. In addition, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been set with 2030 as the target year, and "carbon neutrality by 2050" was declared in 2020, calling for national efforts in the residential and no-residential building sector.
In November 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that countries maintain a minimum winter room air temperature of 18℃ or higher in housing, carry out insulation work at new construction or renovation buildings, and take measures against heatstroke indoors in summer, to contribute to the achievement of Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) of the SDGs. Since then, in Japan, the Basic Plan for Housing has been revised (Cabinet decision in March 2021), the Housing Quality Assurance Act has been revised to create insulation grades up to 7 (issued in March 2022), the Building Energy Conservation Act has been revised to make it mandatory for newly built buildings to comply with energy conservation standards (issued in June 2022), and subsidies, tax incentives, and loans for housing energy conservation measures have been gradually reflected in housing policies. Meanwhile, Japan's third national health promotion campaign in the 21st century [Health Japan 21 (the third term)] (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announcement in May 2023) also clearly states that "it is necessary to actively collaborate with efforts in the residential and no-residential building sector, etc."
Considering these social demands, our foundation would like to act as a core institution for promoting SDGs in the housing and construction fields, including CO2 reduction throughout the life cycle of buildings.
