The use of so-called bio-diesel fuel is also spreading nationwide. The Kyoto Municipal Government is collecting 1.5 million liters of used cooking oil annually from households and hotels. The bio-diesel fuel produced powers 220 garbage trucks and 95 city buses.
In Shiga and Chiba prefectures, projects are under way to plant rape when converting rice paddies to other crops. The rapeseed oil produced is used in households and schools, and the used oil is collected and turned into soap and bio-diesel.
However, the Biomass Industrial Society Network, a nonprofit group, warns against unbridled bio-fuel development.
"It is not a good thing to only focus on increasing biomass fuel production," said Miyuki Tomari, a representative of the network. "There are still many hurdles (to its growth) including transportation and supply systems, and the need for tax breaks to promote use of bio-fuels.
"Disorderly imports also cause problems," she said.
The Japan Times: Nov. 2, 2005