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The Asahi Shimbun
National Report
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By KEITARO FUKUCHI/ Staff Writer
February 19, 2026 at 07:00 JST
Environment Minister Hirotaka Ishihara on Jan. 19 touches a plate of glass separated from a used solar panel at a recycling plant in Tokyo’s Ota Ward. (Keitaro Fukuchi)
The government has compiled a bill to require photovoltaic power producers to recycle their used solar panels, starting with mega solar farm operators.
The obligation will expand in phases to cover all producers in the late 2030s, when the volume of discharged solar panels is expected to peak, according to the plan.
The government is expected to submit the bill to the Diet after the Feb. 8 Lower House election, hoping to have it passed in summer.
In working out the plan that was announced on Jan. 23, officials with the environment and industry ministries addressed the contentious issue of who should bear the cost of recycling.
The government will present a set of “decision standards” to photovoltaic power generators regarding when used solar panels should be recycled and what is the permissible cost difference between recycling and landfill.
The power producers will be required to submit plans that include expected volume of disused solar panels and how they intend to dispose of them.
The plans will be reviewed, and power generators that fail to meet the government standards will receive guidance or recommendations.
Details of the standards and the discharge volume subject to the obligation have yet to be determined, the officials said.
LOW RECYCLING RATE DUE TO COST
Solar panels are supposed to have service lives of 20 to 30 years.
Mass disposal is expected to begin in the late 2030s, when the annual volume is estimated to peak at about 500,000 tons, roughly the same as the current annual discharge volume of automobile-derived waste.
Nearly 97 percent of auto waste is being recycled.
By contrast, only 20 percent of photovoltaic power generators have had their solar panels recycled, a survey by a group of power producers has shown.
Panel recycling costs, which are several times more expensive than burial expenses, are a major obstacle.
The government’s draft plan will start with operators of mega solar plants, which discharge large volumes of solar panels.
When the overall disposal volume in Japan has increased and the recycling cost has dropped with the availability of more disposal plants, the government plans to expand coverage to power plant operators that discharge smaller volumes of panels.
The environment and industry ministries floated a plan last year that would have made solar panel recycling mandatory at the expense of manufacturers and other parties.
But that plan would force businesses that have yet to manufacture solar panels cover the costs of recycling existing solar panels.
The Cabinet Legislation Bureau questioned that point because of its inconsistency with other laws and regulations.
The latest plan was redesigned to have mega solar farm operators and other parties that discharge used panels bear the recycling expenses.
The government will also call on solar panel manufacturers to adopt eco-friendly designs and provide information on component substances.
To promote efficient recycling, the government will certify recycling companies that are allowed to store used solar panels in a consolidated manner and go through simplified formalities.
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