Residents in urban Japan push back against data centre plans

Residents in parts of urban Japan are opposing planned data centres as demand grows for facilities that support artificial intelligence and cloud storage.

In Hino, on the outskirts of Tokyo, 94-year-old Yoriko Kitagawa said she was worried about a large data centre planned near her home. Campaigner Yasuo Yamazaki said nearby residents were concerned about possible fire risks from large battery systems, heat, noise and a possible explosion linked to fuel stored for a backup generator.

The Hino project originally included three planned buildings. The height of two of them has been cut by a fifth to 63.5 metres, or 208 feet, but the article says they would still stand over nearby houses and block sunlight for some residents.

Developer Mitsui Fudosan says it plans a green buffer zone of up to 78 metres with trees and a stream to reduce noise, heat and the sense that the buildings are oppressive. Project manager Toshitsugu Jouzuka said one approach was to set buildings back from the street and use greenery so the development would feel less overwhelming at eye level.

The article says concern over resource-intensive data centres is growing worldwide. New York State and Australia have announced new rules, and opponents in the United States have called for a national day of protest. Japan faces particular pressure because 80 percent of the country is mountainous and suitable urban land is limited. One data centre is also planned next to Tokyo Tower.

Japan has ambitions to expand its AI infrastructure. The article says the country is planning for 10 million AI robots operating by 2040, wants to become the world's most AI-friendly country, and wants its own sovereign AI models and infrastructure to reduce reliance on the United States and China. It also says Japan is moving to revive its nuclear power sector partly to meet projected power demand from AI, 15 years after the Fukushima disaster.

Trung Ghi, an energy and utilities consultant at Arthur D. Little, said Japan has strong telecommunications infrastructure and political stability but also important constraints, especially limited large-scale land near demand centres. He said the best future locations may depend less on proximity to cities and more on reliable, affordable and increasingly low-carbon power, along with coordinated planning for power, grid capacity, cooling, land use, fibre, regulation and community engagement.

Real estate company JLL says about 90 percent of Japan's data centres are concentrated in the greater Tokyo and greater Osaka areas. In Inzai, a Tokyo commuter town, there are already at least 10 data centres, including one used by Google. Residents there have launched legal action against a proposed new facility, saying it would harm their daily life through loss of sunlight, damage to the landscape, noise, vibration, hot air, traffic hazards and large-scale construction work. Japan ERI, which granted the construction plan certificate and is a defendant in the case, declined to comment.

Critics cited in the article say Japan's building rules have not kept pace with data centre growth and can classify data centres as offices rather than industrial facilities. Satoshi Oikawa, a lawyer for the Inzai residents, said Japanese law is not catching up with the situation.