"｢いつ大きな事故が起きてもおかしくない｣奈良メガソーラー3度の土砂流出で住民がついに刑事告発," 18 May 2026

"Unofficial Japanese-to-English translation by Business and Human Rights Centre"

In April, a third soil runoff incident in 18 months occurred at a mega-solar construction site in Heguri Town, Nara Prefecture. On 11 May, downstream residents filed a criminal complaint with local police alleging violations of the Forest Act, marking the first such complaint under revised legislation that introduced penalties for breaches of forest development permit conditions.

Residents allege that land preparation and construction work proceeded without first completing required disaster prevention infrastructure, such as retention basins and drainage channels.

...

On 16 April, Heguri Mayor Hiroki Nishiwaki issued a “directive on measures regarding the soil overflow accident” to two representatives of Infinity Japan Co., Ltd., which is financing the Heguri mega-solar development... The directive pointed to a “lack of awareness regarding disaster prevention measures and site management” and requested inspections and countermeasures across the entire development site.

...

On the evening of 14 May, a residents’ briefing session was held at a cultural centre near Heguri Town Hall. At the beginning of the meeting, the project operators apologised, stating “We have caused accidents twice in the past and each time said, ‘This will never happen again,’ yet it has occurred again. We sincerely apologise.”

...

A woman living downstream stated “...The explanation is the same as after the previous two accidents. I do not feel that I have heard anything that alleviates our concerns.” Residents argued that superficial countermeasures were insufficient and questioned the operators regarding the construction work and safety measures. The operators promised to “hold another briefing session and allow residents to inspect the site again. In the meantime, we will suspend solar panel installation work.”

Residents file criminal complaint against developer and three construction companies

Residents living downstream of the mega-solar construction site submitted a criminal complaint to the local Seiwa Police Station on 11 May. The parties named in the complaint were the developer, Kyoei Solar Station LLC (Tokyo), the main contractor Tokyo Sangyo Co., Ltd. (Tokyo), its subcontractor Tokyo Densetsu Service Co., Ltd. (Tokyo), and secondary subcontractor Muramoto Construction Co., Ltd. (Nara). On the same day, residents also visited the Nara Prefectural Government and requested on-site inspections, corrective orders, and suspension orders under the Land Embankment Regulation Act and Forest Act.

Residents are particularly concerned that soil overflow accidents have occurred three times, including in November 2024 and May 2025.

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Separately, residents have challenged the permit itself, filing a lawsuit in August 2023 seeking its revocation. In March 2025, the Nara District Court dismissed the residents’ claim, and the residents appealed. Hearings at the Osaka High Court concluded in February this year, with a ruling scheduled for 18 June.