South China Morning Post – February 16, 2016 – The tourist selfie ruined by the forests of utility poles and overhead cables that blight many of Japan’s must-see attractions may soon be a thing of the past.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is to debate a bill that would encourage power companies to stop putting new poles up and to bury unsightly cables underground. The campaign has the support of local authorities and businesses hoping to make Japan easier on the eye, particularly for the vast numbers of foreign tourists who are flocking to Japan.
The need is particularly acute near some of the shrines and temples in the ancient capitals of Kyoto and Nara.
A number of local authorities have attempted to halt power firms’ use of poles, with some limited success, but even in Tokyo, a mere 7 per cent of power lines have been hidden, according to the Mainichi newspaper. In London and Paris, by comparison, the vast majority of cables are buried.
Utility poles sprouted in the years immediately after the second world war, as Japan forged ahead with its rebuilding and rapid economic development.
Utility poles festooned with cables even became something of an urban status symbol, indicating a district of a city that was sufficiently important to be hooked up to the power grid.
Today, there are an estimated 35 million power poles across the country, with an additional 70,000 added every year.
The biggest stumbling block to concealing power lines underground is the cost. While running cables from poles costs around 20 million yen per kilometre, the price surges 10-fold for underground lines.
The national government is expected to approve the bill on the understanding that the cost of the work is shared with local governments and businesses.