[First in Tohoku] Hachimantai City, Iwate Prefecture's "Mid-Season Drainage for Rice Paddies" Project Receives J-Credit Certification

Bywill Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Yuichiro Shimomura; hereinafter "Bywill"), which aims to create a "world where GX is desirable" and promotes economic circulation utilizing environmental value, announced that the "Hachimantai City Mid-Season Drainage Project" it is advancing with Hachimantai City, Iwate Prefecture (Mayor: Takahiro Sasaki; hereinafter "Hachimantai City") has been officially certified as a program-type project*2 under the J-Credit Scheme*1 by the "68th Certification Committee.

Based on the agreement signed with Hachimantai City on September 6, 2024*3, this project aims to create J-Credits in the city, where rice production is thriving. The methodology adopted is "extension of the mid-season drainage period in rice cultivation," which suppresses methane gas emissions from rice paddies.

Iwate Bank, Ltd. (Headquarters: Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture; President: Toru Iwayama), which has a business alliance with Bywill, plays a role in supporting the recruitment of participating farmers for this project. Through their collaboration, they promote awareness and encourage participation among farmers. This support contributes to creating a system where local farmers can earn supplementary income from J-Credit sales without burden.

This is the first case in the Tohoku region where a municipality serves as the operator and manager of a project, receiving credit certification under this methodology.

*1: What is J-Credit? – J-Credits are certified by the government for greenhouse gas emission reductions and absorptions, such as CO2, obtained through decarbonization activities by businesses, including forest management and the introduction of energy-saving equipment.

*2: What is a Program-type Project? – This is a form of registering multiple CO2 reduction/absorption activities as a single J-Credit creation project. Small-scale reduction activities that would be impractical to register individually can create J-Credits by being aggregated.

*3: Hachimantai City, Iwate Prefecture, creates J-Credits from local rice paddies. Supports farmers in gaining supplementary income and contributing to the environment.

[Overview of the Certified Project]

Scheme of this project

This project adopts a "program-type" scheme where Hachimantai City acts as the secretariat, organizing local farmers, and Bywill supports the project registration and certification procedures. From the completion of project registration in 2025, the first credit certification has now been achieved.

Methodology

Extension of the mid-season drainage period in rice cultivation

Number of participating farmers

9 business entities (4 of which are corporations)

Target paddy field area

114ha (2,400ha of rice cultivation area in the city in FY2025)

Certified credit amount

464t-CO2

[Future Outlook]

Methane gas emitted from rice paddies is said to account for approximately 40% of Japan's total methane gas emissions*4, making it a critical issue for greenhouse gas reduction in the agricultural sector. In this project, methane gas emissions were suppressed by extending the mid-season drainage period by more than 7 days compared to conventional practices in rice farming, which is a major industry in Hachimantai City. The completion of this project, from demonstration to certification, with the municipality leading and engaging local farmers, serves as a pioneering model in the Tohoku region for balancing "sustainable agriculture" and "carbon neutrality."

*4: Source: Based on official leaflets from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the National Institute for Environmental Studies "Japan's National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report."

Official leaflet from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

https://www.maff.go.jp/tohoku/seisan/kankyou/attach/pdf/240806-16.pdf

National Institute for Environmental Studies "Greenhouse Gas Inventory Office of Japan" official page

https://www.nies.go.jp/gio/archive/nir/index.html

[Overview of Hachimantai City]

■ Name: Hachimantai City

■ Location: 21-170 Noda, Hachimantai City, Iwate Prefecture

■ Representative: Mayor Takahiro Sasaki

■ Official HP: https://www.city.hachimantai.lg.jp/

[Overview of Bywill Co., Ltd.]

■ Company Name: Bywill Co., Ltd.

■ Headquarters: Hulic Ginza 7-chome Building 4F, 7-3-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

■ Representative: President Yuichiro Shimomura

■ Official HP: https://www.bywill.co.jp/

■ Business Activities:

・Environmental value creation support business (creation of carbon credits, etc.)

・Environmental value trading business (procurement and brokerage of carbon credits, etc.)

・Decarbonization consulting business

・Brand consulting business

[Contact for this release]

Bywill Co., Ltd. Public Relations

e-mail: pr@bywill.co.jp

TEL: 03-6262-3584