ABSTRACT
Japanese society, widely admired for its cohesiveness and harmony, is moving through rough terrain and needs innovation now more than ever to overcome looming social issues. Japan ranked 104 out of 142 countries in the Global Gender Gap Report 2014. The country ranked highly for gender parity in education and health but lags in economic and political participation. In March 2014, the Aizu Electric Power Company opened a citizen contribution fund to enable social participation in financing a plan to build 21 small-scale on-site solar power generation facilities producing 1.45MW of electricity. The local citizens and business community are strongly embracing the plan for its grand vision of applying the region's abundant resources to meeting the prefectural government's 2012 pledge to switch to 100" renewable energy by 2040. The "leaf business" combines a highly renewable natural resource with an enthusiastic staff of 200 farmers of an average age over 70, with the eldest 94.
