PSC sets Dec 4 hearing for Shodoshima quarrying permit revocation

The Environmental Dispute Coordination Commission has announced that the hearing date for the case seeking the revocation of the approval disposition for a rock extraction plan granted by the Governor of Kagawa Prefecture to Akamatsu Sekizai Co., Ltd. will be December 4, 2026, at 1:30 PM. The hearing will be held at the Environmental Dispute Coordination Commission Hearing Court in the Central Government Building No. 4 (3-1-1 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo). The announcement was published in the Official Gazette (Public Notices/Miscellaneous Matters) dated November 4, 2026, as Environmental Dispute Coordination Commission Public Notice No. 2.

Case Structure and Parties Involved

This case is an application for an award regarding an administrative disposition concerning a rock extraction plan located within Obe, Tonosho-cho, Shodoshima-gun, Kagawa Prefecture. The case numbers are Environmental Dispute Coordination Commission Reiwa 7 (Fu) No. 2 and Reiwa 8 (Fu) No. 2, and in addition to the application for a revocation award, a petition for participation will also be heard.

The parties announced are as follows:

• Applicant for Award: Shodoshima Sekizai Kaihatsu Co., Ltd. (692-1 Obe-otsu, Tonosho-cho, Shodoshima-gun, Kagawa Prefecture; Representative Director: Hideaki Ari)
• Disposition Authority: Governor of Kagawa Prefecture (4-1-10 Bancho, Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture)
• Intervenor: Akamatsu Sekizai Co., Ltd. (628-1 Obe-otsu, Tonosho-cho, Shodoshima-gun, Kagawa Prefecture; Representative Director: Kazuhiro Nakanishi)

The head offices of both the applicant and the intervenor are located within Obe-otsu, Tonosho-cho, situated at adjacent lot numbers in the same district.

Issues: Lack of Landowner Consent and Absence of Demand for Quarried Stone

Two primary reasons for seeking revocation were stated in the public notice:

• Lack of consent from the landowner
• Absence of demand for the stone extracted from the quarry in question for the next ten years
• Other reasons including the above

The disposition in question is the approval granted by the Governor of Kagawa Prefecture on October 7, 2025, in response to the application for approval of the rock extraction plan by Akamatsu Sekizai Co., Ltd. The hearing date has been set approximately one year and two months after the disposition.

Legal Basis and Procedural Framework

This public notice was issued based on the provisions of Article 31, Paragraph 2 of the Act on Adjustment Procedures for Land Use Pertaining to Mining, etc. (Act No. 292 of 1950). This law establishes adjustment procedures regarding land use for mining and quarrying; hearing dates for award application cases are publicized in accordance with these procedures.

The notice was issued by the Award Committee of the Environmental Dispute Coordination Commission on November 4, 2026. The hearing date was set approximately one month after the date of the public notice.

Local Interests and Future Outlook

Shodoshima is located in the Seto Inland Sea and is a region known as a production area for granitic stone materials. Given the structure in which both the applicant and the intervenor are based in the same district—specifically, Kobe, Teshima-cho—this case is positioned as a matter of significant local interest, involving not only the relationship between business operators but also that with land owners.

In the hearing on December 4, the central points of contention will be the presence or absence of consent from land owners, which determines the legality of the authorization disposition, and arguments regarding quarrying demand over the next ten years. The decision of the Arbitration Committee may also influence the administration of similar rock extraction authorization dispositions within Kagawa Prefecture.

Source: Official Gazette, November 4, Reiwa 8 (Public Notices/Miscellaneous) Environmental Dispute Coordination Commission Public Notice No. 2 “Hearing on the Application for Revocation Ruling and the Related Application for Intervention regarding the Authorization Disposition for the Rock Extraction Plan in Kobe, Teshima-cho, Shodo-gun, Kagawa Prefecture (EDCC Reiwa 7 (Fu) No. 2 and Reiwa 8 (Fu) No. 2),” Legal Basis: Article 31, Paragraph 2 of the Act on the Adjustment of Land Use for Mining, etc. (Act No. 292 of 1950).