On March 31, 2026, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government promulgated the “Ordinance on the Promotion of Undergrounding in Residential Land Development in Tokyo” (Tokyo Metropolitan Ordinance No. 31 of 2026; hereinafter referred to as the “Ordinance”) to promote the undergrounding of power lines in residential land development ^[Note]. The Ordinance, among other provisions, generally prohibits developers conducting residential land development within regulated areas from erecting new utility poles or similar structures within the development area.We hereby provide information regarding the (proposed) regulated areas under the Ordinance and the (scheduled) effective date.

[Note] Residential land development refers to a development project that meets all of the following criteria:

1) Projects undertaken for the purpose of
constructing buildings intended for residential use (projects carried out pursuant to a permit under Article 29 of the City Planning Act)
2) Projects involving the construction of new roads (excluding the widening of existing roads adjacent to the development area)

1. Ordinance Concerning the Promotion of Underground Power Lines in Residential Development in Tokyo

Ordinance and Enforcement Regulations (PDF: 1,190 KB)

2. Proposed Regulated Area

The regulated areas are scheduled to be designated based on the following plan and will be announced following the revision of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Overhead Power Line Removal Plan.

1) Development Areas, Priority Development Areas, and Disaster Prevention Environment Improvement Districts under the “Disaster-Resilient City Development Promotion Plan” (Revised in March 2026)
2) Priority Development Areas under the “Tokyo Underground Utility Lines
Plan” (Currently being revised) In February 2026, the Tokyo Underground Utility Lines Plan announced the “Policy for the Next ‘Tokyo Underground Utility Lines Plan,’” outlining a plan to expand the priority development areas to include Route 8.

Proposed Regulated Area (PDF: 350 KB)

3. Scheduled Effective Date of the Ordinance

We plan to implement these measures by the end of October 2026.
Going forward, we will specify the exact effective date through Tokyo Metropolitan Government regulations, in conjunction with the public notice designating the regulated areas.

For reference

Urban Development Bureau Website

This initiative is part of the efforts to promote the “Tokyo 2050 Strategy.”
Strategy 21 [Urban Resilience]: Realizing a safe and secure Tokyo free of utility poles

Contact: Land Readjustment Section, Urban Development Department, Bureau of Urban Development Phone: 03-5320-4948 Email: S0000393(at)section.metro.tokyo.jp *The email address has been displayed in this format. Please replace (at) with @ when sending an email.