In Japan, various support measures are being implemented to promote geothermal development. In addition to financial support, activities to increase social acceptance are part of this effort. While many hot spring owners are against geothermal development because of concerns about the negative impact on their springs, some owners, encouraged by high Feed in Tariff prices, have installed their own geothermal plants. Most of them are quite small plants run by individual owners, but some large scale plants (higher than 1 MW) developed by local associations have emerged. Various laws limit the rapid growth of geothermal development, although two laws that directly regulate geothermal drilling and have long hindered geothermal development have been modified to accelerate geothermal developments in recent years. This is a complex issue related to social systems and cannot be easily solved by enacting a new law specified for geothermal development. Geothermal development should be promoted slowly but steadily while enhancing social acceptance.