JAPAN

Ministries and Coordination Mechanism

Based on the Act on Promoting the Treatment of Marine Debris Affecting the Conservation of Good Coastal Landscapes and Environments to Protect Natural Beauty and Variety 2009, coordination in Japan was developed in the form of a council for promotion of measures against marine litter. Table 1 lists the ministries and agencies under the council and their responsibilities.

Table 1. Ministries and Agencies Under the Council and Their Responsibilities

Japan : Ministries and Coordination Mechanism (Table 1)

Ministry and Agency Responsibility
Ministry of the Environment Act as the Secretariat of the council, manage council affairs
Assume main responsibility on marine litter and waste management
Comprehensively and effectively formulate basic policy to promote measures against marine debris
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Manage fishery-based litter
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transportation and Tourism Manage riverside, port, and sea route litter
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Manage industrial activities related to industry-based litter
Japan Meteorological Agency Conduct research on marine plastic debris
Japan Coast Guard Raise awareness on marine environment conservation

Source: Government of Japan (2009)Ministry of the Environment (2018).

Article 12 states that coordination shall also be enhanced within local governments, business entities, the public, and private organisations, not only in coastal areas but also in all regions. The coordination mechanism is based on the basic policy formulated by the national government.

On 31 May 2019, Japan reinforced its commitment to lead global collaboration through the Ministerial Council on Marine Plastic Litter. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stated that Japan will exercise leadership in resolving the marine plastic litter issue (Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet, 2019). ‘We intend to lead worldwide efforts strongly by fully utilising our experiences and technologies in our efforts to contribute to the world, such as extending support to capacity building of developing countries, and to understand the actual situation both domestically and globally,’ said Prime Minister Abe in a speech. The Prime Minister mandated the relevant ministries to work on this issue thoroughly, following the approved action plan.

References

Government of Japan (2009), Act on Promoting the Treatment of Marine Debris Affecting the Conservation of Good Coastal Landscapes and Environments to Protect Natural Beauty and Varietyhttp://extwprlegs1.fao.org/docs/pdf/jap174308.pdf (accessed 21 November 2019).

Ministry of the Environment (2018), Progress in Addressing Marine Litter in Japanhttps://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/26454/Progress_ML_JPN.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y (accessed 21 November 2019).

Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet (2019), Ministerial Council on Marine Plastic Litterhttps://japan.kantei.go.jp/98_abe/actions/201905/_00059.html (accessed 25 November 2019).

National Laws and Regulation

Japan has several laws and regulations on tackling marine plastic debris.

The Basic Environmental Law (Law No. 91 of 1993) includes the responsibility of corporations to dispose of waste. Article 8(2) states: ‘In manufacturing, processing or selling products, or engaging in other business activities, corporations are responsible for taking necessary measures for ensuring proper disposal of the wastes generated from products and other goods related to their activities, so as to prevent interference with environmental conservation, pursuant to the basic principles.’ In support of this, the national government shall facilitate such efforts. Article 23(2) states: ‘The State shall take necessary measures to promote projects which contribute to prevent interference with environmental conservation, i.e. the construction of public facilities such as sewerage, public waste disposal facilities, traffic facilities (including transportation facilities) which contribute to reduce the environmental load, and other projects such as improvement of forests.’

The Basic Act on Ocean Policy (Act No. 33 of 27 April 2007) emphasises the formulation of the Basic Plan on Ocean Policy. A responsibility of the national government, the Basic Plan on Ocean Policy shall prescribe the basic policy of measures and the measures that the government shall comprehensively and systematically implement with regard to the oceans (Article 16). The Basic Plan on Ocean Policy shall also adopt the principle of marine conservation, including securing ocean biodiversity by preventing the discharge of waste into the ocean (Article 18).

The Act on Promoting the Treatment of Marine Debris Affecting the Conservation of Good Coastal Landscapes and Environments to Protect Natural Beauty and Variety (Act No. 82 of 15 July 2009) sets the basic principles for measures required for the smooth treatment of marine debris and control of its generation. Article 17 states that any coast manager or possessor of coastal land that is not a coast manager must take measures required for the treatment of marine debris in maintaining the cleanliness of coastal land under their management. The measures must involve the cooperation of the prefectural government in terms of technical advice and other support, and of the municipal government as necessary. The revision of this Act was promulgated in June 2019, encouraging business owners to refrain from using microplastics in products (including microbeads) that could leak into rivers, areas of public waters, or areas of the sea (Government of Japan, 2019).

Japan imposes several laws and regulations that apply the concept of reduce, reuse, and recycle (3Rs) and extended producer responsibility (EPR). Table 1 summarises the measures related to 3Rs and EPR in each law and regulation.

Table 1. Laws and Regulations Related to 3Rs and EPR

Japan : National Laws and Regulations (Table 1)

Law and Regulation Measure
Act on the Promotion of Effective Utilisation of Resources (Act No. 48 of 26 April 1991) Establishment of standards for labelling specified labelled products such as steel cans, aluminium cans, PET bottles, paper containers and packaging, plastic containers and packaging, compact rechargeable batteries, and PVC construction materials. Labelling shall further facilitate sorted collection.
Act on the Promotion of Sorted Collection and Recycling of Containers and Packaging (Act No. 112 of 16 June 1995) Business operators and consumers shall rationalise use of containers and packaging by using recyclable containers and packaging and reducing the excessive use of containers and packaging. They shall also promote the sorted collection of waste containers and packaging as well as recycling that conform to the standards. The national government shall fund, collect, and conduct research and development and public campaigns through education and relevant activities. The local government is responsible for carrying out sorted collection of waste containers and packaging in each area of municipal government, providing technical assistance (by prefectural government, for municipal government), and promoting the reduction of waste containers and packaging.
Act on Recycling of Specified Home Appliances (Act No. 97 of 5 June 1998) Retailers and manufacturers shall be responsible for collecting and recycling home appliances such as air conditioners, CRT-type televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, freezers (added in 2004), flat-screen televisions (added in 2009), and clothes dryers (added in 2009).
The Basic Act for Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society (Act No. 110 of 2000) Establishment of a recycling-based society to realise a society that can develop sustainably as it develops a sound economy with a minimised environmental load, through voluntary and proactive actions based on technological and economic potential.
Act on Recycling, etc. of End-of-Life Vehicles (Act No. 87 of 12 July 2002) Vehicle manufacturers must promote long-term use of vehicles, facilitate recycling, among others, of end-of-life vehicles, and reduce the expenses required to recycle, among others, end-of-life vehicles.
Act on Promotion of Recycling of Small Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (Act No. 57 of 10 August 2012) Recycling of small electrical and electronic equipment, (excluding home appliances specified in the Act on Recycling of Specified Home Appliances (Act No. 97 of 1998) whose use has been terminated.

Source: Government of Japan (199119951998200020022012).

Japan passed the Act on Promotion of Resource Circulation for Plastics in June 2021. Expected to take effect by 1 April 2022, the act aims to take measures to promote resource circulation for plastics, targeting all entities involved in the entire life cycle of plastic-containing products, from design to waste disposal. The measures will fall into five key aspects:
1.    Guidelines for design of plastic-containing products
2.    Rational use of specified plastic-containing products
3.    Sorted collection and recycling by municipalities
4.    Collection and recycling by manufacturers, sellers, and other businesses
5.    Waste reduction and recycling by waste-generating businesses.

References

Government of Japan (1991), Act on the Promotion of Effective Utilization of Resources (Act No. 48 of April 26, 1991)http://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/law/detail/?id=80&vm=04&re=01 (accessed 10 December 2019).

Government of Japan (1993), Basic Environmental Law (Law No. 91 of 1993)https://www.ecolex.org/details/legislation/basic-environmental-law-law-no-91-of-1993-lex-faoc004747/ (accessed 21 November 2019).

Government of Japan (1995), Act on the Promotion of Sorted Collection and Recycling of Containers and Packaging (Act No. 112 of June 16, 1995)http://extwprlegs1.fao.org/docs/pdf/jap82815.pdf (accessed 21 November 2019).

Government of Japan (1998), Act on Recycling of Specified Home Appliances (Act No. 97 of June 5, 1998)https://www.meti.go.jp/policy/it_policy/kaden_recycle/en_cha/pdf/english.pdf (accessed 25 November 2019).

Government of Japan (2000), The Basic Act for Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society (Act No. 110 of 2000)https://www.env.go.jp/en/laws/recycle/12.pdf (accessed 25 November 2019).

Government of Japan (2002), Act on Recycling, etc. of End-of-Life Vehicles (Act No. 87 of July 12, 2002)http://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/law/detail/?ft=1&re=02&dn=1&x=58&y=15&co=01&ia=03&ja=04&ky=vehicle+recycling+law&page=3 (accessed 25 November 2019).

Government of Japan (2007), Basic Act on Ocean Policy (Act No. 33 of April 27, 2007)http://extwprlegs1.fao.org/docs/pdf/jap75593.pdf (accessed 21 November 2019).

Government of Japan (2009), Act on Promoting the Treatment of Marine Debris Affecting the Conservation of Good Coastal Landscapes and Environments to Protect Natural Beauty and Variety 2009 (Act No. 82 of July 15, 2009)http://extwprlegs1.fao.org/docs/pdf/jap174308.pdf (accessed 21 November 2019).

Government of Japan (2012), Act on Promotion of Recycling of Small Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (Act No. 57 of August 10, 2012)http://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/law/detail/?ft=1&re=02&dn=1&x=0&y=0&co=01&ia=03&ja=04&ky=electrical+and+electronic&page=11 (accessed 25 November 2019).

Government of Japan (2019), Changes to the basic policy for comprehensively and effectively promoting measures against beach wreckage (in Japanese).  https://www.env.go.jp/hourei/05/000222.html (accessed 21 April 2021).

Government of Japan (2021), Cabinet Decision on the Bill for the Act on Promotion of Resource Circulation for Plasticshttps://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2021/0309_001.html (accessed 6 December 2021).

Local Regulations

Japan has 47 prefectures and 1,724 municipalities (Kimura, 2019). The Act on Promoting the Treatment of Marine Debris Affecting the Conservation of Good Coastal Landscapes and Environments to Protect Natural Beauty and Variety (Act No. 82 of 15 July 2009) mandates prefectural governments to formulate regional plans to manage marine debris. The preparation of the regional plan shall consider opinions from residents, relevant local governments, coast managers, and other interested parties. A council for the promotion of measures against marine debris should be established to undertake this mandate and carry out administrative works. The council consists of prefectures, residents, private organisations, relevant administrative agencies, and local governments.

Local governments implement some good practises such as Plastic Smart Campaign, Resource Circulation Strategy for Plastics, and Clean Ocean Material Alliance (Ministry of the Environment, 2019). Through the Plastic Smart Campaign, citizens are encouraged to use plastic wisely. The Resource Circulation Strategy for Plastics was initiated in May 2019 to comprehensively promote plastic resource circulation.

References

Government of Japan (2009), Act on Promoting the Treatment of Marine Debris Affecting the Conservation of Good Coastal Landscapes and Environments to Protect Natural Beauty and Variety 2009 (Act No. 82 of July 15, 2009)https://www.ecolex.org/details/legislation/act-on-promoting-the-treatment-of-marine-debris-affecting-the-conservation-of-good-coastal-landscapes-and-environments-to-protect-natural-beauty-and-variety-no-82-of-2009-lex-faoc174308/ (accessed 21 November 2019).

Kimura, S. (2019), Trend of Inter-Municipal Cooperation in Japan. Chiyoda: Meiji University.

Ministry of the Environment (2019), G20 Report on Actions Against Marine Plastic Litter: First Information Sharing Based on the G20 Implementation Frameworkhttps://www.env.go.jp/en/water/marine_litter/pdf/112576.pdf (accessed 22 November 2019).

Action Plans and Roadmaps

Japan formulated the National Action Plan for Marine Plastic Litter in May 2019. Focusing on the efforts to prevent outflow of plastic litter to the ocean, this action plan elaborates effective measures in eight fields.

  1. Waste-processing system that ensures proper collection and disposal
  2. Prevention of littering, illegal dumping, and unintentional spilling of waste into the oceans
  3. Collection of scattered waste on land
  4. Collection of plastic litter in the oceans
  5. Innovation in development of and conversion to alternative materials
  6. Cooperation with stakeholders
  7. International cooperation for promoting measures in developing countries
  8. Consideration on actual situations and accumulation of scientific knowledge

Japan has developed the Resource Circulation Strategy for Plastics. The strategy has set milestones based on the concept of 3Rs+Renewable and divided into three major efforts: reduce single-use plastic, reuse or recycle plastic, and use recycled material or biomass plastic. Table 1 lists these milestones.

Table 1. Milestones Towards Resource Circulation Strategy for Plastics

Japan : Action Plans and Roadmaps (Table 1)

Effort Milestone Year (by)
Reduce single-use plastic Cumulative 25% reduction in single-use plastics 2030
Reuse or recycle plastic Reusable/recyclable design for all containers and packaging/products 2025
60% rate of recycling for containers and packaging 2030
100% effective utilisation of used plastics, including circular economy measures 2035
Use recycled materials or biomass plastic Doubled use of recycled materials 2030
Maximum introduction (about 2 million tonnes) of biomass plastics 2030

Source: Teraishi (2019).

Japan is aiming for zero emission of marine plastics by promoting beautification and cleaning activities, curbing outflow of microplastics, collecting marine debris, and preventing illegal dumping (Teraishi, 2019). Raising public awareness to realise a sound material-cycle society is essential to ensure that efforts will be successfully adopted.

References

Government of Japan (2019), National Action Plan for Marine Plastic Litter (in Japanese). https://www.cas.go.jp/jp/seisaku/kaiyo_plastic/dai1/plan.pdf (accessed 21 November 2019).

Teraishi, M. (2019), ‘Resource Circulation Strategy for Plastics’, Japan Environment Quarterly, 20, pp.3.