Comprehensive Efforts for Environmental Protection

In 1994, under the Environment Basic Law, the Cabinet enacted the Basic Environment Plan to provide fundamental directions for environmental protection in Japan. Long-term objectives listed in this Plan are “building a socioeconomic system fostering an environmentally-sound material cycle”, “ensuring harmonious coexistence between humankind and nature”, “achievement of participation by all sectors of society, each sharing a fair burden” and “promotion of international activities”. To achieve these objectives, the roles and efforts expected to be taken by local governments, entrepreneurs, the general public, and private organizations, in addition to the efforts by the national government, are presented in the Plan.

The Basic Environment Plan stresses protection of the water environment by keeping pollutant loads to the environment within the capacity of the natural purification cycle for water. Taking the water quality and quantity, aquatic organisms and shoreline development into consideration, the Plan generally promotes various preventive and remediation actions while it invites those interested in water environments to participate in the actions.

It illustrates that protection of the water environment should be considered as a part of the general water purification cycle. Also, it supports the idea that water quality protection and improvement should extend to various elements of sound material cycling, harmonious coexistence, and citizen participation as basic philosophies.

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