Progress ofWater Environment Governancein Japan
WEPA Annual MeetingFebruary, 2019

Hiroki Hasegawa
Deputy Director, Water Environment Division
Environment Management Bureau, Ministry of the Environment, Japan
1

State of Achievement of Environmental Standard• Living Environment Items:
Improvement tendency as a whole, but still low achievement rate in
enclosed water area such as lakes and inland seas
Rivers: 94.0%(2017)
Total: 89.0%(2017)
Achievement rate (%)

Seas: 78.6%(2017)

1874
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001200220032004
20052006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017

Lakes: 53.2%(2017)

year

Trends in achievement of BOD/COD environmental standard

Ministry of the Environment

Domestic wastewater management••••

Connection to wastewater treatment: 91%
Advanced treatment (N, P removal): 46%
Sludge recycle: 73%
Manhole toilets: 30,119 installed

Connection to wastewater treatment systems (2000 – 2017)

Ministry of the Environment

Manhole toilets• Measure for disaster risk reduction, leading to prevention ofsecondary disasters (infectious diseases, etc.)• After large‐scale disaster events, electricity may be stopped,and drinking water networks may be disrupted, leading to
failure in electricity‐operated toilet systems.
• Local residents are trained & certified to be able to set up
manhole toilets after disasters.

Ministry of the Environment

Manhole toilet system (source: MLIT)

4

Manhole toilets after Kumamoto earthquake, 2016

Ministry of the Environment(source: MLIT)

5

Legislative and institutional framework
TargetEstablishment of Environmental Quality Standard【Environment Basic Law 】
・Establishment of Effluent Standard

National
government
National
government【Water Pollution Control Law】

Uniform Effluent Standard
Measures for
Industrial
Wastewater・More Stringent Effluent Standards 【Water Pollution Control Law】
・Regulations for the Private Companies 【Water Pollution Control Law】
Notification ,Measure and log pollution status
Local government(Prefecture)of effluent, On‐site inspections→Penalty, Order remedy, other administrative directions
・Investment to pollution control
・Development of human capacities

Measures for
Domestic
Wastewater
Ministry of the Environment

etc.

・Construction of sewerage 【Sewerage Law 】
・Installation of Johkasou 【Johkasou Law 】 etc.

Privatecompany・National
National government
・Local government
・Individual6

Water Quality Monitoring
Purpose• Getting a full understanding of the status of water pollution in public waters
and underground water, and implementing control measures for theprevention of water pollution in appropriate ways.

Monitoring System
Continuous Monitoring of Water Quality (Prefectures, etc.)• Monitoring the pollution of water in the environment plays a very important rolein getting the basic data for the planning of water environment administration.
• It should be carried out throughout the country uniformly and with accuracy. The
national government is required to implement this task with responsibility.
• However, the continuous monitoring of water quality is delegated to prefectural
governors, as it is appropriate to conduct it based on the understanding of thelocal conditions and with mobility.
• It is conducted on the basis of the uniform idea shown by the nation

Monitoring of Effluent• (to be Implemented by Specified Establishments on their own)
Ministry of the Environment7

Monitoring System
 Understanding of the water quality
characteristics of water area
 Understanding of long-term changes& water quality trends
 Early detection of water pollution

Public waters (river, lake, sea) about 9,000 spots throughout thecountry (environmental standards points, etc.) and the water quality
in ground water is monitored.

Government
ordinance city
(Water quality measurement in thegovernment ordinance city)

Prefecture Achievement & maintenance ofenvironmental standard for water quality
 Implementation of environmental
protection measures
 Response to water pollution incidents

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure
and Transport(Water quality measurement of river, lake,sea and underground water)(Water quality measurement of themain parts of first-grade rivers)

Formulation of water quality measurement plan
Formulated in order to coordinate with the Ministry of Land, Water quality
Adjustment Infrastructure and Transport and government ordinance city and tomeasurement
effectively conduct continuous monitoring of water quality.
 Results of water quality
measurements
 Water quality- Health items (cadmium, all cyanogen, etc.)

Consultation

 Water quality measurement
 Results of water quality
measurements

measurement - Living environment items (BOD, COD, all zinc, etc. ofObtainingwateraquatic life item,)Sampling

Information disclosure

Analysis White paper  Homepage  Results ofwater quality measurement
Water environmental synthesis information site
http//www.env.go.jp/water/mizu.site/index.html

Distribution of water quality
measuring points in public
waters throughout thecountry

Summarizing the results of water quality measurement

Living environment
items: 7,117

Ministry of the Environment

Direction, notice, technical advice
required for the continuous
monitoring of water quality

Ministry ofEnvironment Decision of Environmental Conservation
Measure Formulation of a Basic Environment Plan Environmental Quality Standards, effluent
control Analytical method, research method
 Transaction standards for continuous
monitoring, etc.
 Response to water pollution incident

Officialannouncement

Collection & analysis of water
quality data of the country
and database creation

Transition of the status of achievement ofenvironmental quality standards (BOD or COD)
10090

River 87.2%
Total 83.4

80
Achievement Rate (%)

Health items: 5,384- Response to a water pollution incident- Response to the excess of environmental quality standards or thewater areas that fails to achieve environmental quality standards

Reporting the results

Number of measuringpoints (FY2017)

Sea area
76.07060

Lake 53.4

504030Total20River
Lake10

Sea area0
FY 1975 ’77 ’79 ’81 ’83 ’85 ’87 ’89
元 ’91 ’93 ’95 ’97 ’99 ’01 ’03 ’05

8Report Collection and Inspection
Water Pollution Control Law, Article 22• The minister of the environment or the governor of a prefecture may inaccordance with the cabinet order, call for a report from the owner of aSpecified Facility concerning the condition of the Specified Facility, themethod of treatment of polluted water, etc., and other necessary matters,
within the limits required for the implementation of this Law; or may
have his officials enter the Specified Factory and inspect the Specified
Facility or other related matters.

Objective of on‐site inspection• To check whether rules for the compliance of regulation standards areoperated properly in establishments so that owners always comply
regulation standards, and implement necessary measures, if required.
• It is important to check not only compliance with standards by water
sampling, but also comparing filed info and actual state, and self‐
management
situation.
Ministryof the Environment

14

Results of report collection and inspection
2012270,568

2013
269,4492014
266,875

2015
264,9242016
262,872

average effluent more than 50㎥/day
Article 5（Establishment of Specifiedfacilities）
Notification Article 7（Structure changes etc.）

33,06732,58932,381

31,93531,699

6,598

5,786

6,026

6,178

6,159

4,427

4,105

5,006

4,627

4,141

Article 8（Order to change plans）
Number of establishments inspected （Article 22.1）
inspection during night
Order for Improvement（Article 13）
Order to suspend operation（Article 13）

043,135491
141039,490
465
110041,110510
83037,810
49250038,163
510
120

Order to purify groundwater（Article 14.3）
Number ofin writing
administrative Oral
direction
Total(Public Water)
Installation or improvement of wastewater
Contents oftreatment facilities
administrative
temporary suppression of effluent
direction
Others(Public Water)
total
Violation of effluent standards（Article 31.1.1）

02,650
5,432

0
2,503
4,753

0
2,556
4,981

0
2,185
5,168

0
2,373
5,701

8,082

7,256

7,537

7,353

8,074

2,145

1,946

2,192

2,053

2,127

16
6,169
8,330
6

7
5,613
7,566
4

205,651
7,863
418
5,489
7,560
328
5,836
7,991
2

Violation of order for improvement（Article 30）

00000

Violation of water pollution control law (others)
Ministry ofMeasures
tothe
beEnvironment
taken in case of an accident

0540

0565

0557

0509

048310

Number of specified establishments

Future Challenges for Water Environment in Japan
Changes in river flow andwater quality, and obstacles
to sediment flow

Water quality
improvement in lakes

Effects of climatechangeImprovement of people‐
friendly water spaces

Water quality issues
Deterioration inaquatic ecosystemand biodiversity
Groundwater pollution
and soil contamination
Surfactants, POPs,marine debris, coastal
erosion, etc.

Seawater pollution, marine waste
Ministry of the Environment

Delay of water quality improvement
in closed water bodies
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