2021

Transport and Environment
in JapanPublisher
Foundation for Promoting Personal Mobility
and Ecological Transportation

Legal NoticeThis document is a tentative translation by the Foundation for Promoting Personal Mobility andEcological Transportation (Eco-Mo Foundation) of “Transport and Environment in Japan 2021”,
published in March 2021 by the Eco-Mo Foundation under the editorial supervision of the Environmental
Policy Division, Policy Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).
Initial translation was performed by a translation company, with necessary revisions made afterwards.
Unique terminology and phrases which cannot be understood without knowledge of the societal
background and conditions involved in the Japanese transport environment have been replaced withappropriate English expressions without being constrained by the original Japanese expressions.
However, no additional explanations or additional text has been inserted, and, wherever possible, thetentative translation is faithful to the original text.
This document is published on the Eco-Mo Foundation website (http://www.ecomo.or.jp/) and available
for download. We hope that it may serve of assistance with the implementation of transport environment
measures in the reader’s own country.

Table of Contents
Ⅰ．Developments Related to Environmental Issues in 2020… …………………

1

Ⅱ．Current Status of Major Environmental Problems of the Transport

Sector… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2

1 Current status of global environmental problems… ………………………………………… 2（１）Current status of global warming… ………………………………………………………………… 2（２）The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, and Paris Agreement………… 5（３）Current status of global warming issues in Japan……………………………………………… 8（４）Current status of global warming issues in the transport sector… ……………………… 10（Column: Automobile ownership rates around the World）… ………………………………… 14

2 Current status of automobile gas emissions…………………………………………………… 15
3 Current status of waste and recycling… ………………………………………………………… 16

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of
the Transport Sector… ………………………………………………………………………………… 19
1 Promotion of global warming countermeasures… …………………………………………… 19（１）Transport sector countermeasures… ……………………………………………………………… 19（Column: Definition of the levels and the status of initiatives regarding autonomous driving）……… 25（Column: Air Environment-friendly SS (e→AS)）… ……………………………………………… 26（Column: Effectiveness of car sharing in reducing environmental impact）……………… 42（２）Energy Saving Act-based measures………………………………………………………………… 43（３）International maritime and air transport sector countermeasures………………………… 45（Column: Emissions trading system measures）………………………………………………… 46

2 Promotion of emissions gas measures for trucks and busses (diesel vehicles), etc.…… 47（１）Promotion of emissions gas measures for diesel vehicles…………………………………… 47（２）Appropriately maintained vehicle usage and appropriate fuel usage guidance………… 49

3 Creation of a recycling-oriented society… ……………………………………………………… 50（１）Creation of recyclable resource distribution systems… ……………………………………… 50（２）Creation of vehicle recycling system… …………………………………………………………… 51（３）Ship recycling……………………………………………………………………………………………… 52

4 Measures by local governments, companies, citizens’ organizations, etc.……… 53（１）Measures by local governments……………………………………………………………………… 53（２）Measures by companies in the transport sector… …………………………………………… 56（３）Measures by citizens’ organizations………………………………………………………………… 65（Column: Nationwide Bus Map Summit (Bus map creation initiative by citizens)）……… 66（４）Measures by the Eco-Mo Foundation… …………………………………………………………… 67

Ⅳ．Measures in Response to Other Environmental Issues………………………… 76
1 Noise related measures…………………………………………………………………………………… 76（１）Automobile noise countermeasures………………………………………………………………… 76（２）Rail noise countermeasures…………………………………………………………………………… 77（３）Airplane noise countermeasures… ………………………………………………………………… 77

2 Sea pollution countermeasures… …………………………………………………………………… 78（１）Large scale oil spill countermeasures……………………………………………………………… 78（２）Countermeasures against harmful aquatic organisms in ballast water… ……………… 78

3 Ship exhaust gas emissions countermeasures… …………………………………………… 79
4 Chemical substances countermeasures… ……………………………………………………… 80（１）Dioxin, etc. countermeasures… ……………………………………………………………………… 80（２）Endocrine distruptors countermeasures…………………………………………………………… 80（３）Asbestos countermeasures…………………………………………………………………………… 81（４）PRTR (Pollutant Release and Transfer Register) system… ………………………………… 81

5 Ozone layer destruction prevention… ……………………………………………………………… 82
6 Global environmental observation and monitoring…………………………………………… 85（１）Climate change observation and monitoring……………………………………………………… 85（２）Himawari 8 and 9… ……………………………………………………………………………………… 86（３）Sea observation and monitoring……………………………………………………………………… 86（４）Ozone layer observation and monitoring…………………………………………………………… 87（５）Promotion of steady observation at the south pole… ………………………………………… 88

7 Adaptation Measures for Climate Change in the Land,
Infrastructure and Transport Sectors……………………………………………………………… 89
List of Abbreviations… ………………………………………………………………………………………… 90

Ⅰ．Developments Related to Environmental Issues in 2020
There was a great deal of developments in 2020, both inside Japan and overseas, related to environmental
issues with the backdrop of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Below are some of the developments inglobal warming.

■Global warming related developments
With regard to the framework for 2020 and beyond that relates to global warming countermeasures, an ad
hoc working group was established at COP17, which was held in Durban, South Africa in November andDecember, 2011, and consensus was reached regarding the formulation by 2015 of a new framework which
would apply to all countries.
Each country had to formulate its own voluntary greenhouse gas reduction targets, etc. and submit them tothe convention secretariat sufficiently in advance of COP21, held in late 2015. Japan decided on by the Global
Warming Prevention Headquarters Japan’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (greenhouse gas
reduction targets, etc. for 2020 and beyond) in July 2015, and submitted it to the UNFCCC secretariat. Under
this INDC, Japan’s emissions reduction target was defined as a 26.0% reduction in 2030 compared to 2013(25.4% reduction compared to 2005) (approximately 1,042 million tons of CO2).
COP21 was held from November 30 to December 13, 2015, in Paris, France. At the conference, the“Paris
Agreement”, a new legal framework for global warming countermeasures from 2020 onwards was adopted
and went into effect on November 4, 2016.
Japan decided to become a signatory to the agreement on November 8, 2016, and presented instruments ofacceptance to the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the same day.
On May 13, 2016, the Japanese cabinet approved the Global Warming Countermeasure Plan, aimed atcomprehensively and systematically promoting global warming countermeasures.
The plan clarified the measures to be taken by individual entities and by the nation in order to reach themedium-term target of reducing emissions by 2030 by 26% compared to 2013 levels, laid out a roadmap forachieving these reduction targets, and stipulated a long-term target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by
2050 by 80%.
It includes comprehensive transport sector measures such as automobile and road traffic flow measures, thepromotion of public transport usage, and logistics efficiency improvements.
Furthermore, on June 11, 2019, the Cabinet issued a decision titled "Japan’s Long-term Strategy under theParis Agreement," a long-term strategy for develop with low greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with
the Paris Agreement, and submitted it to the convention secretariat. Additional global warming
countermeasures are being implemented based on this decision.
COP25 was held in Madrid, Spain in December 2019 and although deliberation continued regarding theimplementation approach to use for market mechanisms, consensus was reached regarding the promotion of
ambitious climate change countermeasures to signatory countries.
All countries, along with regularly updating their goals for the reduction of greenhouse gases, will attempt
to kickstart a framework from 2020 onwards for working towards reaching those goals.
On March 30, 2020, Japan decided on Japan’s NDC (Nationally Determined Contributions) and submitted
them to the convention secretariat on the following day, March 31. This is a manifestation of the beginning ofinvestigations towards pursuing efforts for further reduction from the 2015 Japan’s Intended Nationally
Determined Contribution. Following that, at the 203rd extraordinary Diet session on 26 October, 2020, Prime
Minister Suga declared that Japan would“aim to achieve a carbon neutral, decarbonized society by 2050.”
1

Ⅱ．Current Status of Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector

Ⅱ．Current Status of Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector
1 Current status of global environmental problems
Our globe is facing severe environmental problems,●Mechanism of the greenhouse effectsuch as global warming and the destruction of the ozone
layer. For the next generation to receive a planet inModerate greenhouseeﬀectGreenhouse eﬀect
with high concentrationof greenhouse gasses

Radiation into space

which they can live in security, our generation must
rapidly implement countermeasures to these problems.

（1）Current status of global warming

Greenhousegas
Sunlight
Infraredlight

Infraredlight

Sunlight■The mechanism behind and impact of
global warming

In order to produce energy, we burn fossil fuels suchas petroleum, coal, and natural gas, generating gasses
such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and releasing them into theatmosphere.
Atmospheric gasses such as carbon dioxide absorb a great deal of the light from the sun, as well as infrared
radiation released from the earth’s surface. This results in a warming of the atmosphere. They act like theglass in a greenhouse, raising the earth’s temperature. These gasses, which have kept temperatures in therange suited for life on earth, are called greenhouse gasses.
However, factors such as the rise of industry have increased the amount of daily activity, producing a rapid
rise in the amount of greenhouse gasses emitted into the atmosphere. This has intensified the greenhouseeffect, producing a commensurate increase in climate temperature. This is called global warming. The 5th
assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), published between 2013 and2014, states that the average global temperature rose 0.85°
C between 1880 and 2012, and that thetemperatures of every decade of the past 30 years have been warmer than any of the preceding decades
since 1850. Furthermore, it states that there is no doubt that the climate system is growing warmer, and that
it is highly likely that the main cause of the warming which has occurred since the mid-20th century is humanactivity.
Without measures to prevent global warming to counter the global growth in fossil fuel consumption, theconcentration of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere will continue to rise, resulting in further global
warming. The IPCC report says it is highly likely that, in comparison to between 1986 and 2005, the average
global temperature at the end of the 21st century will have risen by 0.3 to 4.8℃ , and that the average sea
level will have risen by 0.26 to 0.82m. Risks resulting from the climate change include droughts, flooding,
rainfall changes, food shortages, negative impacts on health, and reductions in biodiversity.

The“Paris Agreement”stipulates the controlling of rises in the average global temperature to levels
that are well below 2℃ in comparison to before industrialization, along with continuing to maintain 1.5℃ .
This was again summed up in 2018 by the IPCC in their“1.5℃ Special Report”. This report provides thelatest scientific findings regarding the effects and risks associated with the temperature rise to 1.5℃ , alongwith the necessary adjustments, related emissions channels, and reduction (mitigation) of greenhousegasses, and within the context of strengthening global efforts towards the threat of climate change, andsustainable development with the eradication of poverty.
2

1 Current status of global environmental problems●Forecast of increase in average global surface temperature
RCP8.5: Unrestrained
2 and
RCP8.5:
UnrestrainedCO
CO2
andother emissions
emissionsresulting
resultingininlarge
large
temperature
increase
temperature increase
Past period
model results

Largest amount of
global warming
Avg. for 2081
to 2100* Shaded area
indicates
degree ofuncertainty

Smallest
amount ofglobal warming** RCP2.6:
RCP2.6: Little
Littletemperaturetemperatureincrease
increaseas thethe result
resultof
ofconstrained
constrainedemissions
emissions
of CO
CO2,
etc.
2, etc.

Fig. Change in average annual ground temperature(Diﬀerence versus 1986 to 2005 average)
2081 to 2100 RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 scenario CMIP 5 multiple model
average distribution diagram

Fig. Change in average global ground temperature
between 1986 and 2005
CMIP5 simulated timeline based on multiple models (1950 to 2100)
Source: Figure: IPCC AR5 WG I SPM Fig. SPM.7(a)The north pole area will warm faster than the global average, and theaverage increase in tempertature will be greater for land areas than sea areas.
(IPCC AR5 WG I SPM Fig. SPM. P.20, lines 21 to 22)

Source: Ministry of Environment (MOE) “Overview of IPCC 5th assessment” (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)■Impact of individual greenhouse gasses on global warming

In addition to carbon dioxide, greenhouse gasses which cause global warming include methane, dinitrogenmonoxide, and chlorofluorocarbon. According to the IPCC, the greenhouse effects per unit of volume of
methane, dinitrogen monoxide, and chlorofluorocarbon, etc., are far stronger than those of carbon dioxide, but
the amount of carbon dioxide being emitted is tremendous, so carbon dioxide emissions worldwide since theindustrial revolution account for roughly 60% of all greenhouse gas contributions to global warming.
For Japan, in 2017 carbon dioxide accounted for 92% of all greenhouse gas contributions to global warming,an extremely high figure.
●Greenhousegasgasand andglobalwarming
potential(100 year
period)(*1)
Greenhouseglobalwarming
potential（100
year period）（*1）
Global warming potential（100 year cumulative period）*1: Global warming potential*2: HFC*3: PFC

CarbondioxideMethaneDinitrogenmonoxide

HFC（*2）

PFC（*3）

SF6

1

25

298

1,430

9,300

22,800Warming eﬀect of greenhouse gasses over a 100 year period(using carbon dioxide as a baseline with a value of 1)
Calculated for HFC-134a, a typical HFC used as a coolant
Calculated for PFC-5-1-14, a typical PFC used in rectiﬁers● Contributions to global warming by greenhousegasses emitted by Japan(for 2017)● Contributions to global warming by greenhousegasses emitted due to human activity since theindustrial revolution
Chloroﬂuorocarbons
which destroy theozone layer(CFCs and HCFCs)
and
halon

14%

Source: IPCC（2007）

Chloroﬂuorocarbon
alternatives which do not
destroy the ozone layer,etc.
(HFCs, PFCs, SF₆)

Hydroﬂuorocarbons（HFCS）
Dinitrogenmonoxide（N2O）1.6%

0.5% or less3.5%

Perﬂuorocarbons（PFCS）

0.27%

Methane（CH4）6%

Methane (CH₄)

20%

0.17%

Nitrogen triﬂuoride（NF3）

2.3%

Dinitrogenmonoxide(N₂O)

Sulfur hexaﬂuoride（SF6）0.03%

Carbon dioxide
(CO₂)

60%

Carbon dioxide（CO2)

92.1%

Source: IPCC 4th assessment report 1st working groupmaterials (2007)

Source: GIO “Greenhouse Gas Inventory”

3Ⅱ．Current Status of Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector■Trends in concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere varies cyclically every year due to factors such as

plant photosynthesis. The amount of change also depends on the location, due to differences in local vegetation,
etc.
The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere remained roughly stable at 280ppm (ppm: parts per
million) before the industrial revolution in the latter 18th century, but the rapid increase in manufacturing andproduction activities following the industrial revolution has been accompanied by an increase in the carbon
dioxide concentration. According to the World Data Centre for Greenhouse Gases (WDCGG), the carbon
dioxide concentration in 2018 was 407.8ppm, significantly higher than the concentration before the industrial
revolution.

Carbon dioxide concentration (ppm)●The average concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere(year)

Source: Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) “Climate Change Monitoring Report 2019” (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo
Foundation)■Carbon dioxide emission volume by country

Carbon dioxide emission volume by country is as follows: China 28.2%, U.S. 14.5%, India 6.6%, Russia 4.7%,

followed by Japan at 3.4%. In terms of per capita emissions by country, Japan is number 8.
● Share of carbon dioxide emission volume bycountry (2017)● Per capita carbon dioxide emission volume bycountry (2017)

Brunei 0.02%
New Zealand 0.1%
Singapore 0.1%
Hong Kong 0.1%
Peru 0.2%
Chile 0.3%
Philippines 0.4%
Ukraine 0.5%
Vietnam 0.6%
Malaysia 0.6%
Thailand 0.7%
Taiwan 0.8%
France 0.9%
Italy 1.0%
UK 1.1%
Australia 1.2%

Australia
Brunei
CanadaU.S.
South Korea
TaiwanRussiaJapan
Germany
Singapore
Malaysia
New Zealand
China
Hong Kong
UK
Italy
Chile
FranceUkraineMexicoThailandBrazilVietnamIndonesia
India
Peru
Philippine

Brazil 1.3%
Mexico 1.4%
Indonesia 1.5%
Canada 1.7%

Other

China

24.1%

28.2%

Global average
CO2 emissions
32.8 billion tons
U.S.

14.5%
Japan
India
3.4%Russia 6.6%

4.7%

0

Germany 2.2%
South Korea 1.8%

2.06
2.02
1.88
1.61
1.58
1.2

6.78
6.73
6.68
5.96
5.43
5.31
4.66
4.58
3.82
3.57
3.53

5

8.93
8.7
8.45

10

11.7
11.4
10.6

15.6
15.5
15
14.6

15

20

tCO2/person

Source: EDMC “Handbook of Energy & Economic Statistics in Japan 2020”

4

1 Current status of global environmental problems（2）The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, theKyoto Protocol, and Paris Agreement■UNFCCC

UNFCCC was formulated with the objective of stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations at a level thatwould prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. It was adopted in May 1992,
and after being signed by the heads of states at the June 1992 United Nations Conference on Environmentand Development (held in Rio de Janeiro), it went into effect in March 1994. As of January 2021, the European
Union (EU) and 196 countries, including Japan, are signatories.

■The Kyoto Protocol

In December 1997 COP3 was held in Kyoto, and the Kyoto Protocol for achieving the convention’sobjectives was adopted. The Kyoto Protocol specifies the percentage by which average annual greenhouse gas
emissions by developed countries are to be reduced compared to a reference year (in principle 1990) during
the period from 2008 to 2012 (the first commitment period). Japan was to have reduced emissions by 6%, theU.S. by 7%, and the EU by 8%. No binding targets were set for developing countries. The November 2004
ratification by Russia satisfied the Kyoto Protocol’s requirements for coming into force, and the treaty
became effective on February 16, 2005. The U.S. did not ratify the Kyoto Protocol. The first commitment
period of the Kyoto Protocol, which went into effect in 2008, ended in 2012. While official adoption will firstrequire screening by the U.N, Japan met its greenhouse gas emissions reduction target.

■Paris Agreement

With regard to the framework for 2020 and beyond, an ad hoc working group was established at COP17,

which was held in Durban, South Africa in November and December, 2011, and consensus was reachedregarding the formulation by 2015 of a new framework which would apply to all countries.
Each country had to formulate its own voluntary greenhouse gas reduction targets, etc. and submit them tothe convention secretariat sufficiently in advance of COP21, held in late 2015. Japan decided on by the Global
Warming Prevention Headquarters“Japan’s INDC (Greenhouse gas reduction targets, etc. for 2020 andbeyond)”in July 2015, and submitted it to the UNFCCC secretariat. Under this INDC, Japan’s emissions
reduction target was defined as“26.0% reduction in 2030 compared to 2013 (25.4% reduction compared to2005) (approximately 1,042 million tons of CO2)”.
COP21 was held from November 30 to December 13, 2015, in Paris, France. At the conference the“Paris
Agreement,”a new legal framework for global warming countermeasures, was adopted and went into effecton November 4, 2016.
Japan decided to become a signatory to the agreement on November 8, 2016, and presented instruments ofacceptance to the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the same day.

COP24 was held in Katowice, Poland in December 2018, and consensus was reached regarding the“Paris Agreement”implementation rules, with some exceptions, on which negotiations had continued
for three years.
On June 11, 2019, the Cabinet issued a decision titled "Japan's Long-term Strategy under the Paris
Agreement" and submitted it to the convention secretariat.
COP25 was held in Madrid, Spain in December 2019 and consensus was reached regarding thepromotion of ambitious climate change countermeasures to signatory countries.

5

Ⅱ．Current Status of Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector

The results of the December 2019 COP25 are shown below.
COP25, CMP15 and CMA2
December 16, 2019
From December 2nd to 15th, in Madrid, Spain, the 25th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP25), the 15th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meetingof the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP15), and the 2nd session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of
the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA2), as well as the 51st session of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI51) andthe Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA51), were held respectively, as summarized in the following
outline. The Government of Japan was represented by H.E. Mr. KOIZUMI Shinjiro, Minister of the Environment, accompanied
by officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of the Environment,
the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, who participated in the conferences.
The Government of Japan contributed to the negotiations for Article 6 of the Paris Agreement (market mechanisms) and otheragenda, with Minister Koizumi leading the discussions through intensive participations in bilateral and ministerial consultations,in addition to technical negotiations attended by Heads of Delegation and expert-level officials.
Furthermore, during the conferences, Japan proactively delivered its achievements and efforts, including the record of five-yearconsecutive reductions in GHG emissions as well as active commitments by non-state actors.
1. Summary of the negotiations(1) Article 6 of the Paris Agreement (market mechanisms)
The negotiations for implementation guidelines for market mechanisms, whose agreement had not been reached at
COP24, became one of the highlights at COP25. The Government of Japan called for the avoidance of double-countingof emission reductions and securing environmental integrity. Minister Koizumi held intensive bilateral consultations
with other Ministers and took the lead in the ministerial negotiations with constructive proposals, added by technicalnegotiations attended by Heads of Delegations and expert-level officials. On the other hand, under this agenda item, due
to political aspects with complicated interest of each country, it was not possible to reach agreement on all discussion
items. On the basis of the progress attained through discussions at COP25, the Government of Japan on its part willcontinue to contribute towards the adoption of the implementation guidelines for market mechanisms at COP26.
(2) Loss and Damage (loss and damage associated with the adverse effect of climate change)
The review was held for the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage associated with Climate Change
Impacts, which was established at COP19 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(Convention). As some countries claimed to request the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to provide support for loss anddamage, it was decided that within the existing frameworks considerations will continue. It was also agreed to establish
the expert group to support activities for loss and damage and the Santiago Network to catalyze technical assistanceregarding loss and damage.
(3) Other discussions
Discussions were held on a broad range of negotiation agendas including the periodic review of the long-term global
goal under the Convention, climate finance, reporting formats under the transparency frameworks (reporting systems
for Parties to the Paris Agreement), gender and climate change, Impacts of implementation of response measures (socialand economic impacts arising from the implementation of mitigation policies and actions), adaptation, development
and transfer of technologies, capacity building, agriculture, research and systematic observation. The outcome ofthe discussions includes the decision on the scope of the next periodic review of the long-term global goal under theConvention, enhanced Lima work programme on gender and its gender action plan, and the 6-year workplan of theforum on the impact of the implementation of response measures.
(4) Decisions by COP, CMP and CMA (Chile Madrid Time for Action)
In addition to the above-mentioned agenda items, discussions were held on elements to be included in decisions by COP,
CMP and CMA respectively. As a result of the negotiations, the decisions included texts to enhance ambitious climatechange measures by all Parties, and to convene a dialogue on ocean and climate change in June, 2020. The next COP26
will also be held in November, 2020 in the United Kingdom.
(5) Minister Koizumi's bilateral meetings with other Minister-level delegates
Minister Koizumi held a total of 36 bilateral meetings with Ministers/Representatives of 13 countries/regions and withheads of four organizations, including Chile (COP25 Presidency), Costa Rica, Brazil, European Union, France, Germany,
South Africa, Singapore, New Zealand, and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres as well as UN Climate
Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa. Throughout the meetings, Minister Koizumi took the lead in negotiations
for implementation guidelines for market mechanism and exchanged views on various points including vision and actions
regarding climate change.
2. Promotion of Action by Japan(1) High-level events(a) Statement by Minister Koizumi at the Ministerial Meeting
Minister Koizumi first and foremost made clear Japan’s firm position on negotiations for market mechanisms under
Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, instruments for accelerating global emissions reductions, that the implementation
guidelines shall be adopted to avoid double counting and secure environmental integrity.
Furthermore, Minister Koizumi promoted Japan’s efforts and ideas for climate change most effectively as the following:・as one of the youngest Ministers in the world as well as the oldest of the millennial generation, listening to youth
voices and securing the future;・while yet to a new development on our coal-related policy by COP25, taking appropriate note of criticisms andcontinuing to take concrete actions toward decarbonization and delivering the results;・trying to change the current perception where Japan’s actions are being overshadowed by criticism to its coal policy
and are not well received; Japan is fully committed to decarbonization and Japan will realize it;・since taking office as Minister of the Environment in September this year, increased the number of local governments

6

1 Current status of global environmental problems

with the net-zero declaration by 2050 from 4 to 28, equivalent to the population of 45 million – such ambitious actions bylocal governments expected to create a great force in accelerating the nation-wide net zero achievement by Japan;
・emphasizing that the number of companies and institutions supporting TCFD recommendations in Japan is the largest
in the world, which is attracting more investment with proper disclosure of climate related information;
・supporting the Green Climate Fund as a leading donor.
(b) Ministerial Dialogue on Adaptation
The Government of Chile convened the“Ministerial Dialogue on Adaptation Ambition”to discuss raising ambitions andshare examples of efforts by respective countries. H.E. Ms. Carolina Schmidt, Minister of the Environment, Chile, and
H.E. Teresa Ribera, Minister for the Ecological Transition, Spain chaired the dialogue. Prime Ministers/Ministers of four
countries including Minister Koizumi, delivered remarks and held panel discussions.
Minister Koizumi explained the Climate Change Adaptation Act, which come into force in December last year in Japan,
the establishment of“Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Information Platform”(AP-PLAT) to support the Asia
Pacific region in science-based adaptation actions.
(c) Global Climate Action (GCA) Plenary Event
A GCA event was convened to share actions and achievement against climate change undertaken by Contracting Parties
and non-state actors. From Japan, Mr. MORISHITA Satoru, Vice-Minister for Global Environmental Affairs, Ministryof the Environment, explained actions taken by local governments and private companies in Japan and highlighted thatJapan timely included decarbonization in its long-term strategy under the Paris Agreement.
(2) Official side events and others(a) GCF
Minister Koizumi announced Japan’s contributions as the leading donor. Furthermore, Minister Koizumi explained
Japan’s efforts toward the increase in ESG finance and the expansion of green bond markets in Japan. Lastly, Minister
Koizumi asked GCF to put forward initiatives such as“GCF for Youth”in order to backup actions by the youth.
(b) Carbon Neutrality Coalition Ministerial Event at COP25
Under the chair of Ms. Laurence Tubiana, former Ambassador in charge of the negotiations on climate change ofFrance, the meeting was also attended by H.E. Mr. Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama, Prime Minister of Fiji, H.E. Mr. James
Shaw, Minister for Climate Change of New Zealand, H.E. Mr. Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, Minister of Environment
and Energy of Costa Rica and H.E. Mr. Myung Rae Cho, Minister of Environment of the Republic of Korea. Minister
Koizumi stated that Japan is the first G7 member to declare carbon neutrality in the long-term strategy under the Paris
Agreement, non-state actors such as local governments and private sectors are accelerating actions and the Circular
Economy Business Forum to be held in Tokyo plans to have a session for the Carbon Neutrality Coalition. In response,
the Republic of Korea, which on this occasion announced its intent of participation in the Coalition, expressed its
appreciation for the support extended by Minister Koizumi for its participation in the Coalition.
(c) Workshop at the United Nations SDG Pavilion
The workshop was held to discuss collaboration of efforts toward climate change measures and the achievement ofSDGs. Minister Koizumi announced that: Japan will, in collaboration with the World Economy Forum (WEF), convene
the Circular Economy Business Forum around in May next year; coordinated actions based on the“Osaka Blue Ocean
Vision”agreed at G20 Summit this year are necessary; Japan will host an international conference on climate change
and disaster prevention in collaboration with the UN organizations; and Japan offered to host the third Climate andSDGs Synergy Conference in 2021.
(3) Side events at the Japan Pavilion
The Japan Pavilion at COP25 venue featured various exhibitions and seminars. Under the theme of“ACTION. ACTION.
ACTION.”Japan showcased its strength centering on hydrogen technologies, space/ocean observation, measuresagainst fluorocarbons, and wind power generation technologies, and covering both aspects of mitigation and adaptation,
exhibited models/dioramas/panels with their images. Furthermore, as the side-events, Japan delivered its various efforts
to contribute to the global decarbonization with concrete actions. The following is the summary of major events:(a) Initiative on Fluorocarbons Life Cycle Management
Minister Koizumi declared to launch the Initiative on Fluorocarbons Life Cycle Management, on the occasion of theestablishment ceremony for the initiative convened by the Government of Japan. France, Chile, Maldives, AsianDevelopment Bank (ADB) and Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) voiced support for the initiative. (As of now, 11
countries and international organizations as well as 10 companies and bodies in Japan have expressed support.)(b) Osaka Blue Ocean Vision
The roundtable for the Osaka Blue Ocean Vision was held. Minister Koizumi shared the Osaka Blue Ocean Vision with
Ministers and senior officials of countries including 8 countries other than members of G20. Participating countries
expressed their determination for measures against marine plastic liter.
(c) Climate Change and Disaster Prevention
Japan hosted an event for climate change and disaster prevention, at which Minister Koizumi appealed Japan’s efforts
based on the Climate Change Adaptation Act, support for the promotion of highly effective adaptation actives throughthe Asia-Pacific Climate Change Information Platform (AP-PLAT) launched in June this year, the plan to host the AsiaPacific Adaptation Network (APAN) Forum in September next year.
(d) Innovation Challenge for Net Zero Carbon
KEIDANREN (Japan Business Federation) held an event for roles of innovation towards net zero carbon. Minister
Koizumi attended to welcome the“Challenge Zero”by KEIDANREN and introduced actions by Japanese corporations
and actions by local governments as“Zero Carbon Companies”and“Zero Carbon Cities”respectively, Furthermore,
Minister Koizumi commemorated the recent Nobel Prize awarded to Dr. Yoshino Akira for his contribution to lithiumion batteries and highlighted Japan’s utmost contribution through innovation and international cooperation towards
global-scale carbon neutrality.
(4) Other Events
On the occasion of the Earth Information Day, Japan presented the latest findings of its climate change projection
research programmes and highlighted the importance of systematic observation related to the climate system.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan website

7

Ⅱ．Current Status of Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector（3）Current status of global warming issues in Japan①Current status of carbon dioxide emissions in Japan

Japan is the world’s 5th largest producer of carbon dioxide emissions, so it plays an extremely importantrole in solving the problem of global warming.

■Trends in carbon dioxide emissions in Japan

In 2018 Japan emitted approximately 1,138 million tons of carbon dioxide, roughly 13.6% more than it did in

2013. The per capita emissions volume in 2018 was approximately 8.93 tons.
●Trends in carbon dioxide emissions in Japan

CO2 emissions volume（bar graph: million tons of CO2）

9.42 9.47 9.51 9.42

9.84 9.91 9.99 9.91

9.57

10.06
9.84 10.00 9.85

10.11 10.07 10.12

9.93

10.20

9.91

9.64

9.65

9.10

1,232 1,245

1,200 1,164

9.96

9.50

1,400

1,175 1,185 1,178

10.25 10.34

1,257 1,250

1,210

1,269 1,254 1,283
1,246

1,291 1,286 1,293

1,270

8.93
1,308 1,317
1,267
1,267

1,306
1,235

10

9.52 9.39

1,217

1,227

1,165

1,208 1,190

8
1,138

6

1,000

0

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Per capita CO2 emissions volume（line graph: tons of CO2/person）

1,600

0

（Year）

Source: GIO “Greenhouse Gas Inventory”■Ratio of carbon dioxide emissions in Japan by sector

The industrial sector accounts for 35.0% of Japan’s carbon dioxide emissions, the transport sector for 18.5%,

business and other sectors account for 17.2%, and the home sector accounts for 14.6%.
●Amount of carbon dioxide emissions in Japan (by sector) 2018
Waste（Incineration, etc.） 2.5%

Industrial process and ﬁnished goods usage 4.1%

Other（Agriculture, etc.）0.3%

Energy conversion sector（Power plants, etc.）7.9%

Home
sector

14.6%
Industrial sector（Plants, etc.）
Business and other sectors（Commerce, services, oﬃces, etc.）

17.2%

35.0%

Transport
sector（Automobiles, etc.）

18.5%

8

Total carbon dioxide
emissions in 2018
1,138 million tons

Source: GIO “Greenhouse Gas Inventory”

1 Current status of global environmental problems②Energy consumption in JapanThe rapid increase in fossil fuel consumption since the industrial revolution is considered to be one of the maincauses of global warming. Global warming is inextricably linked to energy consumption.

■Final energy consumption in Japan

Japan’
s energy consumption grew faster than its GDP during the period of rapid economic growth whichlasted into the 1970s. However, the two times oil crises in the 1970s led to increased eﬀorts to reduce energy
consumption by the manufacturing sector, and the development of energy saving products. These eﬀorts
made it possible to restrain energy consumption while still achieving economic growth. Throughout the 1990s
crude oil prices remained at a low level but energy consumption of the home sector and the business sector
increase. The price of crude oil began rising again in the 2000s, and energy consumption has been falling sincepeaking in 2005. In 2011 the focus on energy conservation following the Great East Japan Earthquake brought
about another decline in final energy consumption. Real GDP rose by 0.3% year-on-year in 2018, and due to no
increase in heating demand caused higher temperatures compared to the previous year, final energy
consumption decreased by 2.7%.
Looking at energy consumption trends from 1973 to 2018, energy consumption for the company andbusiness sector grew 1.0-fold (0.8-fold for the industrial sector and 2.1-fold for the business and othersectors), 1.9-fold for the home sector, and 1.7-fold for the transport sector. Since the first oil crisis, thecompany and business sectors, although experiencing economic growth, have seen the same level inenergy consumption thanks to the implementation of energy saving measures mainly in the
manufacturing industry. On the other hand, the home sector and the transport sector have seen a great
increase in energy consumption because of the spread of energy equipment and automobiles. As a result,while the company and business sector, the home, and the transport sectors accounted, respectively, for74.7%, 8.9%, and 16.4% of total energy consumption in 1973, in 2018 these ratios had changed to 62.7%,
14.0%, and 23.4% respectively.

■Dependence on petroleum for energy consumed in Japan
Japan’s supply of petroleum as a primary energy source fell as theresult of petroleum replacement policies and energy saving measures
implemented in response to the oil crises, but began rising from the late1980s due to easy energy saving measures having taken their courseand falling crude oil prices. From the mid-1990s onwards thedevelopment of alternative energy sources, etc. caused petroleum use to
decline. As of 2018, the energy equivalent of the petroleum supply is
7,415 PJ.

●Crude oil imports by supplying
country (2018)
Kazakhstan 0.9%
Ecuador 1.0%
Iraq 1.5%
Oman 1.9%
Bahrain 1.9%

below 0.5%. The fifth Basic Energy Plan, revised in July 2018, clearly

U.S. 2.4%

Russia4.4%

Saudi Arabia
Kuwaitaffects Japan’s energy supply. Japan imports oil from Middle Easterncountries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar,
Kuwait, Iran, Iraq, and Oman. These account for roughly 88% of Japan’s

38.2%

Qatar

UAE

25.4%

Source: created based on METI
“Yearbook of Mineral Resources andPetroleum Products Statistics”(Tentative translation by Eco-Mo
Foundation)

total oil imports.
(Source: METI“Energy White Paper 2020”(Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation))

9

Total import
volume177,043,000kℓ

8.0%

indicated that the crude oil supply structure, which is highly dependent
on overseas suppliers for energy resources, is a structural problem that

Others 1.7%

Iran 3.8%

7.6%

From the 1970s to 2017, Japan’s crude self-sufficiency ratio has been

Mexico 0.8%
Indonesia 0.7%

Ⅱ．Current Status of Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector（4）Current status of global warming issues in the transport sector①Current status of carbon dioxide emissions by the transport sector■Trends in carbon dioxide emissions by the transport sector

Japan’s total carbon dioxide emissions in 2018 (1,138 million tons), emissions from the transport sector

accounted for 18.5% (210 million tons). Emissions from all vehicles together accounted for 86.2% of thetransport sector emissions (15.9% of Japan’s total emissions), emissions from all passenger vehicles accounted
for 49.6% of the transport sector emissions (9.2% of Japan’s total emissions), and emissions from trucks
accounted for 36.6% of the transport sector emissions (6.8% of Japan’s total emissions).
●Trends in carbon dioxide emissions by the transport sector
CO2 emissions in Japan by sectors

CO2 emissions by the transport sector

Transport sector

Other
168 million tons

Break
down

(Automobiles, ships, etc.)
210 million tons

《14.8%》《18.5%》

Total CO2

Industrial sector
398 million tons

emissions
1,138 million tons
(2018)○ Emissions from all vehicles
together accounted for 86.2% oftransport sector emissions(15.9% of all Japanese emissions)

Private cars
96.97 million tons

[46.1%]

Commercial trucks
42.55 million tons
Business and othersectors 196 million tons

《35.0%》《17.2%》[20.2%]

Private trucks
34.43 million tons

[16.4%]○ Emissions from all passenger
vehicles accounted for 49.6% oftransport sector emissions(9.2% of all Japanese emissions)○ Emissions from trucks accounted
for 36.6% of transport sector
emissions(6.8% of all Japanese emissions)Buses
4.10 million tons [1.9%]
Taxis
2.48 million tons [1.2%]
Motorcycles
0.79 million tons [0.4%]
Other transport
Airplanes
10.54 million tons [5.0%]
Coastal shipping
10.32 million tons [4.9%]

Home sector
166 million tons

《14.6%》

Railroads
8.24 million tons [3.9%]

Transport sector CO2 emissions (million tons)※ Due to rounding, total values may not match.
※ Emissions from power generation by power providers and emissions from heat generation by heat providers are allocated to theirrespective final demand sectors in proportion to energy consumption amounts.
※ Created by the MLIT Policy Bureau Environmental Policy Division based on the Greenhouse Gas Inventory Office of Japan’s“Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data of Japan (1990 to 2018)”※ Motorcycles were included in“Business and other sectors” until 2015 data, but were calculated as an independent item in thetransport sector from 2016 data.

Private cars

TrucksOther transportBuses, taxis,
railroads, ships,
airplanes, motorcycles(Year)

Source: MLIT website (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)

10

1 Current status of global environmental problems

From 1990 to 1996 the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the transport sector rose by 23.0%, but from1997 to 2001 emissions remained roughly level, and began falling from 2001 onwards.
In 2018 the amount of carbon dioxide emissions was lower than in both 2005 and 2013, due in part to fuelefficiency improvements. Furthermore, the reduction in emissions from passenger vehicles other than private
vehicles (company vehicles, etc.) caused emissions to fall year-on-year for the sixth consecutive year.

■Carbon dioxide emission volume per unit of traffic volume

Generally speaking, when the traffic volume increases, so does the amount of carbon dioxide emissions.

Traffic volume is affected by economic trends and other factors, so for total carbon dioxide emissions in thetransport sector to fall regardless of changes in traffic volume, it is important to promote highly effective
transport.
In this section, we compare the amount of emissions per unit of traffic volume, an indicator of efficiency, forpassenger transport and freight transport.
For passenger transport, the carbon dioxide emissions from each type of transport are divided by the traffic
volume (person-kilometers) to calculate the carbon dioxide emissions per unit of traffic volume. The results areshown in the figure below.
●Carbon dioxide emission rates by passenger transport mode (2018)133

Passenger cars
96

Airplanes
54

Bus

133

Passenger cars
18

Railway96
100

Airplanes
0

25

50

75

125

150

175

200

ｇ-CO2/person-kilometer
54

Bus

For freight transport, the carbon
dioxide18emissions from each type of transport are divided by the traffic
Railway
volume (ton-kilometers) to calculate the carbon dioxide emissions per unit of traffic volume. The results are
Private ｔrucks 0

25

shown in the figure below.

50

75

100

125

150

1162
175

200

ｇ-CO2/person-kilometer
233

Commercial ｔrucks●Carbon dioxide emission rates by freight transport mode (2018)
39

Ship

1162

Private ｔrucks
22

Railway
Commercial ｔrucks
0

200

Ship

39

Railway

22
0

233

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1000

1200

1400

ｇ-CO2/ton-kilometer

200

400

600

800

ｇ-CO2/ton-kilometer

Source: MLIT website (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)

11

Ⅱ．Current Status of Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector●Modal shares of domestic passenger transport (100 million person-km) 2018

Airplanes

15.7%

Hire / Taxi 1.0%

Hire / Taxi 1.0%

Busses

Airplanes

10.6% 15.7%
Busses10.6%
Privaterailways
27.0%Japan Railway
(JR)

45.7%

Japan Railway
(JR)

45.7%

Private railways

27.0%*1 The air transport volume percentage is the total of both regular and irregular services.
*2 The passenger vehicle, etc., percentage includes both light-vehicle and truck transport.
*3 The bus and hire/taxi, etc., percentage does not include private vehicle transport.
*4 Passenger ship figures have not been released.
Airplanes（domestic route）%
Railway
%

0.3

5.2

●Modal shares of domestic freight transport (100 million ton-km) 2018
Airplanes（domestic route）0.3%

Railway 5.2%

Domestic
shipping

Commercial
trucksDomestic
shipping

Commercial
trucks

43.7%

44.0%

43.7%

44.0%

Private trucks 6.8%

Private trucks 6.8%
*1 The air transport percentage is the total of both regular and irregular services, and includes excess luggage and postal
mail.
*2 The total of subtotals for individual transport modes and the total for transport modes may not be identical due torounding.
Source: MLIT “White Paper on Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in Japan 2020” (Tentative translation by EcoMo Foundation)

12

1 Current status of global environmental problems②Energy consumption by the transport sector

Over the past few years automobile fuel efficiency improvements and increased shift from in-house or

private operation to commercial truck operation have brought about a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions
by the transport sector. Emissions in 2018 were 210 million tons.
Efforts must continue to be made to achieve further reductions in the amount of energy consumed byautomobiles.
●Automobile ownership trends
Million vehicles
90
80
70

Other
Bus
Special vehicle
Motorcycle

60
Truck

50
40
30
20

Passenger car

10
Year

0

1966 1969 1972 1975 1978 1981 1984 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014 2017 2020

1: Passenger vehicles includes mini-vehicles.
2: Number of vehicles as of the end of March of each year.
Source: Automobile Inspection & Registration Information Association website (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)

13

Ⅱ．Current Status of Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector

ColumnAutomobile ownership rates around the WorldIn terms of automobile ownership per thousand people, the U.S. has the world’s highest automobile
ownership rate, at 849 automobiles per thousand people. Automobile ownership rates are low for
developing countries. In recent years developing countries such as China and India have experienced
dramatic upswells in automobile ownership led by their rapid economic growth. The number of cars
owned per thousand people grew by 2.2% globally in 2017, but in China it grew by 11.9%. Automobile
ownership in countries with enormous populations is predicted to have some impact on global
warming, and is an area where attention is being increasingly focused.
●Automobile ownership rates in individual countries 2017
(Automobiles per 1,000 persons)

900

600

World

Vietnam

India

Philippines

Indonesia

Hong Kong

Peru

China

Singapore

Iran

Brazil

UkraineSaudi Arabia

ThailandChile

MexicoRussiaTaiwan

Malaysia

South Korea

FranceUK

Japan

CanadaGermany

Italy

Brunei

Australia

U.S.

0

New Zealand

300

Source: EDMC “Handbook of Energy & Economic Statistics in Japan 2020”14

2 Current status of automobile gas emissions

2 Current status of automobile gas emissions
Road traffic related environmental problems involving the transport sector include atmospheric pollution
produced by suspended particulate matter (SPM) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2)emitted from automobiles. NOx is not only a cause of acid rain and photochemical smog, but also has negative
health effects (on respiratory organs). SPM is also said to harm respiratory organs by adhering to the lungs
and bronchi.
In recent years all air pollution monitoring stations ＊1 have met 2018 air quality standards achievement
rates for NO2, with 100% achievement rates for thirteen consecutive years since 2006. Automobile exhaustgas monitoring stations＊2 have remained at the same levels as 2017, at 99.7%.
For SPMs, nationwide 2018 air quality standards achievement rates were 99.8% for air pollution monitoring
stations and 100% for automobile exhaust gas monitoring stations. These have stayed roughly level for bothtypes of stations in comparison to 2017 (air pollution monitoring stations: 99.8%, automobile exhaust gas
monitoring stations: 100%).

＊ 1 Air pollution monitoring station:
Monitoring stations performing regular monitoring of general atmospheric pollution conditions.
(Nationwide: 1,459 stations)＊ 2 Automobile exhaust gas monitoring station:
Monitoring stations performing regular monitoring of atmospheric pollution conditions near intersections,roads, and road edges in which emissions from automobiles are believed to be sources of air pollution.
(Nationwide: 407 stations)15

Ⅱ．Current Status of Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector

3 Current status of waste and recycling①Trends in general waste volume

Total waste volume and per capita daily waste volume fell slightly after the second oil crisis in 1979, butbegan rising rapidly from roughly 1985. From 1990 they leveled off or increased slightly, but began fallingfrom 2001. In 2018 the total amount of waste was 42.72 million tons. The total amount of recycled waste in2018 was 8.53 million tons. The ratio of total waste which was recycled has grown tremendously, from 5.3% in1990 to 19.9% in 2018.

Total waste volume（million tons/year）

60

1,200

Total waste volume
Per capita daily waste
Per capita daily waste（including foreigners）

55

50

994
46.25

45

40

2009

976
45.36

2010

976

979

972

45.43

964
45.23

958
44.87

2011

2012

2013

963

954

947
44.32

939
43.98

2014

2015

1,100

1,000
942

938

925
43.17

42.89

42.72

2017

2018（Year）

2016

938

920

900

918

800

Per capita daily waste volume（grams/person/day）●Total waste volume and per capita daily waste volume

Source: MOE website (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)②Trends in industrial waste volume

The amount of industrial waste produced has stayed roughly at the same level since the 1990s at

approximately 400 million tons.

Total industrial waste volume（million tons）●Industrial waste volume
450

400

390

386

2009

2010

381

379

385

2011

2012

2013

393

391

387

384

2014

2015

2016

2017

376

350

300

250

200

2018

(Year)

Source: MOE website (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)16

3 Current status of waste and recycling③ Remaining lifespans and remaining capacities of general and industrial waste
final disposal sites
As of the end of 2018 there were 1,639 general waste final disposal sites in Japan with a remaining capacityof 101.34 million m3. The average remaining lifespan was 21.6 years. The remaining capacity remains atroughly the same level as the remaining lifespan.
The remaining capacity of industrial waste final disposal sites as of the end of 2017 was 159.25 million m3,
7.37 million m3 less than the previous year. The average nationwide remaining lifespan is 16.4 years with
gradual improvements being made.

●Remaining lifespans and remaining capacities of final disposal sites (general waste)
25

350

Remaining capacity（million ㎥）

18.7

19.3

18.9

19.7

20.1

19.3

20.4

250

20.5

21.8

21.6
20

Remaining capacity
Remaining lifespan

15

200
150
100

116

114

111

112

107

106

10
104

100

103

101
5

50
0

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Remaining lifespan（years）

300

0（Year）

Source: MOE website (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)●Remaining lifespans and remaining capacities of final disposal sites (industrial waste)
18

400
Remaining capacity
Remaining lifespan14.9

Remaining capacity（million ㎥）

300
13.2

250
200

16.0

13.6

17.0

17
16.4

14.7

13.9

16
15
14
13
12
11
10

10.6

9
8
7

150

6
5

100

4
3

50

Remaining lifespan（years）

350

16.6

2
1

0

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

0

（Year）

Source: MOE website (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)

17

Ⅱ．Current Status of Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector④Trends in number of incidents of illegal dumping, etc., and amount dumped

155 incidents of illegal dumping of industrial waste, a total of 157,000 tons of waste, were discovered in 2018,

along with 148 incidents of improper disposal (52,000 tons). Newly discovered cases of illegal dumping
decreased considerably and steady results are being observed. Regarding improper disposal, new incidents
were discovered in 2018; thus, elimination thereof has not yet been achieved.
1,400

140.0

●Number of incidents of illegal dumping of industrial waste and amount dumped

1,200

1,150
1,150

1,049

Numberof dumping
incidents
Numberof dumping
incidents

1,000
1,000

855

679

894

1,027

74.5

673

719

554
Gifu City incident
Gifu City incident

44.4

40.8 42.4

31.8

21.9

21.9

24.2

Kuwana City
382
incident

41.1

31.8

60.0

Tado-cho,
Kuwana City
Tado-cho, incident

558
41.1

40.3

24.2

554
558

56.7

43.3
56.7
40.8 42.4
40.3
43.3

44.4

400

Numazu382
City 5.8
incident
Numazu City

5.8

Hino-cho,

Shiga Prefecture
Koka City,
Tenri City,
40.0
308Hino-cho,
Shiga
Prefecture incident
Nara Prefecture
incident 20.4
Koka City, Shiga Prefecture
Tenri City,
1.4
279
308
incident
incident
Shiga Prefecture incident
Nara Prefecture
20.4
Chiba City 279
1.4
incident
14.7incident
13.1
Chiba City incident
216
14.7
13.1
incident
192 187
1.1
20.3216

17.2
20.7 20.7
17.8 17.8

00

80.0

673

74.5

600

200

100.0

934

719

679

200

100.0

934

855

600

400

1,027

120.0

894

800
800

1,049

120.0

Amount dumped
Number of incidents

1,197

1,200

140.0

Amount dumped
Number of incidents

1,197

Amount dumped（10 thousand tons）

1,400

1.1
17.2

13.1

20.3

13.1
10.2

12.0

192 187

159 165 16.6

159 165 16.6

10.2

6.2
6.2 5.7
5.3 4.4 5.3
12.014.4 5.714.4
2.9
4.8
4.8

163 15.7

163
20.0 15.7

155

155

1.9 143
1.9 143
4.4 2.9 131
2.9
2.9
2.7 3.6

131
2.7

2.6

60.0

40.0

20.0

3.6
0

2.6

1995
1997
1998
1999
200020002001 2001
2002 2002
2003 200420082009
20102009
20112010
2012 20112013 20122014 20152018
19951996
1996
1997
1998
1999
2003 2005
20042006
20052007
2006
2007
2008
2013 2016
20142017
2015
2016 2017 2018（Year）（Year）
Note)
Note)
1. The number of incidents of illegal dumping and the amount of illegally dumped waste were calculated based on incidents of illegal dumping of 10t or more
1. The number of incidents of illegal dumping and the amount of illegally dumped waste were calculated based on incidents of illegal dumping of 10t or moreof industrial waste per incident identified by the governments of prefectures and designated cities (as well as all incidents of illegal dumping of specialof industrial
waste
per incident identified by the governments of prefectures and designated cities (as well as all incidents of illegal dumping of special
controlledindustrial
waste).
controlledwaste).
2. Withregards industrial
to the whiteareas of the bar graph, the incidents discovered in Gifu City in 2003 and in Numazu City in 2004 took place over multiple
2.
With regards
the whiteareasof the ofbarmajorgraph,
the incidents
in Gifu
City
in 2003years.
and inNumazuCityofinthe
2004
took place over multiple
precedingyears, toresultingin thediscoveries
volumesof illegallydiscovered
dumped waste
in therespective
The
white area
bar graph
preceding years,
in theof major
volumeswhichof illegally
dumped inwaste
therespective
years.
The
the barbar graphcorresponding
to theresulting
2006 Chiba
Citydiscoveries
incident indicatesan incident
was discovered
1998inbut
wasreported in
2006.
Thewhitewhite area
area ofof thegraphcorresponding
2008Chiba
Tado-cho,
Kuwana City
incidentan
indicates
incident
which
was discoveredin but2006
butreported
was reported
in 2008.
corresponding
to tothethe2006
City incident
indicates
incidentanwhichwasdiscoveredin 1998
wasin 2006.
TheThewhite area of the bar
white
area
of the bar graphto the 2010
Hino-cho,Prefecture
incident
indicates
an incident
which wasin
discoveredin was2009
but was in 2008. The
graphcorresponding
to corresponding
the 2008 Tado-cho,
KuwanaCity Shiga
incident
indicates
an incident
which
was discovered
2006 butreportedreportedin 2010.
white areaof the bar graph corresponding to the 2010 Hino-cho, Shiga Prefecture incident indicates an incident which was discovered in 2009 but was
Asreported
for 2015,
inincidents
2010. of Koka city, Shiga Prefecture and Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and Kuji City, Iwate Prefecture are reported as major incident.
3. Theacid incidents
pitch were ofnotincludedthis study
and areandcoveredAssulfuric
for 2015,
Koka
city,inShiga
Prefecture
Ube separately.
City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and Kuji City, Iwate Prefecture are reported as major incident.
4. Ferosilt dumping incidents were not included in this study. 720,000 tons of Ferosilt were sold and used as backfilling material since August 2001, but it
3.
The sulfuric acid pitch were not included in this study and are covered separately.
was later discovered that the manufacturer and seller of Ferosilt had mixed in toxic waste liquid,making this an illegal industrial waste dumping incident.
4.
Ferosilt
dumping
incidentsinwere
not includedin this study.
tons ofFerosilt
were soldinandused
as locations.
backfilling material since August 2001, but it
Illegaldumping
was confirmed
45 locationsin 4 prefectures,and720,000
Ferosilt removalhasbeen completed
all ofthese

was later discovered that the manufacturer and seller of Ferosilt had mixed in toxic waste liquid,making this an illegal industrial waste dumping incident.

Illegal are
dumpingwaslocations in 4 prefectures, and Ferosilt removal has been completed in all of these locations.
* Amounts
rounded,so confirmed
totals may in
not45
match.
* Amounts are rounded, so totals may not match.

Source: MOE website (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)

18

80.0

0

1 Promotion of global warming countermeasures

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector
1 Promotion of global warming countermeasures（1）Transport sector countermeasures
The amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the transport sector in 2018 was 6.2% greater than the amountemitted in 2013, but emissions volume has been decreasing since 2001. In order to ensure that this decrease
continues steadily, the MLIT is promoting comprehensive measures such as automobile and road traffic
measures, logistics efficiency improvements, and promoting the use of public transport.

●Global warming countermeasures of MLIT
Transport Sector* Promotion of next-generation
vehicles (hybrid automobiles, etc.)* Regulatory review in relation to fuelcell vehicles* Promote dissemination of
ecological driving, etc.

* Development of arterial road
networks such as ring roads,
grade separation of intersections* Develop bicycle friendly environments* Promotion of ITS, etc.

Measures for individualvehiclesEnvironmental considerationin driving

Measures for traﬃc ﬂow

Vehicle and road traﬃc measures

Other

Enhancing energy
eﬃciency
in railroads,
ship andaviation

Create transport systems
with minimal environmental impact

Optimizing
logistics* Improve eﬃcency of truck transport* Modal shift to railway and ship
* Reduce overland transport distance ofinternationally shipped container cargo* Promote energy conservation in the port area, introductionof the facilitation and utilization of renewable energy

Promoting the useof publictransport, etc* Improve the convenienceof railway and bus usage* Promote ecologicalcommutingSource: MLIT (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)

19

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector①Promotion of individual automobile measures

The automobile sector accounts for a large share of the energy consumed by the transport sector, so

individual automobile measures have been implemented, including further improving fuel efficiency throughthe world’s leading fuel efficiency technologies and measures to promote the use of automobiles with superiorfuel efficiency and the use of clean energy vehicles.

■Fuel efficiency improvements through Top Runner Standards○The Energy Saving Act and fuel efficiency standards (Top Runner Standards)

Improving automobile fuel efficiency is extremely important to reduce automobile CO 2 emissions andpromote global warming countermeasures. In order to promote the improvement of automobile fuel efficiency,
fuel efficiency standards (Top Runner Standards* ) have been established based on the Act on the Rational
Use of Energy (Energy Saving Act).
As a result, automobile manufacturing industry members (automobile manufacturers and importers) are
required to improve fuel efficiency performance such that the average fuel efficiency of vehicles sold(determined by taking the weighted harmonic average of automobile fuel efficiency values) does not fall below
standards set for each company based on their vehicle sales composition. Furthermore, it requires that they
post fuel efficiency related information so that automobile users can select automobiles with superior fuelefficiency, and the fuel efficiency values are listed in the product catalogs of individual automobiles.
* Top Runner Standards: Standards based on the currently commercially available automobiles with thehighest fuel efficiencies, taking into consideration future technological advances○Fuel efficiency standards
In March 1999 fuel efficiency standards for 2010 were formulated for passenger cars and small trucks,
based on the Top Runner Standards concept.
In March 2006 the world’s first heavy duty vehicle (truck, bus, etc.) fuel efficiency standards were
formulated, with a target year of 2015.
In July 2007 new fuel efficiency standards were formulated for passenger cars. These new standards aimed
for a 23.5% improvement in fuel efficiency (versus 2004) for passenger cars by 2015.
In March 2013 new fuel efficiency standards were created for passenger cars, aimed at 2020, requiring fuelefficiency to be improved by 24.1% versus actual 2009 figures, assuming a shipped vehicle composition
equivalent to that of 2009. Furthermore, in July 2015 fuel efficiency standards for 2022 were formulated forsmall trucks, based on the assumption of equivalent shipment volume as in 2012, requiring them to be 26.1%
more fuel efficient than vehicles sold in 2012 (based on actual 2012 vehicle fuel efficiency).
In March 2019, fuel efficiency standards for 2025 were formulated for heavy duty vehicles (trucks, buses,etc.), based on the assumption of equivalent shipment volume ratio as in 2014, requiring them to be 13.5%
more fuel efficient than 2015 standards.
In March 2020, assuming that the ratio of vehicles shipped remains the same as that of 2016, 2030 was
designated as the target year with new fuel efficiency standards formulated to improve fuel efficiency inpassenger cars by 44.3% compared to the standard value for 2020.
○New fuel efficiency test method
In conjunction with the new 2015 fuel efficiency standards, the method for testing fuel efficiency was revised
to more closely approximate actual driving conditions. In the past, 10-15 mode driving was used to test fuelefficiency, but this was changed to JC08 mode driving.
20

○貨物自動車○貨物自動車【ガソリン貨物自動車（車両総重量2.5ｔ以下）】 目標年度：２０１０年度 測定方法：１０・１５モード 1 Promotion of global warming countermeasures【ガソリン貨物自動車（車両総重量2.5ｔ以下）】
目標年度：２０１０年度 測定方法：１０・１５モード
軽貨物車
軽量貨物車
中量貨物車
区分
軽貨物車
軽量貨物車
～702
703～827～1265中量貨物車
1266
区分
828～ ～1015 1016～
1516～（車両重量㎏）～702
703～827
～1265
1266
Under
JC08
mode,
drivingisperformed
usingagreaternumberof
speedchanges to reflect actual driving
構造Ａ
構造Ｂ
構造Ａ
構造Ｂ
構造Ａ
構造Ｂ
～1515
828～ ～1015 1016～
1516～（車両重量㎏）
構造Ａ 構造Ｂ 構造Ａ 構造Ｂ構造Ａ 構造Ｂ ～1515
燃費基準値
10.3
18.9
16.2
16.5
15.5
14.9
14.9
13.8
12.5
11.2
ＡＴ
燃費基準値
（km/L）It also
conditions.
measurement
under12.5
which
10.3 are started with cold engines, in
18.9includes
16.2
16.5
15.5
14.9 methods
14.9
13.8
11.2 vehicles
ＡＴ（km/L）
燃費基準値
ＭＴ
20.2
17.0
18.0
16.7
15.5
17.8
15.7
14.5
12.3
10.7
9.3
燃費基準値
（km/L）
additionto startingup
ＭＴ
20.2with
17.0warmed
18.0
16.7engines.
15.5
17.8
15.7
14.5
12.3
10.7
9.3
（km/L）【ディーゼル貨物自動車（車両総重量2.5ｔ以下）】 目標年度：２００５年度 測定方法：１０・１５モード
The World Light Vehicle Test
Procedure (WLTP)
was established at the UNECE World Forum for【ディーゼル貨物自動車（車両総重量2.5ｔ以下）】
目標年度：２００５年度
測定方法：１０・１５モード
中量貨物車
区分
軽量
中量貨物車
～1265
1266
1516
区分
軽量
1766～
（車両重量㎏）
Harmonization
of貨物車
Vehicle～1265
Regulations(WP29),
held in March 2014. In October 2016 Japan added WLTP to
1266
1516
貨物車 構造Ａ 構造Ｂ ～1515 ～1765 1766～（車両重量㎏）
構造Ａ 構造Ｂ ～1515 ～1765
燃費基準値
JC08
Mode
as
a
methodoftestingexhaustgas
emissionsand fuel efficiency for passenger vehicles.
15.1
14.5
12.6
12.3
10.8
9.9
ＡＴ
燃費基準値
（km/L）
15.1
14.5
12.6
12.3
10.8
9.9
ＡＴ
（km/L）
燃費基準値
12.5
17.7
17.4
14.6
14.1
ＭＴ
燃費基準値
（km/L）
12.5
17.7
17.4
14.6
14.1
ＭＴ
（km/L）●Passenger vehicles【ガソリン貨物自動車及びディーゼル貨物自動車（車両総重量3.5ｔ以下）】[Fixed-route buses (automobiles with capacities of 10 or more and with目標年度：２０１５年度
a total vehicle weight in 測定方法：ＪＣ０８モード
excess of 3.5 tons)] Target year: 2025 Measurement methods: JH25 mode
【ガソリン貨物自動車及びディーゼル貨物自動車（車両総重量3.5ｔ以下）】
目標年度：２０１５年度 測定方法：ＪＣ０８モード
軽貨物車
Category 区分
軽貨物車
～740
741
856
971～
(Total vehicle
weight区分(t))（車両重量㎏）～740 741～855 856～970 971～（車両重量㎏）
Fuel efficiency
～855
～970
20.3
構造Ａ
ＭＴ
23.2
standard (km/L)
20.3 18.9
構造Ａ
ＭＴ
23.2
燃費基準値（km/L）
ＡＴ
20.9
19.6
18.9and
燃費基準値（km/L）
ＡＴ
20.9
19.6
構造Ｂ
ＭＴ
18.2
18.0
17.2
16.4with a total vehicle weight in excess of 3.5 tons)] Target year: 2025 Measurement methods: JH25 mode
[General buses (automobiles with capacities of 10 or
more
構造Ｂ
ＭＴ
18.2
18.0
17.2
16.4
燃費基準値（km/L）
ＡＴ
16.4
16.0
15.4
14.7
Category
燃費基準値（km/L）
ＡＴ
16.4
16.0
15.4
14.7
(Total vehicle weight (t))
軽量貨物車
Fuel efficiency
区分（車両重量㎏）～1080軽量貨物車
1081
1196～
standard(km/L)
区分（車両重量㎏）～1080 1081
～1195 1196～～1195
ＭＴ燃費基準値（km/L）
17.1
18.5
[Gasoline passenger vehicles, diesel passenger vehicles, and LP gas passenger vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles (with occupancies of 9 people or less
ＭＴ燃費基準値（km/L）
18.5
ＡＴ燃費基準値（km/L）
17.4
15.8or17.1
14.7
peopleor total vehicle weight of
3.5 tonsless)]
Target year: 2030 Measurement method: WLTC mode
ＡＴ燃費基準値（km/L）
17.4
15.8
14.7
中量貨物車（ガソリン）
Fuel efficiency
standard(FE)(km/L)
inresponsetovehicle weight (M) (kg) is as follows.
区分
中量貨物車（ガソリン）～1310 1311
1421
1531
1651
1761
1871～
M: less than2,759kg
区分（車両重量㎏）
～1310
1311
1421
～1420 −4
～1530 1531
～1650 1651
～1760 1761
～1870 1871～−62（車両重量㎏）
FE
=
−2.47
×
10
×
M
−
8.52
×
10
×
M
＋
30.65
～1420
～1530
～1650
～1760
～1870
14.2
構造Ａ
ＭＴ
M:
more
than 2,759kg ＭＴ
14.2 12.7
構造Ａ
燃費基準値（km/L）
ＡＴ
13.3
燃費基準値（km/L）
ＡＴ
13.3
9.7
構造Ｂ１
ＭＴ
11.9
10.6
10.3
10.0 12.7 9.8
FE
= 9.5
構造Ｂ１
ＭＴ
11.9
10.6
10.3
10.0
9.8
燃費基準値（km/L）
ＡＴ
10.9
9.8
9.6
9.4
9.1
8.8 9.7 8.5*FEisroundedup
totwodecimalpoints.
燃費基準値（km/L）
ＡＴ
10.9
9.8
9.6
9.4
9.1
8.8 8.9 8.5
構造Ｂ２
ＭＴ
11.2
10.2
9.9
9.7
9.3
The
relational
is shown10.2
in the graph
構造Ｂ２ expression
ＭＴ
9.9
9.7
9.3
7.9 8.9燃費基準値（km/L）
ＡＴof FE11.2
10.5
9.7
8.9 below.
8.6
7.9
燃費基準値（km/L）
ＡＴ
10.5
9.7
8.9
8.6
FE (km/L)
中量貨物車（軽油）区分
中量貨物車（軽油）～1420 1421
1531
1651
1761
1871
1991
2101～
区分
（車両重量㎏）～1420 1421
～1530 1531
～1650 1651
～1760 1761
～1870 1871
～1990 1991
～2100 2101～（車両重量㎏）
～1650
～1760
～1870
～1990
～2100
構造Ａ又は構造Ｂ１
ＭＴ
14.5 ～1530
14.1
13.8
13.6
13.3
12.8
12.3
11.7
構造Ａ又は構造Ｂ１
ＭＴ
14.5
14.1
13.8
13.6
13.3
12.8
12.3
11.7
燃費基準値（km/L）
ＡＴ
13.1
12.8
11.5
11.3
11.0
10.8
10.3
9.4
燃費基準値（km/L）
ＡＴ
13.1
12.8
11.5
11.3
11.0
10.8
10.3
9.4
構造Ｂ２
ＭＴ
14.3
12.9
12.6
12.4
12.0
11.3
11.2
11.1
構造Ｂ２
ＭＴ
14.3
12.9
12.6
12.4
12.0
11.3
11.2
11.1
燃費基準値（km/L）
ＡＴ
12.5
11.8
10.9
10.6
9.7
9.5
9.0
8.8
燃費基準値（km/L）
ＡＴ
12.5
11.8
10.9
10.6
9.7
9.5
9.0
8.8
（注）
（注）
軽貨物車・・・軽自動車である貨物自動車
軽貨物車・・・軽自動車である貨物自動車
軽量貨物車・・・車両総重量1.7ｔ以下の貨物自動車
軽量貨物車・・・車両総重量1.7ｔ以下の貨物自動車
中量貨物車・・・車両総重量1.7ｔ超3.5ｔ以下の貨物自動車
中量貨物車・・・車両総重量1.7ｔ超3.5ｔ以下の貨物自動車
構造Ａ・・・①、②、③のいずれにも該当する構造のものをいう。
構造Ａ・・・①、②、③のいずれにも該当する構造のものをいう。
①最大積載量を車両総重量で除した値が0.3以下となるもの。
①最大積載量を車両総重量で除した値が0.3以下となるもの。
②乗車装置及び物品積載装置が同一の車室内に設けられており、かつ、
Source: MLIT (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)
Vehicle weight (kg)②乗車装置及び物品積載装置が同一の車室内に設けられており、かつ、
当該車室と車体外とを固定された屋根、窓ガラス等の隔壁により仕切られるもの。
当該車室と車体外とを固定された屋根、窓ガラス等の隔壁により仕切られるもの。
③運転車室の前方に原動機を有するもの。
③運転車室の前方に原動機を有するもの。
構造Ｂ・・・構造Ａ以外のものをいう。
構造Ｂ・・・構造Ａ以外のものをいう。
構造Ｂ１・・・構造Ｂのうち②に掲げる要件に該当するものをいう。
●Trucks/Freightvehicles
構造Ｂ１・・・構造Ｂのうち②に掲げる要件に該当するものをいう。
構造Ｂ２・・・構造Ｂのうち構造Ｂ１以外のものをいう。
構造Ｂ２・・・構造Ｂのうち構造Ｂ１以外のものをいう。
[Gasoline
freight
vehiclesanddiesel freight vehicles (total vehicle weightof 3.5t or less)] Target測定方法：ＪＣ０８モード
year: 2022 Measurement method: JC08 mode or WLTC mode
【ガソリン貨物自動車及びディーゼル貨物自動車（車両総重量3.5ｔ以下）】
目標年度：２０２２年度【ガソリン貨物自動車及びディーゼル貨物自動車（車両総重量3.5ｔ以下）】 目標年度：２０２２年度 測定方法：ＪＣ０８モード～740 741
856
971
1081
1196
1311
1421
1531
1651
1761
1871
1991
2101～
Category
区分～740 741～855 856～970 971(Total（車両重量㎏）
vehicleweight (kg))
区分～1080 1081
～1195 1196
～1310 1311
～1420 1421
～1530 1531
～1650 1651
～1760 1761
～1870 1871
～1990 1991
～2100 2101～（車両重量㎏）
～855
～970
～1080
～1195
～1310
～1420
～1530
～1650
～1760
～1870
～1990
～2100
Structure
構造Ａ A
16.9
28.1
25.0
22.7
20.8
18.5
構造Ａ
Fuel
efficiency
standard (km/L)
燃費基準値（km/L）
16.9
28.1
25.0
22.7
20.8
18.5
燃費基準値（km/L）
11
構造Ｂ B
Structure
ＭＴ
21.0
20.4
19.9
19.4
16.7
15.1
13.9
12.9
12.1
11.5
11 10.2
構造Ｂ
21.0
20.4
19.9
19.4
16.7
15.1
13.9
12.9
12.1
11.5
Fuel
efficiency
standard (km/L) ＭＴ
燃費基準値（km/L）
ＡＴ
20.4
19.8
19.2
18.7
16.3
14.7
13.5
12.5
11.7
11.1
10.6
燃費基準値（km/L）
10.2 14.6
ＡＴ
20.4
19.8
19.2
18.7
16.3
14.7
13.5
12.5
11.7
11.1
10.6
ディーゼル構造Ｂ
Diesel structure B
ＭＴ
16.8
15.9
15.2
ディーゼル構造Ｂ
16.8
15.9
15.2
Fuel
efficiency standard (km/L) ＭＴ
燃費基準値（km/L）
ＡＴ
14
13.7
13.5
13.3 14.6 13
燃費基準値（km/L）
ＡＴ
14
13.7
13.5
13.3
13

(Note)（注）
Structure
A: Vehicles with structures matching ① , ② , or ③ below.
（注）
構造Ａ・・・①、②、③のいずれにも該当する構造のものをいう。
①
Maximum carrying capacity divided by total vehicle weight is 0.3 or less.
構造Ａ・・・①、②、③のいずれにも該当する構造のものをいう。
①最大積載量を車両総重量で除した値が0.3以下となるもの。
②②乗車装置及び物品積載装置が同一の車室内に設けられており、かつ、The same cab contains both passenger boarding and article loading appurtenances, and the cab is separated from the outside of the vehicle by①最大積載量を車両総重量で除した値が0.3以下となるもの。
a当該車室と車体外とを固定された屋根、窓ガラス等の隔壁により仕切られるもの。
fixed roof, window glass, or other partition.
②乗車装置及び物品積載装置が同一の車室内に設けられており、かつ、
当該車室と車体外とを固定された屋根、窓ガラス等の隔壁により仕切られるもの。
③③運転車室の前方に原動機を有するもの。
Thereis an engine in front of the driving cabin.
③運転車室の前方に原動機を有するもの。
構造Ｂ・・・構造Ａ以外のものをいう。
Structure
B: Vehicles to which none of the above apply.
構造Ｂ・・・構造Ａ以外のものをいう。

【トラック等（車両総重量3.5ｔ超の貨物自動車）】

目標年度：２０１５年度

測定方法：重量車モード[Trucks,etc.
(freight vehicles with total vehicle目標年度：２０１５年度
weights exceeding 3.5t)]
Target year: 2015 Measurement method: Heavy duty vehicle mode
【トラック等（車両総重量3.5ｔ超の貨物自動車）】
測定方法：重量車モード
区分
区分
Category（車両総重量ｔ）(totalvehicle weight (t))（車両総重量ｔ）（最大積載量t）(Maximumcarrying capacity (t))（最大積載量t）
燃費基準値
燃費基準値
Fuel efficiency（km/L）standard（km/L）(km/L)

～1.5
～1.5
10.83
10.83

3.5～7.5
3.5～7.5
1.5～2
2～3
1.5～2
2～3
10.35
9.51
10.35
9.51

【トラクタ（車両総重量3.5ｔ超の貨物自動車）】【トラクタ（車両総重量3.5ｔ超の貨物自動車）】区分（車両総重量ｔ）～2020～Category（車両総重量ｔ）(total 燃費基準値
vehicle weight (t))
3.09
2.01
燃費基準値
（km/L）
3.09
2.01
Fuel efficiency（km/L）standard

3～
3～
8.12
8.12

7.5～8
7.5～8

8～10
8～10

10～12
10～12

12～14 14～16 16～20
12～14 14～16 16～20

20～
20～

7.24
7.24

6.52
6.52

6.00
6.00

5.69
5.69

4.04
4.04

目標年度：２０１５年度
目標年度：２０１５年度

4.97
4.97

4.15
4.15

測定方法：重量車モード
測定方法：重量車モード

区分[Tractors (freightvehicles～20
with a total
20～ vehicle weight in excess of 3.5 tons)] Target year: 2025 Measurement method: JH25 mode

Source: MLIT (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)(km/L)

21

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector■Measures for developing and promoting next-generation vehicles

Because Japan’s overall CO2 emissions, the transport sector occupies around 20% and around 90% of that isemissions from automobiles, the raising of fuel efficiency and emission performance in automobiles is
extremely important. In addition,“Green Growth Strategy Through Achieving Carbon Neutrality in 2050”,
which was formulated in December 2020, sets out comprehensive measures to make electric vehicles accountfor 100% achievement of new passenger vehicles sales by the mid-2030s.
In order to promote environmental conservation, starting with the reduction of CO2 emissions, Japan’s
government designates electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, hybrid vehicles, clean diesel
vehicles and natural gas vehicles as“the next-generation vehicles”and is planning for their promotion.
Due to this, along with raising fuel efficiency through the establishment of standards and harmonizing
international technical standards, measures are being carried out to encourage the promotion of the nextgeneration vehicles, beginning with tax benefits and support systems.
Specifically, by establishing fuel efficiency standards based on the Energy Saving Act and requiring
automobile manufacturers to meet such standards, the promotion of highly fuel efficient automobiles, including
the next-generation vehicles, is being encouraged. Also, Japan is taking the lead in establishing international
standards for the next-generation vehicles, and this is expected to help expand such electric technologies aselectric cars and fuel cell vehicles, improve Japan’s automobile safety and environmental performance andstrengthen the ability of international competition.
Furthermore, a tax benefits system for automobiles with excellent environmental performance, including
the next-generation vehicles, is being established and eco-car tax reductions for greater environmental
performance that exempt motor vehicle tonnage tax are being enforced in order to encourage promotion.

Examples of automobile taxes (Motor vehicle tonnage tax, light vehicle tax)
(motor vehicle tonnage tax)

Eco-car tax reductions

Passenger cars
2020/2021

60%

Motor vehicle
tonnage tax

70%

Heavy duty vehicles

2030 fuel eﬃciency standard
75%

85%

▲50%

▲25%

90%

EVs, etc.
*1

120%

2020/2021

2015 fuel eﬃciency standard
+5%

+10%

Outside scope▲50%▲75% Tax exempt Tax exempt *2

Tax exempt *2

Motor vehicle
tonnage tax

90%EVs, etc.
*1

2020/2021

EVs, etc.
*1

▲75%

▲75%
▲75%

Heavy duty vehicles▲75%

EVs, etc.
*1

2020/2021

Tax exempt+15%

EVs, etc.
*1

Not achieved Achieved

Green tax provision(vehicle tax/light vehicle tax)

*3(vehicle tax/light vehicle tax)

Environmental performancerate

*3

*3
*4

2030 fuel eﬃciency standard

2020/2021

60%

Cars (private use)

70%

Outside scope

Cars (commercial use) Outside scope

2020/2021
Cars *3

Less than
55%

Light vehicles *3
Light vehicles *3▲50%2030 Fuel eﬃciency standard
55%

60%

３%

Cars *3

２%

65%
２%

２%
２%

80%

１%
１%

１%

75%
１%

0.5%

0.5%

85%

Achieved
Tax exempt

Tax exempt
Tax exempt
Tax exempt

2015 Fuel eﬃciency standard
Not achieved Achieved

+5%

+10%

+15%

EVs, etc.
*1

Heavy duty vehicles(private use)

３％

２％

１％

Tax exempt

Heavy duty vehicles(commercial use)

２％

１％

0.5％

Tax exempt*1 "EVs, etc.” refers to electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, natural gas vehicles, and clean diesel passenger vehicles. In the case of heavy duty vehicle, it refers to electric vehicles, fuel cellvehicles, and natural gas vehicles.
*2 Tax exemptions apply to initial and subsequent inspections as well.
*3 Passenger vehicles that do not attain 2020 fuel eﬃciency standards are not eligible. (clean diesel cars are from 2022 onwards)*4 Private passenger cars (including light vehicles) bought between October 1, 2019 and December 31, 2021 are eligible for a 1% tax reduction.

Source: MLIT (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)

In addition, for the next-generation vehicles, such as electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles that areused for commercial purposes, including buses, taxis and trucks, partial support for vehicle prices when they
are introduced is being carried out.
In particular, ultra-small electric mobility vehicles that are compact, agile, exceptionally environmentally
performative, are an easy means for moving around local areas, and are for around one to two passengers.
Procedures were streamlined and the revising of the certification system was carried out in January 2018. In
addition, in September 2020, based on the“Seminar for Ultra-Small Mobility Vehicles Coexisting with the22

1 Promotion of global warming countermeasures

Local Area”roadmap, regarding the goal of mass producing ultra-small mobility vehicles with a maximum
speed of 60km, there were no limits to users or usage areas and standards were revised with a view topromoting vehicles that can be used freely on ordinary roads.
Roadmap for the Promotion of Ultra-Small Mobility Vehicles
Phase

Up to 2017

2018

2019
Promotion & awareness raising

Work towards promotion

SafetyVehicle safety

In view of the vehicleʼs small size and its
usage over short distances at slower speeds,
easing of safety standard applications, in
response to the vehiclesʼ top speed, classand form of usage, will be examined at theCommittee for Vehicle Safety Measures by
the beginning of 2019.

Examination of vehicle
safety measures

Vehicle development
Price, performance, etc

Based on the vehicle needs requiredby each usage aspect and the statusof vehicle safety measures, aim tobring down the price of vehicles andraise their performance andcomfortability.

(Vehicle development)

Surrounding environment
Charging environment
Related systems (parking
environment, insurance
systems, etc)

In order to ensure an environment
where charging can take place safely,
aim to propagate“ Charging Facility
Construction Guidelines” by the
beginning of 2019.

OthersBusiness management
Financial support

Share information on successful
examples related to proﬁtability
secureness in business management.
Through ﬁnancial support that
contributes to reduction of initial costs,
work to control operational risks.

2020~
Environment
set up

Discuss at the Committee
for Vehicle Safety Measures

Examination for realization

Massproduction

Setup and examination ofCharging Facility
Construction Guidelines(Examination based upon the status of promotion)

Sharing examples that contribute toappropriate business management
Enforcement of a subsidy system and tax breaksystem(May 2018) Seminar summary

Source: MLIT (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)②Promotion of environmentally friendly automobile usage“Eco-driving”has been positioned as an environmentally friendly automobile usage promotion measure. The

Eco-Drive Promotion Liaison Committee (National Police Agency (NPA), METI, MLIT, and MOE) formulatedthe“Eco-Driving Dissemination and Promotion Action Plan”, and the Committee and related organizations areactively promoting these efforts.
In 2006 the committee proposed the“10 Tips for Eco-driving”, which outlined specific eco-driving efforts.
These recommendations were revised in January 2020.

23

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector●10 Tips for Eco-driving

10 Tips for Eco-driving
Eco-driving consists of driving techniques and mentalities that conserve fuel, reduce CO2
emissions, and help prevent global warming. Eco-driving also helps reduce traﬃc

accidents. Fuel-eﬃcient driving is not only gentle on the wallet, but is also safer, putting
passengers at ease. Calm driving at ease, with plenty of time to spare, is also a form of
eco-driving. Eco-driving is something that anyone can start doing right away. Little changes
to your driving mentality and habits can improve your driving and create a better society.
Let's start eco-driving, beginning with the basics you can immediately put into action.

Don't warm up or idle your engine.

Understand your own fuel eﬃciency.
Make it a habit to have an understanding of the fuel eﬃciency of your own
vehicle. If you have a grasp of your normal fuel eﬃciency, you will have areal understanding of the eﬀects of your own eco-driving. It is useful to use
tools that support eco-driving such as the fuel eﬃciency monitoring
equipment ﬁtted in your vehicle, eco-driving navigation or fuel eﬃciency
management on the internet.

When the car is stopped when you are waiting for someone or you areloading or unloading something, do not let the engine idle *1. Ten minutesof idling (with the A/C set to OFF) consumes around 130cc of fuel. In
addition, modern vehicles do not normally need to have their engines
warmed up *2. You should start moving as soon as you have started theengine.

Leave in plenty of time and avoid
congestion.

Accelerate gently eStart.
When setting oﬀ, be gentle on the accelerator. (You should aim to reacharound 20km/h in 5 seconds.) Just by doing this on a daily basis, you can
improve your fuel eﬃciency by around 10%. Unrushed, gentle acceleration
also contributes to safe driving.

Before you leave, use traﬃc information about traﬃc jams and regulations,etc. as well as maps and your satnav to check your destination and route.
For example, if you get lost on a one-hour drive and drive for an extra 10
minutes, the amount of fuel consumed increases by 17%. You can saveboth time and fuel by checking traﬃc information while you are driving to
avoid traﬃc jams.

Maintain a steady speed and keep
your distance.

Check and maintain your car regularly,
starting with tire pressure.

Try to maintain a steady speed when you are driving. If you are too close
to the vehicle in front of you, you are more likely to speed up or reduce
speed unnecessarily and this reduces fuel eﬃciency by around 2% in urban
areas and 6% in the suburbs. Try to drive with as few speed changes as
possible depending on the traﬃc.

Make it a habit to check your tire pressure *3. If tire pressure is less than
the recommended value, fuel eﬃciency decreases by around 2% in urban
areas and 4% in the suburbs *4. You can also improve fuel eﬃciency if you
regularly change the oil, the oil ﬁlter, the air cleaner element and so on.

Slow down by releasing theaccelerator.

Reduce your load.

If you know you are going to stop, for example, at traﬃc lights, take yourfoot oﬀ the accelerator early. This is called engine braking and improves
fuel eﬃciency by 2%. Try using engine braking when you are slowing downor going down hills.

Unload anything unnecessary from your vehicle. Fuel eﬃciency is greatly
aﬀected by the weight of what is in your car. For example, if you load an
object weighing 100kg and then drive, fuel eﬃciency decreases by around
3%. It is also sensitive to air resistance. Remove external equipment suchas ski carriers, etc. when you are not using them.

Make appropriate use of your air
conditioner.

Do not obstruct the ﬂow of traﬃcwhen you are parking.

Air conditioners (A/C) in cars cool and dehumidify the interior of the car. If
you only need the heater, turn the A/C switch to OFF. For example, even if
the car temperature is set to 25℃, the same as the external temperature, if
you leave the A/C switch to ON, fuel eﬃciency reduced by around 12%. In
addition, even when you do need the air conditioner, make sure that the
car interior isnʼ t too cool.

Do not cause obstructions when you park. Parking in this way nearintersections, for example, causes traﬃc jams. Not only does it reduce fueleﬃciency for other vehicles, it also causes accidents. When there are no
obstructions to the ﬂow of traﬃc, average speed is improved andreductions in fuel eﬃciency are prevented.

※1 Please be careful when switching oﬀ your engine at intersections as it can cause thefollowing safety issues. (There are no issues for cars that do this automatically.)- If you press the brake pedal a number of times while you are stopped, it can aﬀect theeﬀectiveness of the brakes.
- If you are not used to doing this, you may make a mistake or be late in moving again. There
may also be cases in which the engine does not start up again due to decreased lifespan ofparts such as the battery.
- As safety devices such as airbags and direction indicators do not activate, it is better not toswitch oﬀ your engine if you are near the front of the queue or on a hill.
※2 It is perfectly OK to warm up your car as you drive unless under special circumstances suchas cold regions with a temperature of -20℃.
※3 Tire pressure decreases by around 5% in a month.
※4 If the value is 50kPa (0.5kg/cm2) less than the recommended value.

The Eco-Drive
Promotion Liaison Committee(Metropolitan Police Department, METI, MLIT, Ministry of
the Environment)
The Eco-Drive Promotion Liaison Committee website

Source: The Eco-Drive Promotion Liaison Commitee (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation）

24

1 Promotion of global warming countermeasures

ColumnDefinition of the levels and thestatus of initiatives regarding autonomous driving

In recent years, owing to technological innovation, initiatives toward autonomous driving are making
headway and attention is being focused on the trends.
In“Public Private ITS Initiative/Roadmaps 2017,”the Japanese government adopted the definitionof SAE International’s J3016 (September, 2016) as the definition for the levels of autonomous driving.
●Summary of the definition of autonomous driving (J3016)
Level

Summary

Main respondent tosurveillance for safe
driving

Driver carries out all or part of the driving tasks
SAE Level 0
No automatic driving

・The driver carries out all of the driving tasks

Driver

SAE Level 1
Driver assistance・The system carries out the driving subtask of either
front/back or left/right vehicle control

Driver

SAE Level 2
Partial automatic driving

・The system carries out the driving subtask of both
front/back and left/right vehicle control

DriverAutonomous driving system carries out all of the driving tasks
SAE Level 3
Conditional automatic
driving・T he system carries out all driving tasks (within
designated domain)・If continuous operation is difficult, the driver is
expected to respond appropriately to the system’s
requests for intervention

System(Driver, whencontinuous operation
is difficult)

SAE Level 4
Advanced automatic
driving・The system carries out all driving tasks (within thedesignated domain)・If continuous operation is difficult, the user is notexpected to respond.

System

SAE Level 5
Complete automatic
driving・The system carries out all driving tasks (not limited
to the designated domain)・If continuous operation is difficult, the user is notexpected to respond.

SystemSource: Home page of Prime Minister of Japan and the Cabinet(Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)

MLIT has started an autonomous driving service
at semi-mountainous areas with Roadside-station(michi-no-eki) as the base. In semi-mountainous
areas with a super-aging population, a goal has
been set of introducing autonomous driving
services focusing on local hubs such as
Roadside-station, and an experiment has been
carried out to verify the feasibility of securing theflow of both people and goods.
This experiment includes motor-driven carts
running on a designated route by sensing themagnetic force from the undergroundelectromagnetic induction line, and motor-driven
carts identifying the vehicle position based on GPS
and running on a designated route.

25●Example of a bus-type vehicle

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector

ColumnAir Environment-friendly SS (e → AS)
The Ministry of the Environment and the Agency of Natural Resources and Energy certifies SS(Service Stations) that have measuring devices that can collect fuel vapor gas as Air Environmentfriendly SS (e → AS).

Fill up at an Air Environment-friendly SS (e→AS)
certiﬁed by the Ministry of the Environment andthe Agency of Natural Resources and Energy
to contribute to protecting the air environment!
SS that are limiting the emission of fuel vaporgas, which is one of the substances that cause
air pollution as well as causing the distinctive
smell of gasoline, are certiﬁed as Air Environ-◇ The process of collecting fuel vapor gas ◇Measuring devices that donʼthave a collection function〜Conventional fuel pump nozzle〜
Fuel vaporgas

ment-friendly SS* (nickname: e→AS).
We would appreciate your cooperation in

Gasolineusing e→AS when ﬁlling up!

Fuel vapor gas is not collected andescapes out into the air from the fuel port.

*SS: Service Station.

Measuring devices that dohave a collection function

These are Air Environment-friendly SS marks!

〜Fuel pump nozzle that collects fuel vapor gas〜

Fuel vapor gas

Gasoline

Fuel vapor gas is collected so it is environmentally-friendly and it is also eﬀective incombatting smell.

collecting over 95%
rate

over 75%

over 50%

under 50%

Four stages of certiﬁcation are carried out according the Fuel vapor
gas collecting rate of overall SS.

Reduce the smell when refueling gasoline!

○ Certiﬁed SS can be found on the Ministryof the Environment e→AS website.

See the website for more details.

e→ASsearchWe plan to make it possible to search for e→AS on satnavs in the future.

＜The origin of e→AS＞
e = ecological, good A = Air, S = Service station and they are combined to mean
ʻa good futureʼ and ʻgood earthʼ in Japanese.
The arrow expresses working towards a good future and earth.

Agency for Natural Resources and Energy

Ministry of the Environment and Agency of Natural Resources and Energy Air Environment-friendly SS (e→AS) Promotion Bureau

Source: MOE (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation）

26

1 Promotion of global warming countermeasures③Promotion of traffic flow measures

Smoother traffic flow increases driving speeds, which in turn produces greater effective fuel efficiency andreduces carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles. MLIT is implementing various traffic flow measures.
Specifically, these include the enhancement of arterial road networks, such as ring roads, which are effectiveat reducing the amount of traffic influx into central urban areas by providing alternate traffic routes, thecreation of multilevel intersections, the promotion of projects for continuous grade separation, etc., in order toeliminate unopened railroad crossings, and other initiatives for reducing traffic congestion in urban areas.
They also include the use of big data collected using ITS technology, the optimization of existing networks,
Also, in order to continue environmental development for encouraging bicycle usage and reducing the carbon
footprint of road facilities, LED road lighting is being installed.

■Strengthening the efficiency of distribution networks

In order to realize fast and smooth freight distribution, strengthen competitiveness on the world stage, andease traffic congestion, the ring highways around Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya will be intensively developed andthe transport modal links between airports and harbors (distribution modal connect) will be strengthened.
Also, manpower-saving and streamlining of truck transport will be promoted through the introduction of
double-connected trucks and the speed up of passing permission for special vehicles.

■Promoting efforts to smarter use roads with ETC2.0 service

Efforts to use roads more wisely will be promoted, such as pinpointing areas that are congestion bottlenecks

based on scientific analysis of big data that makes use of ETC2.0.

■Development and support of bicycle environments

Promote the development of bicycle by providing bicycle-lanes and encourage a modal transfer fromautomobiles to bicycles.

■Measures for railroad crossings that don’t open most of the time

Push forward the elimination of railroad crossings that don’t open most of the time and congest traffic.

■Reduction of road works

Enforce the reduction of road works through collaborative construction work, concentrated work, and thedevelopment of common ducts.

■Implementing LED road lights

Push forward the implementation of energy-saving LED road lights when the lights are newly constructed

or updated.

■Extending the lifetime of pedestrian overpasses

In order to extend the life of road stock, promote changing from post maintenance management, wherelarge-scale repairs are carried out after damages have become serious, to preventative maintenancemanagement, where repairs are carried out while the damage is still only slight.

27

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector④Improvement of freight distribution efficiency■Creation of sustainable logistics systems through collaboration between freight
owners and logistics operators○Green Logistics Partnership Conference
Promoting the creation of agreener overall logistics system
requires greater collaboration
between freight owners andlogistics operators, and the
expansion of sustainablelogistics systems for global
warming countermeasures

Green Logistics Partnership Conference(Facilitator: Takehiko Sugiyama, Emeritus Professor, Hitotsubashi University)
Established April 2005

Organizers: MLIT, METI, Japan Federation of Freight Industries, JILSCollaboration: Nippon Keidanren
Logistics operators, freight owners, industry organizations,
Members: think-tanks, research organizations, local agencies of thecentral government, municipalities, individuals, others

improving productivity, etc.

Business Promotion Committee

The “Green Logistics●Selection of awards candidates

Partnership Conference”,
launched in 2004 and composedof companies and organizations
united by this goal, strives to

Source: Green Logistics Partnership Conference (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo
Foundation)

promote mutual understanding of the importance of the Green Logistics and improve coordination between
freight owners and logistics operators, in order to carry out modal shifts and improve truck transport
efficiency.
As part of these activities, the“Joint Guidelines on the
Method for Calculating CO2 Emissions by the Logistics Sector(Ver. 3.1)”(METI, MLIT) were formulated. These guidelines
establish a unified method of calculating carbon dioxide
emissions by the logistics sector, and can be used by bothfreight owners and logistics operators for smoothercollaboration. They make it possible to objectively evaluate theeffectiveness of individual measures. Each year theorganization gathers proposals from its members regarding
specific Green Logistics Partnership implementation projects
in order to promote measures for reducing CO2 emissions.
Particularly successful good practice example projects
involving logistics operators and freight owners engaging in
partnerships to reduce CO2 emissions, to create sustainablelogistics systems for improving productivity, etc. arerecognized by MLIT Minister awards and METI Ministerawards.
(Pamflet of The Joint Guidlines on the Method for
Calculating CO2 Emissions)
Source: Green Logistics Partnership Conference28

1 Promotion of global warming countermeasures■Promotion of modal shift and increased efficiency of freight distribution○Enhanced coastal shipping competitiveness and modal shift to sea transport
The MLIT is engaged in efforts aimed at strengthening
the competitiveness of the coastal shipping industry andpromoting a modal shift to sea transport.
As part of these efforts it is implementing the“Eco-Ship
Modal Shift Project”, which promotes modal shift byselecting companies which contribute to modal shift by using
some degree of sea transport, and permitting thosecompanies to use the Eco-Ship Mark. As part of this project,
the Eco-Ship Modal Shift Project Executive Committee has
implemented an Eco-Ship Mark certification system (theEco-Ship Mark indicates that a company is contributing toenvironmental efforts by using sea transport). As of
February 2020, 158 freight owners and 180 logistics
operators have received Eco-Ship Mark certification. EcoShip Mark certified companies that have made particularly
large contributions are also selected to receive DirectorGeneral, Maritime Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism awards.
(Poster of invitation for Eco-Ship Mark certification)
Source: Committee for Implementation of Eco-Ship
Modal Shift Operations

29

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector○Project to promote network low carbonization in ● Project to promote network low carbonization inrailroad businesses, etc.

railroad businesses, etc.

◯Supplemented facilities,
etc.

Railroads are essential means of transport in thedaily lives and economic activities of the people ofGrid power

Japan. One of their notable features is that they
have a smaller environmental impact than otherTransformer Regenerative carriage(acceleration)

Battery

Regenerated power
storage device(battery)Feeder top/bottom
line integration

modes of transport. In order to further promote

Energy management Construction/

reductions in CO 2 emissions by railroads andreconstruction ofcarriages expected to
cut CO2 emissions by
40% or more

Station building, etc.

develop circular and ecological economies, MLIT
and MOE are working together to support

Station building
supplementation
power device

deployment of state-of-the-art energy-saving
facilities and devices that use energy efficiently

Regenerative carriage (braking)through a project to promote network low

Power transmission
to network

carbonization in railroad businesses, etc.

Power transmission
from network

Source: MLIT (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)○“Eco Rail Mark”system promotion and expansion
The“Eco Rail Mark”was established in 2005 to certify
companies and products which are proactively working
to achieve low environmental impact rail freighttransport. By supporting companies and products
certified with the “Eco Rail Mark”, awareness ofenvironmental impact reduction efforts increases, among
freight owner companies such as manufacturers, as well

Source: RFA

as consumers, with the goal of promoting a corresponding
modal shift to rail freight transport. MLIT and the Railway Freight Association (RFA) are striving to further
promote and expand the“Eco Rail Mark”. As of July 29, 2020 there are 175“Eco Rail Mark”productcertifications for 203 products, 92 certified companies, and 38 certified supporting companies.
○Promotion of Carbon Neutral Ports
MLIT handles 99.6% of Japan’s imports and exports ●Im a g e o f C a r b o n N e u t r a l P o r t ( c o n t a i n e rterminals, etc.)
and is working to form Carbon Neutral Ports (CNP)
through levelling up port functions taking

Expansion of next-generationenergy use in quaysiderefrigerated warehouses, etc.

decarbonization into consideration in order to achieve
large-volume next-generation energy and cheap imports
such as hydrogen and ammonia at ports where industries

initiatives such as the installation of offshore wind
power, the installation of fuel cells for trailers, etc. andground electricity supply facilities and the use of theblue carbon ecosystem (marine forests, etc.) effectively
using industrial by-products such as steel slag.

30

Reefer energy source

Provision of hydrogen station
for trailers, etc.

Provision of port facilities thatwill be a base for next-generationenergy import, export and distribution

Next-generation fueltransport ship

Refrigerated warehouses, etc.
Hydrogen co-generation
systemGround electricity supply for ships
with electricity, etc. fromsustainable energy
Gantry crane

Oxygen stationthat account for approximately 60% of CO2 emissions
are based. In addition, within this, MLIT is promoting

Next-generationenergy fuel importbase

Straddle carrier
Cargo machineryContainer trailer

Lighting

Installation of fuelcells to trailers, etc.

Installation of fuel cells toport loading machineryContainer trailer

Ground electricity supply

Next-generation energy fuel ship

Strengthening of
next-general
ヤード照明
supply system for ships
Development of next-generationenergy ship

Source: MLIT (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)

1 Promotion of global warming countermeasures○With regards to the partial revision of the Act on Advancement of Integration and Streamlining of Freight
Distribution Business (Distribution Integration Efficiency Act), in order to increase distribution efficiency andreduce environmental impact, plans have been approved for a project aimed at integrating and improving theefficiency of advanced freight distribution facilities with a specified minimum scale (specified freight
distribution operation facilities) and other facilities. Roughly 300 projects have been approved since theestablishment of“Distribution Integration Efficiency Act”on October 1, 2005.
On October 1, 2016, a revision to the Act was enacted, requiring two or more parties to collaborate during
the implementation of projects. This revision was enacted in response to labor shortages in the distribution
field, with the aim of expanding modal shifts among support recipients and measures which do not requirejoint delivery, etc., specified distribution operation facilities.
Based on this, as of the end of December, 2020, 240 diverse projects, including modal shifts, joint delivery,and special freight distribution operation facility wait time reduction, have been approved, and measures havebeen implemented to achieve freight distribution labor savings, improve freight distribution efficiency, andreduce environmental impact. On July 27, 2020, approval was given for the first time in Japan for a plan tosimultaneously convert two modes of transport, marine and rail, at the same time.

Distribution Integration Efficiency Act and labor savings
Overview of the Distribution Integration Efficiency Act

Example of Freight Distribution Integration Efficiency Act approval

Revision enacted October 1, 2016

<Example 1> Sea transport used for portion of trunk transport

Objectives

The system approves projects in which two or more parties
collaborate to integrate distribution operations (integratingtransport, storage, freight handling, and distribution processing)and make them more efficient (transport rationalization), contributing to environmental impact reductions and labor savings(distribution operation integration efficiency projects), andprovides support to approved parties.

Gunma Prefecture
manufacturer’s
factory

Afterconversion

Gunma Prefecture
manufacturer’s
factory→Corporate tax: 10% additional depreciation deduction (5 years)→Fixed property tax: 1/2 taxation base (5 years), etc.

• Consideration of facility location restrictions, etc.

→Consideration for permission to perform development in urbanization
control areas

Unmannedsea transport

Locationsin Kyushu

 Driver drive time 67% reduction• Drive time reductions contribute to reductions in drives involving overnight stays.

 CO2 reduction 78%<Example 2> Introduction of truck reservation reception system
into warehouse, dramatically reducing truck wait time andimproving efficiency of work within the warehouse
Truck reservation reception system

Main support measures① Project startup/implementation support• Plan formulation expense and operation expense subsidies, etc.
② Support for necessary facilities and equipments, etc.
• Special taxation structures for transport-linked warehouses(warehouses with truck arrival time reservation systems,
etc.)

Locationsin Kyushu
Oita Port

Overview of system

Beforeconversion

Shimizu Port

• Secure labor required for freight distribution operations• Reduce environmental impact,etc(operated by Company B)① Office makes unloading timeand berth reservations bycomputer by the day before
the reservation

Company A③ Office confirms reservations forthe following day④ Work plans are created basedon reservations

Company B(Chubu region warehouse operator)② Drivers check following day’s
unloading times and berths
via smartphone, etc.

(Chubu region truck operator)⑤ Work is carried out based on
work plans. Warehouse workers
perform work while checking
warehouse displays or tablet
devices, etc.

 The introduction of the truck reservation reception system improved
freight receiving work efficiency, cutting wait times by 80%
 CO2 reduction 22.9%

Source: MLIT (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)

31

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector■Promotion of the Green Management Certification System

In recent years there has been an increasing focus on environmental problems such as global warming andair pollution. Satisfying both environmental and economic concerns and creating a sustainable economic
society has become an urgent challenge. The Eco-Mo Foundation has created and distributed a green
management promotion manual containing checklists for self-assessment in order to promote environmental
conservation activities by transport related companies. This manual, based on the concepts of ISO14031 (aninternational environmental performance evaluation standard), contains checklist items for environmental
conservation items to be addressed, and descriptions of specific corresponding environmental efforts. This
makes it easy to set and evaluate environmental targets, thereby achieving greener management.
Green management consists of companies assessing their own environmental conservation efforts, using
promotion manuals as references in considering improvement measures based on the results of theseenvironmental conservation efforts, creating action plans which include these improvement measures, andimplementing them in order to achieve the improvements. This cycle makes it possible to implement
proactive, ongoing environmental conservation activities.
The MLIT is striving to promote this green management as a countermeasure against environmental
problems.
In order to promote green management, the Green Management Certification System was established in
2003. The Eco-Mo Foundation acts as the certification body under this system, objectively certifying andpublicizing environmental improvement efforts by companies, based on the green management promotion
manual. This produces greater understanding and motivation of the green management certified businesses
by other companies and users, with the ultimate objective of reducing the environmental impact of thetransport industry.

トラック運送事業におけるグリーン経営推進マニュアル

約

約
1.5〜3.4

2017年4月(Poster of Green Management Certification System)

32(Manual of the Green Management Certification System)

1 Promotion of global warming countermeasures⑤Promotion of usage of public transport

Creating new railroad lines and new transport systems, and making rail and bus transport more convenient,contribute a shift in passenger transport from private cars to public transport, which has less of anenvironmental impact. This leads to reductions in automobile CO2 emissions, so various measures are being
implemented in order to achieve this shift.

■Establishment of the Basic Act on Transport Policy

The Basic Act on Transport Policy defines the basic philosophy underpinning transport related measuresin order to promote measures necessary for the national government to coordinate closely with local
governments and transport companies in implementing comprehensive and systematic measures from theperspectives of increasing international competitiveness and regional vitality, and ensuring preparedness forlarge-scale disasters. This act applies to the international transport, national transport, and regional transport
which acts as the infrastructure supporting Japan’s economic and social activities. The Basic Transport
Policy Plan which received Cabinet approval on February 13, 2015 stipulates 2014 to 2020 as the planning
period and, based on this Plan, transport policies are being promoted both comprehensively andsystematically.
In addition, the Basic Transport Policy requires the Cabinet Decision on the Transport Policy White Paper.
The 2020 version of Act on the Transport Policy White Paper was decided on by the Cabinet and reported to
the Diet in June 2020.
●Summary of the Basic Transport Policy Plan
Basic Principles (Article 2 – Article 7)
Basic Awareness (Article 2)○Transport functions
・Securing independent living of citizens
・Active inter-regional and international exchange
・Smooth distribution of goods○Adequate fulﬁlment of the basic transport demands of citizens

Signiﬁcance of transport-related measures (Article 3)○Coping with the declining birthrate andaging population while contributing to:

National Policies (Article 16 – Article 31)【Enrichment of citizensʼ lives】○Securing means of daily transport (Article 16) – Consideration for conditions of local regions such as remote islands, etc.
○Smooth mobility for the elderly and the disabled (Article 17) – Consideration for expectant and nursing mothers, people with baby strollers, etc.
○Ensuring safety and hygiene for passenger facilities and services pertaining to public transport (Article 17.2)○Improved convenience, facilitation, eﬃciency of transport (Article 18) – Ensuring of regularity and smoothing of transport transfer processes, etc.

【Reinforcement of international competitiveness】○Formation of international maritime and air transport network and bases, improvement of accessibility (Article 19)【Enhancement of regional vitalization】○Formation of a domestic transport network and bases (including formation of major
high-speed transport network) Ensuring the provision of transport services (Article 20)○Strengthening of foundation of transport-related business and human resource sourcing support(including improvement of working conditions) and training (Article 21)

・The enrichment of citizensʼ lives
・The enhancement of international competitiveness・The development and sustainability of regional vitalization and local communities○Based on the viewpoint of strengthening territory, accurately
responding to movement for evacuation even in a large-scaledisaster, taking into account the importance of ensuring
sustainability of socio-economic activities【Coping with large-scale disasters】

Reduction of environmental impact (Article 4)【Appropriate role division and cooperation】

Division of roles and cooperation between
various means of transport (Article 5)Securing of transport safety (Article 7)

Duties of relevant parties in the national government, and businesses (Article 8 – Article 11)
Collaboration and cooperation between relevant parties (Article 6 and Article 12)
Legislative and ﬁnancial measures (Article 13)
Annual reporting to the National Diet (White Paper on Transport Policy) (Article 14)
Measures by local public agencies (Article 32)○Reduction of transport function declines and acceleration of recovery in the event of a large-scale disaster, earthquake resistance
improvement, securing of alternate means of transport, smooth evacuation of large numbers of people (Article 22)【Reduction of environmental impact】○Improvement in user-friendliness of eco-cars, modal shift and public transport system (Article 23)○Improvement of comprehensive transport systems, prioritized improvement with consideration of transport demand and deterioration due to aging (Article 24)○Promotion of urban development, collaboration with tourism, collaboration and cooperation among relevant parties (Article 25 to Article 27)○Investigation and research (Article 28)○Development and dissemination of technology, ICT utilization (Article 29)○Establishment of international collaboration and promotion of international cooperation, overseas development of transport infrastructure (Article 30)○Reﬂection of citizensʼ opinions (Article 31)

Formulation and implementation of the Basic Plan on Transport Policy (Article 15)＜Council consultation, Cabinet decision＞
Source: MLIT (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)

33

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector■Promotion and support for Japanese MaaS

Support is being provided for the creation of the infrastructure needed for the new mobility service,

Mobility as a Service (MaaS), as well as for the construction of MaaS and its widespread use, which will help
solve local issues. The objective of these efforts is to achieve nationwide use of MaaS, secure and enrichtransport in rural areas and tourist destinations, and maintain and invigorate public transport.
Implementation of MaaS in society

Promotion of initiatives to respond to new needs

Support for MaaS (system construction, etc.) including highly
public initiatives such as congestion and contact avoidance.

Response to results of veriﬁcation experiments
and new needs and issues

 Initiative to disperse congestionUser⇒ installation of congestion
information provision system

Railroads

Buses

AI on-demandtransportation

Car sharing

Share cycles

Sightseeing

Logistics

Ultra-small
mobility
Medicine/welfare

Taxis
Green slow
mobility
Autonomous driving

Retail Initiative to avoid contacts

Destination point

Departure point

Provision as a single service (searching, reservations, payment)⇒ introduction of cashless payments (one-touchpayments, QR codes, face recognition, etc.)

 Initiative to enrich the personal transport

Uniﬁcation withmobility purposes

environment⇒ introduction of AI on-demand transport,
share cycles, electric kickboards, etc.

Creation infrastructure to facilitate the smooth spread of MaaS
Support for inﬂastructure policies for the smooth spread of MaaS Support for the creation of a system to digitalize transport operators (GTFS compatible) Support to formulate new mobility service plans(costs of surveys for plan formulation and evaluation of the achivement status of the plan)
Source: MLIT (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)34

1 Promotion of global warming countermeasures■Measures for promoting rail use
The MLIT provides support for efforts by●Measures for enhancement of services and conveniencerail operators to promote the use of urbanrail, achieve greater speeds on existingarterial railroads, achieve greater speeds on
freight rail lines, convert freight rail lines
into passenger rail lines, smoothinterconnections, make comprehensive◆Rail station comprehensive improvement projects
Sagami Railway Ebina Station, Tokyu Railways Ikegami Station,
Odakyu Railway Chuorinkan Station, JR Tokai Kariya Station, JR
West Shimo-Gion Station, etc.
◆Urban rail convenience promotion projects
・Speed improvement

improvements to railway stations, andSotetsu/Tokyu through line (Yokohama Hazawa area – Hiyoshi)

implement barrier-free measures in railway
stations, etc.
It is also collaborating with rail operators in the“Eco Rail Campaign”,
promoting the use of rail transport as an handy environmental action.
Support for the establishment of next generation streetcar systems (LRTs*),
which are increasingly in the spotlight, is being provided as part of the
Ministry’s project of“Emergency measures for creating environments to accept
foreign visitors”.
* LRT: Short for“Light Rail Transit”.These next generation streetcar transportsystems use low-floor trams (LRVs), improve their track and stop to(Eco Rail Campaign)
Source: MLIT (Tentativetranslation by Eco-Mo
Foundation)

provide easy boarding and unboarding, punctuality, travel speed,
comfort, and other features.
●Overview of LRT systems

Overview of LRT systems
What is LRT（Light Rail Transit）?

Features

LRT is an improvement on the driving areas, carriages, and other aspects of conventional streetcars, eﬀectively
utilizing existing road, rail, and other infrastructure. It is a public transport system which is friendly to people and to
the environment, providing greater speeds, punctuality, and transport capabilities. It is gaining greater attention
for its barrier free access and environmental friendliness, contributing to the restoration of urban and regional
areas by vitalizing central urban districts.

●High speeds and punctuality levels* LRT oﬀers high speeds and high levels of punctuality through hight performance
carriage, the use of dedicated tracks, partial grade separation, signal
prioritization, fare payment system improvements, and more.

Driving area(right-of-way)
Automobiles
canphysicallyenter thetrack area䋻

●Coordination with town planning eﬀorts* Installation of LRT as a town symbol to create lively center* Can be installed in conjunction with other town planning measures
such as development of station plaza and conversion of adjacentstreets into transit malls, creation of park & ride parking lots,
development of public facilities along the line, etc.

Toyama Light Rail Toyama Ekikita area
Tracks and road are separated by a curb divider

Uniﬁedappearance* Tracks
and road
areseparated* Priority
signals
are usedэdesigned
to match
local
scenery●Environmentally-friendly●Suﬃcient transport capacity* In addition to providing the environmentally friendly streetcar feature of
producing CO₂ emissions less than automobiles, LRT systems also reducenoise and vibration through the use of resilient wheels and vibration control
Fukui Railway city tracks,
tracks* High freguency and articulated carriage are combined appropriately toensure suﬃcient transport capacity

Normaltrack

Approx. 150
people（Five-car:
Hiroshima
Electric
Railway train）

䋻

Vibration
control
track

87dB 䋻 76dB

[Noise comparison]
Measured at a distance of 7.5m
from the center line between tracks,
䚸 ground,at a height of 1.2m above
for an LRT travelling at 40km/h

䋻●People-friendly* Low carriage ﬂoors, boarding and disboarding slopes, etc., eliminate height diﬀerencesand ensure ease in transferring to other means of transport

Height diﬀerence makes
steps necessary

Fukui Ekimae area
Uses embedded tracks
to reduce noise and vibration

Track structure

Train transport capacity（maximum capacity）
Approx. 90
people（Single-car:
Hiroshima
Electric Railway
train）

Train

Conventional
designCO₂ emissions
CO2 emissions per person㍺㏦ே䜻䝻䛒䛯䜚䛾䠟㻻㻞᤼ฟ㔞䠄䡃䠅
㍺㏦ே䜻䝻䛒䛯䜚䛾䠟㻻㻞᤼ฟ㔞䠄䡃䠅perkilometer transported（g）

Floor heightPrivately
owned car

780mm 䋻 330mm

Minibus
LRT
streetcar

㻝㻤㻤
㻥㻠
㻟㻢

Train can be boarded directly fromplatform, with no height diﬀerence

Source: MLIT (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)

35

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector■Revised Act on Vitalization and Rehabilitation of Local Public Transport Systems

Currently, as a consequence of full-scale population decline, many local areas are facing difficult circumstancessuch as a decrease in demand for buses and other public transport services and a decline in their operation as
well as a worsening lack of drivers.
On the other hand, the number of elderly people who no longer hold a driver’s license is increasing year on
year and it is becoming increasingly important to ensure transport means to make up for this.
Based on such circumstances, the Act on Vitalization and Rehabilitation of Local Public Transport Systems
was partially revised in November 2020. Local public transport masterplan (Local Public Transport Plan) is to
be maid mainly by municipalities that are in the position of being able to respond in detail to local transport
needs. and, The plan is expected to improve existing transport services and to enhance the systems in orderto promote initiatives that use local transport resources such as paid transportation with private vehicles,
school buses and welfare transport service to the maximum in depopulated areas.
●Current status of and issues with local public transport
The number of transport passengers at ﬁxed route bus companies is in a large declining trend but this decrease is particularly stark in rural areas.
Roughly 70% of bus operators nationwide have income deﬁcits in their general ﬁxed route bus business.
In addition, more than 70% of local rail operators have a deﬁcit in their current account balance.
The lack of professional drivers is worsening year on year with the post-to-application ratio twice that of the total job average.
The number of elderly persons surrendering their driverʼs licenses has sharply increased in recent years.
Bus transport

Lack of professional drivers(100 transport passengers in 2000)(post-to-application ratio (including part-time))

Transport passengers (Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya)Transport passengers (other than Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya)Transport passengers (nationwide)

Population (other than Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya)Bankruptcy ofLehman Brothers
Vehicle driving
Total job average
Marine/air pilots
Train driving
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 20192006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Source: MLIT

Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare created by MLIT Policy Bureau

Year on year increase of surrendered driverʼs licenses

Deterioration of local public transport services(No. of licenses cancelled on request)(General ﬁxed route bus operators and local rail operator current account balance)（thousand）

General ﬁxed routebus operators

Local rail
operators

75 and over
Under 75Proﬁt
Deﬁcit(Operators with more than 30 vehicles (as of 2019)2018

Source: MLIT Policy Bureau

1998

2002

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Source: NPA created by MLIT Policy Bureau

It is assumed that the local public transport environment will become evenmore diﬃcult in the future with the rapid population decline.

Source: MLIT (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)●Overview of the Revised Act on Vitalization and Rehabilitation of Local Public Transport Systems○Creation of Local Public Transport Plan (masterplan) by local public bodies

Passed: June 3, 2020
Enacted: November 27, 2020

・Creation of Local Public Transport Plan (masterplan) by local public bodies made compulsory⇒Promotion of initiatives in local areas by providing governmental support on budget and know-how aspects(assistance for creation expenses *budget-related)
・In addition to traditional public transport services, positioning of diverse local transport resources(paid transportation with private vehicles, welfare transport, school buses, etc.) and plans⇒Full use of public transport systems including buses and taxies as well as detailed response to local transport
needs (consideration of organization and use of information infrastructure and promotion of cashless payments)

・Setting of quantitative goals (number of users, income, etc.), annual evaluation, etc.
⇒Strengthening of PDCA based on data
Local public transport network formation plan (revised 2014)

Local passenger transport services
Public transport providers(created by municipalities or prefectures (in collaboration with municipalities))

Promotion of formation of local public transport
network in partnership with town planning

Local public transport plan formulation（No.）

Railroad

Fixed route bus

Passenger ferryCommunity bus

On-demand transport

Taxi

Local（市町村又は都道府県（市町村と共同）が作成）
public transport plan (after revision)(created by municipalities or prefectures (in collaboration with municipalities))

Formation of local public
transport network in partnershipwith town planning

General mobilizationof transport resourcesin rural areas

Securing provision of sustainable passenger transport services
through enhancing menus and strengthening PDCA.

Paid transportation with private vehicles

Welfare transport

School bus

Shuttle bus(hospitals/commercial facilities)

Source: MLIT (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)36

1 Promotion of global warming countermeasures■Promotion of eco-commuting
There is a growing demand for a shift in means of transport, from the use of private cars to low carbon
dioxide emission measure, by promoting the use of public transport. In order to promote highly effective
measures which match both user side efforts and transport operator side efforts, a Conference on Promotionof Public Transport was held in March 2005, involving transport operators, members of the business sector,
and members of the government.
In November 2007 the“Eco-commuting Promotion Action Program through the Mobility Management
Project”was adopted to promote conversion from the use of private cars to public transport, bicycles and on
foot for commuting.
Furthermore, from June 2009, thereby promoting eco-commuting, the“Excellent Eco-Commuting Business
Site Certification System”was launched to certify businesses which voluntarily and actively promoted ecocommuting. As of the end of December 2020, 763 business sites have been registered.

Advantages of increasing eco-commuting
for communities and companies
Advantages for oﬃces andmunicipalities

Advantages for employees● Improvement of company/
organization image● Reduction of parking expenses● Health promotion● Improvement of local environment● Do not get caught up in traﬃc● Improvement of public transport● Safe commuting on public● Prevention of global warming

jams● Transport safety management fortransport

employees● Health management for

Advantages for communities

service levels● Vitalization of town centers

employees

Before implementing
eco-commuting

Home/dorm
Workplace
After implementing
eco-commuting

Traﬃc jamAccident

StationStationCommute on public transport
Commuter bus
Park & ride,etc.

Home/dorm Commute in car share
Workplace
Improvement of company/
organization image

Improvement of public
transport service levels
Commute on public transport

Reduction of
parking expenses
Transport safety
management
for employees

Commute by bike

Health management for
employees
Do not get caught
up in traﬃc jams

Healthpromotion

Vitalization of
town centers
Prevention of global
warming

Improvement of local
environment
Safe commuting on
public transport

Source: MLIT (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)

37

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector■Low Carbon City Promotion Act
It is important to build up a collection of success cases of rationalization of energy usage and urban andtransport carbon emissions reduction, to promote the greater adoption and to vitalize the housing market andlocal economies, by encouraging private investment in urbanization areas, etc. based on changes in energy
supply and demand triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake and increasing energy and global warming
awareness among citizens.
The Low Carbon City Promotion Act was passed by the Diet in September 2012 and enacted in 2012
December of the same year. As of July 2020, 26 cities have created low carbon town plans. These plans arelisted on the MLIT website.
● Formulation of Low Carbon Town Plans (Cities, Towns, and Villages)* Low carbon town planning councils (local public agencies, private businesses, etc.) are established to perform consultation and coordination

Aggregation of urban functions○Aggregation of hospitals, welfare facilities, collective housing,etc.
Creation of private business certiﬁcation systems○Creation of consolidated parking facilities by private industry,etc.
Special provisions regarding mandatory provision of parking
facilities for new buildings○Walkable community planning(Improvement of sidewalks and bicycle paths, barrier freedesign, etc.)

Low carbon buildings○Advanced low carbon buildings /residences by private industry

Promotion of usage of public transport, etc.
○Improvement of bus routes, LRT, etc., implementation of jointdeliverySpecial provisions for business laws covering buses, trains,etc.
○Automobile CO2 emissions reductions

Promotion of areal green /energy management and utilization○Promotion of green space conservation and expansion by NPOs, etc.
Expansion of management agreement systems for forested areas, etc.
○Utilization of untapped sewage heatSpecial permission for sewage water intake by private industry○Installation of solar power generators, batteries, etc., in urban parks andportside areas
Special occupancy permissions

Source: MLIT (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)38

1 Promotion of global warming countermeasures⑥Promotion of Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST)In order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by the passenger transport sector, it is important to implement

measures to reduce the excessive dependence on private vehicles, which account for the majority of thesector’s emissions, and promote the use of public transport, etc. It is essential, when doing so, to employ
measures which reflect the local area’s features, and for measures to be driven by the community with thecollaboration of related parties.
In order to achieve this, the MLIT has implemented an“EST ●MLIT website “EST Database”
Model Project”, selecting areas which are implementing leading
efforts at achieving“Environmentally Sustainable Transport(EST)”, and related ministries and agencies collaborate toprovide support in the areas such as promoting the use of public
transport, implementing measures to smooth automobile traffic
flow, promoting the use of low-emission vehicles, and promoting
awareness raising.
Over the three year period projects. Related from 2004 to
2006, 27 areas were selected as EST Model Project areas, andeach area has implemented three year model projects related
ministries and agencies are coordinating with each other,
providing support and making information regarding the resultsof these projects available in order to expand EST to anationwide scale. As part of these efforts, the MLIT website
provides an EST Database with the results of these model

Source: MLIT website

projects, sharing information about how to effectively implement EST activities.

●Promotion of Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST)・Promotion of CNG bus
・Support for introducing low emission vehicles

・Implementation of PR activities
・Symposium, events, etc.

Source: MLIT “White Paper on Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in Japan” (Tentativetranslation by Eco-Mo Foundation)

39

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector■Regional EST Forum in Asia
The motorization that has accompanied economic development and urbanization in Asia has produced
severe social issues such as air pollution. The "Regional EST Forum in Asia" has been held by the United
Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD) and the MOEJ with the aim of achieving Environmentally
Sustainable Transport (EST) in the Asian region. Currently, there are roughly 300 members, both from Japanand other Asian countries, including high level government officials in charge of environmental and transport
agencies, local governments, environmental and transport experts, and Asian and European international
support organizations, ADB and NGOs, etc.
The first Forum was held in August 2005 in Nagoya and attended by a total of 13 Asian countries. Its
objective was to promote EST, then being advanced by the OECD, throughout Asia. To achieve this, it
adopted the "Aichi Declaration," which set out the fundamental philosophy of EST in Asia, the importance oftransport for solving the problems faced by socially vulnerably people and the poor, based on the MDGs thatserved as the basis of SDGs, and formulated a strategic plan and action plan for each country, led by the
UNCRD.
The Forum has been held continuously in Asian countries roughly once a year since then, and the numberof participating countries and attendees has grown. In 2010, the Bangkok Declaration for 2020, which laid out
the targets for the years leading up to 2020, was adopted, promoting EST-related measures in each country.
On the global level, in 2015, the United Nations Headquarters adopted the "2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development," which set forth 17 international targets, called SDGs. In the same year, the Paris Agreement
on climate change was adopted with the consent of all countries. It aims to create sustainable, rich societies inwhich no one is left behind, while at the same time demanding major changes in societies, which until now
have been predicated on the use of fossil fuels. Against this backdrop, at the 10th Forum held in Vientiane,
Laos, in 2017, the member states adopted the "Vientiane Declaration" which applied the SDG approach to EST.
The 11th Forum was held in 2018 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Although the Forum was initially focused ontransport, the theme of this Forum was "Sustainable Urban Design and Development - The Role of EST." This
theme was selected because Ulaanbaatar struggles with severe air pollution, so Mongolia wanted to discusstransport issues from the perspective of urban planning, and with the desire of achieving SDG 11. In 2019, the125h Forum was held in Hanoi City, Vietnam. It also had an urban theme, focusing on the key concept of"smart cities." The idea that engaging in multifaceted deliberations from the perspective of urban design iseffective approach to tackling issues related to Environmentally Sustainable Transport is becoming more
firmly ingrained.

40

1 Promotion of global warming countermeasures■Green Slow Mobility
Based on the Paris Agreement that was concluded in 2015, the aim is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions toessentially zero by the latter-half of the 21st century within a global framework. In Japan, the aim is to achieve a carbon
neutral, decarbonized society with greenhouse gas emissions at zero overall by 2050.
At the MLIT, Green Slow Mobility aims to solve various transport problems in local areas, such as the securing oftransport services where societal aging is advancing and the development of new sightseeing mobility for tourist
attractions. Simultaneously it also aims to spread low carbon mobility in local areas.
Green Slow Mobility refers to public electric vehicles that carry four passengers or more and drive on public roads atunder 20 km per hour. By using power generated from sustainable sources such as solar or wind power, it is possible toachieve decarbonized transport.“The Green Growth Strategy Through Achieving Carbon Neutrality in 2050”(December
25, 2020) upholds the promotion of the electrification of cars and maximum use of renewable energy and it is consideredeffective as an initiative to promote local decarbonization responding to the needs of the era.
Green Slow Mobility (GSM): Public electric vehicles that carry four
passengers or more and drive on public roads at under 20 km per hour
【5 characteristics of GSM】
①Green･･･Electric vehicles with low CO2 emissions.
②Slow･･･ Slow speeds are perfect for tourism.
③Safety･･･Safe due to speed limitations. Vehicles can be driven by the elderly.
④Small･･･Small size makes even narrow roads navigable.
⑤Open･･･Open, windowless design makes for a fun ride.

* Operational for route bus businesses, taxi businesses, and paid passenger transport with private vehicles.

Light vehicles

Small vehicles

7-personStandard-sized vehicle

10-person

4-personSpecial purpose vehicles (8-license plates)

Supports
wheelchair lifts

10-person

Supports
wheelchair lifts

4-person

Assistive vehicles

16-person* A midsize vehicle driving license is required to operatevehicles bearing 16 people【Usage scenarios】

ْણ৷ৃએٓ rural residents①Transporting１）Areas without bus service⋇৉ୠકড়भଌधखथ
２）Areas with a high proportion‫كڭ‬ং५ऋ௒ोऩऊढञ৉ୠ
of elderly residents‫كڮ‬ৈೡ৲ऋਤि৉ୠ
３）Improving
welfare for the elderly４）Conversion
from existing buses‫كگ‬उফఞॉभૣකੜਤ
‫كڰ‬ใோभং५ऊैभૡఌ

② Mobility for tourists
１）Sightseeing tours by guides⋈௴୾௢਱ऐभঔঅজॸॕधखथ
regular tourist buses Kasaoka City, Okayama Prefecture２）Short-term‫كڭ‬फ़ॖॻपेॊ௴୾੧৔
ળ৛਩ຖળ৘
３）Park-and-ride‫كڮ‬উॳ৒਋௴୾ং५
４）Events‫كگ‬ঃ‫ش‬ॡ॔থॻছॖॻ
‫كڰ‬ॖঋথॺदभણ৷
③Shortrides

Fukuyama City,
Hiroshima Prefectureઁਣ਩ૣ৛৘

From parking spaces to facilities,⋉ठॆऒढधୟଛ
or between facilities๺੤ৃऊै઱ਝऽद
઱ਝऊै઱ਝऽद
④Localbranding

As the "face" of the area⋊৉ୠঈছথॹॕথॢ
َ৉ୠभ౿ُधखथ

Machida City,Tokyo
ূ਎੃঴ি৘
Toshima, Tokyoূ਎੃௹ਣય

Source: MLIT homepage (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)

41

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector

ColumnEffectiveness of car sharing in reducing environmental impact
Car sharing, in which people can use cars when they need them, without owning the cars, isgrowing in popularity worldwide. Over 2 million people in Japan utilize car sharing (according toMarch 2020 survey by the Eco-Mo Foundation).
In 2012 the Eco-Mo Foundation performed an evaluation of the effectiveness of car sharing at
reducing environmental impact. A survey of car sharers was carried out with the cooperation of five
major car sharing operators. The survey found a decrease of over 60% in the number of cars owned
per household after joining a car sharing scheme, a decrease of just under 40% in average annual
miles driven, and an average annual reduction in automobile CO2 emissions of 0.34t (45%). A reportcontaining detailed survey results and measures for popularizing car sharing in the future can befound on the Eco-Mo Foundation website.
●Change in average number of automobiles owned per household

0.5

0.45

N=489

0.4
0.3

0.17

0.2
0.1
0

Before car sharing

Present●Changes in annual total distance driven(km/year/household)
N=491

5,000

4,048

■ Car sharing■ Own car■ Rental car

4,000
3,000
2,000

2,563
586

3,445

1,377

1,000
0

602

600

Before car sharing

Present●Change in annual CO2 emissions from automobile use(t-CO2/year/household)
1.2
1
0.8

▲52.8%▲44.9%＋16.1%▲52.9%▲44.1%

0.6
0.4
0.2
0

Overall

Central
Tokyo

Other
Tokyo

Osaka,etc.

Other

Beforecar
sharing

Note 1) Central Tokyo: Chiyoda ward, Minato ward,

Present

Chuo ward, Shibuya ward, Shinjuku ward,
Bunkyo ward, Toshima ward
Note 2) O s a k a , e t c : O s a k a P r e f e c t u r e , H y o g oPrefecture, Kyoto Prefecture, Aichi Prefecture,

N=491

N=112

N=194

N=140

Kanagawa Prefecture

N=42

42

1 Promotion of global warming countermeasures（2）Energy Saving Act-based measures
The steady implementation of energy saving measures is an important challenge in tackling global
warming.
The Act on the Rational Use of Energy (the Energy Saving Act) seeks to rationalize the use of energy
based on“Operator’s decision criteria”defined by the national government. Carriers (specified Carriers) using
a specified amount of energy or more are required to report on their energy usage yearly, and formulate
plans (medium to long term plan) (3-5 years) for rationalization of energy use. Carriers and freight owners
became applicable as of the April 2006 revision of the Act.
Furthermore, in looking towards the realization of the long-term energy supply-demand prediction (energymix) established in 2015, in 2018 the Energy Saving Act was revised in order to encourage even morestreamlining of energy usage, and businesses managing energy as one group and energy saving efforts
through collaborating businesses have become able to be assessed appropriately through regular reports due
to receiving authorization from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Transport sector scope<Freight transport and passenger transport>

Freight transport

Carrier ＋ freight owner

Passenger transport

Carrier

Carriers(Freight, passengers)

Freight owners

Operators whose business istransporting freight and/or passengers(including in-house transport)

Speciﬁed carriersBusinesses contracting freightcompanies for their freighttransporting, or businesses
which have substantially decided
their method of freight transporting(including in-house transport)

Must create and reporton energy saving plans(805 as of the end of September 2020)

Truck delivery, buses and taxis, railroads, airlines,
coastal shipping, passenger ships, etc.

(532 as of the end of March 2020)

Speciﬁed freight owners
Must create and reporton energy saving plans

Speciﬁcation conditions
On a company unit (single company total)
basis:
200 or more trucks and/or buses
350 or more taxis
20,000 tons or more of passenger ship and/or
coastal shipping total tonnage
300 or more railroad carriages
9,000 tons or more of maximum takeoﬀ weight
for aircraftSpeciﬁcation conditions
30 million ton-kms of annual transport ofown freight (freight transported in-houseand transport consigned to otheroperators)

Specified carried designation status (total of 532 companies as of the end of March 2020)
Freight

No. ofcarriers

Passengers

Railway

Commercial
trucksPrivatetrucksShipping

Railway

Buses

Taxis

Shipping

1

269

79

30

26

93

21

11

43

Aviation

Total

2

532

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector[Overview of determination criteria for carriers with respect to energy usage rationalization, etc.]
The following items are specified.
（1）‌From a medium- and long-term perspective, each carrier should set as a target an annual average
reduction of 1% or more in energy consumption rates or electrical demand equalization evaluation rates.
（2）Carriers should formulate policies indicating their energy saving efforts, and appoint energy saving
measure administrators and establish promotion systems for energy saving measures.
（3）Carriers should strive to perform the following.
Measures to be taken
Common・Enhance collaboration with freight owners and other carriers

Rail・Introduce energy saving trains
・Expand the size of universal containers and introduce freight trains capableof carrying large containers
・Secure a transport capacity which accurately matches transport demand by
adjusting the number of trains operated, etc.
・Perform appropriate train inspections and maintenance

Automobiles

・Introduce low-emission vehicles and high fuel efficiency tires
・Promote eco-driving through driver education and the use of digital drive
records and eco-driving management systems
・Promote increases in truck and trailer sizes in accordance with freight
volume・Perform cooperative delivery and improve loading rates through securing
return cargo, etc.

Ships

・Introduce high fuel efficiency ships and low friction ship-bottom paint・Use on-land power supply systems
・Promote increases in ship sizes in accordance with freight volume
・Perform joint delivery to improve loading rates

Airplanes

・Introduce airplanes with superior energy usage efficiency
・Rationalize ground operation energy usage
・Promote appropriate equipment selection in accordance with freight volume
・Coordinate aircraft operation, such as by reducing ferry flight distances【Freight owner’s decision criteria】
From a medium- and long-term perspective, freight owners will aim for an annual average reduction of
1% in energy consumption rates or electrical demand equalization evaluation rates by implementing
measures such as those below:
・Appointing energy saving measure officers
・Providing in-house training・Selecting environmentally-friendly cargo carriers (carriers who have obtained ISO14001 or green
management certifications)・Promoting modal shifts
・Shifting from the use of private trucks to commercial trucks
・Performing joint delivery with other companies
・Reducing redeliveries
etc.

44

1 Promotion of global warming countermeasures（3）International maritime and air transport sector countermeasures■Introduction of international maritime transport CO2 regulations
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is discussing uniform worldwide measures for reducing
carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from international maritime transport, which are not included in the scope ofindividual countries’ activities based on the Kyoto Protocol or the Paris Agreement. In April 2018, it adopted
the“IMO GHG Reduction Strategy”which is the first in the world to commit to aiming for zero global
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as soon as possible in this century and began international negotiations
towards achieving the GHG Reduction Strategy.
Under Japan’s leadership, 18 countries collaborated in a group to collate and propose new international rule
proposals to reduce CO2 in order to improve fuel efficiency and transportation for existing vessels, which were
exempt from IMO CO2 emissions regulations in the past and, in November 2020, the proposal to revise theconvention to implement these was approved at the IMO Assembly.
Energy efficiency regulations for new ships entered into force in 2013, and, under Japan’s leadership, a plan
to further strengthen these regulations (up to 50% reduction of CO2 from 2022) was created and the proposal
to revise the convention in order to implement the applicable rules was adopted at the IMO Assembly in
November 2020.
In order to achieve the global GHG reduction targets, Japan, which has excellent energy-saving technology,
will take the lead in formulating an international framework in order to reduce GHG in the IMO to improve
international competition in the international maritime industry.

■International air transport sector greenhouse gas emissions reduction measures
With regards to greenhouse gas emissions reductions in the international air transport sector, theInternational Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has engaged in deliberations aimed at defining global reduction
targets ([1] annual fuel efficiency improvement of 2%, [2] prevention of total emissions from increasing from 2020
onwards), introducing new technologies, improving transport methods, utilizing alternative fuels, and creating a
Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).
an annex to the Convention on
International Civil Aviation inJune 2018, and from 2021
autonomously participating
countries

will

begin

implementing reductions ingreenhouse gas emissions basedon the system. From 2027
onwards, participation will bemandatory for all countries●International air transport global warming countermeasures
Global reduction targets
ICAO Assemblies (2010 and 2013) have decided on global CO2 emissions reduction targets for international air transport
Global reduction targets
Basket of measures
1. Annual fuel efficiency improvement of 2%
2. No increase in total emissions from 2020 onwards(CNG2020: Carbon Neutral Growth 2020)① Introduction of new technologies (new models, etc.)② Improvement of flight methods③ Use of alternative airplane fuels④ Use of market mechanisms

Introduction of CORSIA

1800

Shortfalls resulting despite the introduction of new technologies,
improvements of flight methods, and the use of alternative airplane fuels
will be addressed with a system that uses market mechanisms.
* The 39th ICAO Assembly, held in 2016, adopted a new system andspecific measure contents (Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme
for International Aviation: CORSIA)* In 2018, an annex regarding CORSIA was adopted.

Without measures

1600

Introduction of newtechnologies
Flight method
improvements

1400

CO2(Mt)The system was adopted as

1200
1000

Use of alternative airplane fuels＋market mechanisms

800
600

CNG2020

400

2010

2020

2030

2040

Conceptual image of international air transport CO2 emissions forecasts and emissions reductions targets

Except from 2019 ICAO Regional Workshop materials

except those with emissions

Assessment of emissions volumelevels below a defined threshold.

(Assigned to each operator based onemissions. Operators use carbon credits oralternative airplane fuels to cancel out theseamounts)

2019 to 2020
Applies to all countries(baseline setting)2021 to 2026
Applies to all
countries2027 to 2035
Applies to all countries-

Flight routes
between voluntary
participating countries

Shipping routes between voluntary
participating countries and mandated
participating countries(excluding countries with low emissions,
least developed countries, etc.)

Carbon offsets

・Assessment of emissions volume and oﬀset have already been incorporated in International Air Transportation Services Operator Approval for Business License(Article 210 Clause 2 of enacted regulations in the Civil Aeronautics Act).
* Due to the eﬀects of COVID-19 and the huge fall in emissions in 2020, it was decided by the ICAO Council on June 30, 2020 that 2020 will not be included as anabnormal ﬁgure and 2021 ‒ 2023 will use 2019 as the baseline.

Source: MLIT (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)

45

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector

ColumnEmissions trading system measures

The Japanese government has proposed a Joint Credit Mechanism (JCM) for international emissions
trading. With the end of the adjustment period for the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol(by 2015), countries not participating in the second commitment period cannot internationally transfer
or acquire Kyoto Mechanism credits.
Japan is operating and promoting the J-Credit Scheme for domestic emissions trading.

■Joint Credit Mechanism (JCM)
Japan has proposed the Joint Credit Mechanism (JCM) as a system for flexibly and rapidlytransferring technologies and implementing countermeasures in accordance with conditions indeveloping countries in order to contribute to global emissions reductions and absorption. Thismechanism quantitatively evaluates Japan’s contributions to greenhouse gas emission reductions andabsorption through usage and implementation of greenhouse gas reduction technologies, products,
systems, services, infrastructure, and the like. This is used to help Japan achieve its emission reduction
targets.
With the collaboration of host countries, the design of the mechanism will be further accelerated in
the future, the mechanism will be put into effect soon, specific, concrete projects will be implemented,
and the mechanism will provide transparency in order to contribute to UN discussions.

Japan

Host country

Leading low carbon technologies,
etc. and implementation of
mitigation actions

JCM Project

MRV* methodologies
will be developedby the Joint
Committee

MRV

Credits

Used to achieve Japan's
emission reduction target

Greenhouse gas emission
reductions/removals＊MRV (Mesurment Reporting Veritification)
Source: New Mechanisms Information Platform (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)■J-Credit Scheme
The J-Credit Scheme is system in which reductions and absorption of greenhouse gasses such as
CO2 through measures such as the deployment of energy-saving devices and forest management are
certified by the national government as“credits”.
This system is an extension and merging of the domestic credit system and offset credit system(J-VER), and is operated by the national government.
The credits produced by this system can be used for various purposes, such as achieving“Commitment to a Low Carbon Society”and for use as carbon offsets.
●Outline of the J-Credit Scheme

J-Credit Scheme

Users of credits

Application for project registration
Application for certiﬁcation

CapitalLow carbon
society
implementation
plans

Promotion of
Global WarmingCountermeasures

Carbonoﬀsetting

Project
participant
Credits

Centralgovernment
Credits
Discussion

EnergySaving Act

Steering
committee

Certiﬁcationcommittee

Source: J-Credit Scheme website (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)46

2 Promotion of emissions gas measures for trucks and busses (diesel vehicles), etc.

2P
 romotion of emissions gas measures for trucks
and busses (diesel vehicles), etc.
The problem of vehicle exhaust gas became a serious social problem with the rapid urbanization whichbegan in the mid-1960s and the increase in vehicle traffic. For emissions gas measures for diesel vehicles it isespecially important to reduce the amount of emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOx), which is a cause of
respiratory disorders and causes photochemical smog and acid rain, and particulate matter (PM), a carcinogen.
In order to do this, the government strengthened exhaust gas regulations by enacting vehicle composition
regulations and repeatedly revising road vehicle safety standards. Furthermore, in 1992 the Automobile NOx
Reduction Law (now the Automobile NOx/PM Law) was enacted to reduce NOx and PM emissions.

（1）Promotion of emissions gas measures for diesel vehicles①Restrictions on manufacturers

In 2016 with the introduction of measures such as cold engine exhaust gas testing, the scope of exhaust gas

regulations came to include vehicles with actual NOx emissions of about 1/3 of those included in previous
regulations. As a result of the regulations, the vehicles will successively be replaced by clean diesel vehicles
with dramatically improved exhaust gas performance.
●Vehicle exhaust gas restrictions (diesel-powered heavy vehicles)100

1974 regulations 100％

Nitrogen oxide（NOX）

Particulate matter（PM） Short-term
regulations

100

1994 regulations 100％

80

1979 regulations 70％

Reduction（%）

Reduction（%）

1977 regulations 85％

1983 regulations 61％

60

1988 regulations 52％

Short-term regulations

40

1994 regulations 43％

Long-term regulations

1999 regulations 33％
2004 regulations
24％
2005 regulations
New long-term regulations
15％

New short-term regulations

20
0

1974

（S49）

Post-new long-term regulations
2016 regulations

1979

1984

1989

1994

1999

2004

3％

2009

2016

（H28）

80
60
Long-term regulations

40

1999 regulations 36％

New short-term regulations

20
0

1974

（S49）

2004 regulations
26％

New long-term regulations 2005 regulations
Post-new long-term regulations・2016 regulations

1979

1984

1989

1994

1999

2004

4％

1％

2009

（H21）

Source: MLIT (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)

47

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector②Restrictions on users

In urban areas where Automobile NOx/PM air quality standards had not met, nitrogen oxidecountermeasure areas and particulate matter countermeasure areas were defined and restrictions wereplaced on vehicle users with the aim of achieving air quality standards in the areas by roughly 2010.
Specifically, for areas specified in the regulations, users are prohibited from registering vehicles which do notmeet specific exhaust standards (model prohibition) and mandate the submission of exhaust gas regulationplans by specified operators. Tokyo Metropolis, Saitama Prefecture, Chiba Prefecture, Kanagawa Prefecture,
Hyogo Prefecture, and Osaka Prefecture have also defined ordinances restricting the inflow of non-compliancevehicles from other regions, for futher reducing nitrogen oxide and particulate matter emissions.
In order to differentiate between vehicles which do and do not meet these standards, complied vehicles areissued with stickers, preventing the inflow of illegal vehicles. Despite the implementation of restrictions
affecting users in areas implementing these measures, non-compliance vehicles from other areas pass throughintersections with heavy traffic, resulting in areas not meeting air quality standards. In response to thissituation, the Automobile NOx/PM Law was partially revised in 2008 to apply to users outside regulationspecified areas as well.
Furthermore, in March 2011 the Automobile NOx/PM Law enforcement and ministerial orders wererevised and regulations for users with the aim of achieving air quality standards targets in urban areas by2020 were set out.

Automobile NOx/PM Law

Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba,
andKanagawa Prefectures

Category

National law

Ordinance

Ordinance

Ordinance

Regulatedmaterial

Nitrogen oxide (NOx),particulate matter (PM)Particulate matter (PM)

Nitrogen oxide (NOx),particulate matter (PM)

Nitrogen oxide (NOx),particulate matter (PM)Contents ofregulation

Prohibits registration ofvehicles which do notconform with exhauststandards (vehicles do
not pass ongoing vehicle
inspections)

Prohibits driving ofvehicles which do notconform with exhauststandards

Prohibits driving ofvehicles which do notconform with exhauststandards

Prohibits driving ofvehicles which do notconform with exhauststandards

Vehiclesaffected

Vehicles whose use isbased in specified
measure implementation
areas

Diesel vehicles driving in
the area covered by theordinance

Diesel vehicles driving in
the area covered by theordinance

Vehicles which arrive ator depart from therestricted area (does not
apply to vehicles passing
through the area)

Vehiclemodelsaffected

Vehicles with total
weights of 8ton or more
Diesel passenger
which cannot be
vehicles, trucks, buses,
registered due to their
Diesel vehicles withspecial purpose vehicles
license plate numbers 1-, use being based in(not including light motor,
2-, 4-, 6-, or 8- (except for non-regulated areas
special vehicles, andpassenger vehicles withspecified by thepassenger vehicles which
8- license plate numbers) Automobile NOx/PM Law
use gasoline or LPG as(for buses, buses withfuel)capacities of 30 people
or more)All trucks, buses, andspecial vehicles otherthan passenger vehicles
covered by the
Automobile NOx/PM Law

48

Hyogo Prefecture
Ordinance

Osaka Prefecture
Ordinance2 Promotion of emissions gas measures for trucks and busses (diesel vehicles), etc.

（2）Appropriately maintained vehicle usage and appropriate fuel usage
guidance①Appropriately maintained vehicle usage

In order to reduce the environmental impact of vehicles, it is essential that they should be properly

maintained and that they consistently maintain exhaust gas performance during operation. Insufficiently
maintained vehicles emit greater amounts of NOx and PM than properly maintained vehicles, creating major
environmental problems.
A study of reductions in emissions of black smoke after maintenance on diesel vehicles brought in formaintenance found that 30% of all the vehicles examind are found reduced the black smoke concentration 10%
or more. This confirmed that inspection and maintenance significantly reduces diesel black smoke emissions.
● Reduction in black smoke emissions as the result ofReduction
Reduction of
inspection and maintenance / Number of vehicles brought inof 30%
20% or moreor moreand
lessfor maintenance in October 2014
than 30% 6%(According to a study by the Japan Automobile
Service
Vehicles Percent
Reduction
Reduction of7%of 30%
Promotion Association)
Reduction of
Measuredage
20% or more
and lessor moreReductionless 6%than 10%thanof30%

Reduction of less than 10%
Reduction of 10%
or more and less than 20%
Reduction of 20%
or more and less than 30%

Vehicles Percent
7%of 10%
Reduction of
Measuredage Reductionor
more
and less than 20%
10%
or more27,745
6,973
2,575

and less
70% Reductionof 20%Vehicles
than 20%or moreand less than30%
measured17%17%of 30% 39,483
Reductionor more7%

Reduction of 30% or more

2,190

6%

Total

39,483

100%

Total

(100%)

27,745

70%

6,973

17%

Reduction
2,575
of less
than
10%
2,190

7%

70%
39,483

10% or more
and lessthan 20%

17%

Vehiclesmeasured
39,483(100%)

Reductionof less
than 10%

70%

6%
100%

(Breakdown of reductions in black smoke
emissions as the result of inspection andmaintenance)②Appropriate fuel usage guidance

Since 2005 the MLIT has conducted street inspections to check fuel sulfur content. When incidents of use ofillegal diesel fuel with high sulfur content are discovered, warnings or orders to switch to proper fuel areissued, with the goal of eliminating the use of illegal diesel fuel.

●Ⅰllegally dumped sulfate pitch
which has leaked out of its
Illegal diesel fuel refers to diesel fuel mixed with kerosene or fuel oil, containers<Illegal diesel fuel>and to manufactured diesel fuel which has been produced by adding
sulfuric acid, etc. to fuel oil. Industrial waste such as sulfate pitch, which
is discharged during the production of illegal diesel oil, is mostly disposedof by illegal dumping, creating environmental problems nationwide.
Using illegal diesel fuel in diesel vehicles also increases the amount of air
pollutants PM and NOx in their exhaust.
An illegal diesel fuel which mixes diesel oil and A-type fuel oil equally
increases diesel vehicle exhaust gas PM levels by 14 to 17% and NOx levels by 7 to 8% in their exhaust gas.

49

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector

3 Creation of a recycling-oriented society（1）Creation of recyclable resource distribution systems①Formation of a recyclable resource distribution system using sea transport

In order to create a recyclable resource cycle as part of the creation of a recycling-oriented society, 22

ports nationwide have been designated as Recycle Ports (integrated venous logistics ports), centers of widearea circulation of recyclable resources. The MLIT provides the support necessary to improve port facilities
such as shipment transfer, storage facilities, and other recyclable resource handling support facilities.

○Ports are speciﬁed as Recycle Ports to serve as centers of wide-area circulatio○The following eﬀorts have been implemented as part of Recycle Port measure im（1）Securing port facilities such as quays,（2）Providing support for the maintena（subsidized with subsidy rate of 1/3）
（3）Improvement of operations related to recyclable resource handling,（4）Promo
industry（use of the Recycle Ports Promotion Council, etc.）●Recycle Port locations and Recycle Port image
Recycle Port Policy

Designated Recycle Ports（22 ports）• Securing port facilities such as quays• Providing support for the maintenance of shipment transfer andstorage facilities, etc.（subsidized with subsidy rate of 1/3）
• Improvement of operations related to recyclable resource
centers of wide-area circulation of recyclable resources.
handling
part of Recycle Portmeasure implementation.
• Promotionof coordination
thestorage
government
andetc.
privateviding support forthe maintenanceof shipmentbetween
transfer andfacilities,
sector（use of the Recycle Ports Promotion Council, etc.）

e resource handling,（4）Promotion of coordination between the government and private
ncil, etc.）

komai Port

roran Port

Aggregatedrecycling facilities

chinohe Port

Port roadTokyo Port
Kisarazu Port

wasaki Portsukuwan Port

28/1/2011 Designated port
（1 port）

Recyclable
resources

Quay
Cargo handlingequipment

Sea surface waste
disposal yard

Muroran Port

Kamaishi Port

SakataPort

Himekawa PortTokyo Port

Maizuru Port

Kisarazu Port

Kobe Port
Sakai Port Himeji
PortTokuyamakudamatsu
Port

Kitakyushu
Port
Recycled
articlesMiike Port* Recycling facilities* Large-scale green space

Mikawa Port
Mishimakawanoe
Port
Nakagusukuwan Port

Other ports

Beneﬁts ofSupport
creationforof athenetwork[Expected benefits]creation of a recycling-oriented society, reduction of environmentalof recyclable resource logistics sites
impact, reduction of recycling costs, and vitalization of coastal area industry○Support for the creation of a recycling-oriented society by promoting
nationwide material recycling
Source: MLIT (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)○Reduction of environmental impact through use of sea transport○Recycle cost reduction through recycling facility aggregation and useof sea transport○Vitalization of port area industry through promotion of use of locations
for recycling facilities

50

Green
space

Kawasaki Port

Residue, etc.
Future land use

Aggregatedrecycling facilities

Hachinohe Port

NoshiroPort

Ube Port

Quay

Green
space

Designated ports

23/4/2003（13 ports）

Other ports

Storageshed

Stockyard

Tomakomai Port
Designated ports

30/5/2002（5 ports）（3 ports）

Storagefacility

Kamaishi Port

Ishikari Bay New Port

19/12/2006 Designated ports

Recycle Port Image
Recycle Port Image
Dispatch
recycling-related
information

Designated Recycle
Ports（22 ports）

o○Support fornationwide○Reduction o○Recycle cosof sea trans○Vitalization
for recycling3 Creation of a recycling-oriented society②Systematic securing of sea surface waste disposal yards

In order to dispose of dredge soil from port improvement works and waste which is difficult to handle atthe inland final disposal site, a systematic development of sea surface disposal yards is underway. In
particular, at Osaka Bay, a wide-area disposal yards based on the Osaka Bay Phoenix Plan is being developed
which enables the disposal of waste generated from the Osaka Bay area. In addition, construction-generated
soil from the Tokyo Metropolitan Area is transported by sea based on the Super Phoenix Plan and is used ona wide scale as landfill material in ports and harbors nationwide.
● Promotion of planned improvement of sea
surface waste disposal yards
Port dredging Soil

Waste

Tokyo Bay

Source: MLIT (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)（2）Creation of vehicle recycling system
Every year between 4 and 5 million used vehicles are disposed of. Landfill space is running out, making it
urgent to further increase the recycling rate, which is current roughly 80%. As of 2004, over 195,000
automobiles were improperly stored on roads, etc. each year. And over 20,000 automobiles were illegally
dumped. These have a negative impact on living environments and the disposal involves tremendous social
costs, making it urgent to implement countermeasures.
In response to this situation, the“Act on Recycling, etc. of End-of-Life ● Act on Recycling, etc. of End-

Life Vehicles, and a motor vehicle tonnage tax reimbursement system
was instituted for end-of-life vehicles. The aims of these efforts were
the promotion of appropriate processing of end-of-life vehicles and theprevention of illegal dumping.
As a result of these efforts the nationwide number of improperly
stored vehicles was 4,600 at the end of 2017 (a decrease of 97.7% versus
the number in 2004), and the number of illegally dumped vehicles was
599 (a decrease of 97.3% versus the number in 2004), succeeding in both
dramatic reductions.

51

Automobile manufacturer / importer

were disassembled as specified in the Act on Recycling, etc. of End-of-

Used automobile

CFC
reclamation
fee
CFCs
Airbagreclamation
fee

Automobile
receiver

CFC reclaimer

Disassembler

Airbags
Shredderdust

CrusherJapan Automobile Recycling Promotion Center

Recycling fee payment

revisions were made to the Road Transport Vehicles Act mandatingthat vehicle registration be deleted only after confirming that vehicles

Recycling fee deposit

Moneymanagementcompany

disposal, focusing on automobile manufacturers. At the same time

Final automobile
ownerInformation management center

divisions of duties between the parties involved in end-of-life vehicle

of-Life Vehicles system

ReportVehicles”was enacted in January 2005. This law mandated appropriate

Source: MLIT (Tentative translation by
Eco-Mo Foundation)

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector（3）Ship recycling
Ship dismantling (ship recycling)＊1 is carried out primarily in developing countries such as India and Bangladesh,and the problems of occupational accidents and environmental pollution in this work are beginning to beacknowledged. In order to solve these problems on an international level, Japan, as a leading country of maritime
trade and shipbuilding capabilities, led work on discussing within the International Maritime Organization (IMO)
and drafting a treaty, and the“Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound
Recycling of Ships, 2009”(also known as the“Ship Recycling Convention”) has been adopted.
Early enactment of the Ship Recycling Convention not only ensures the safety of ship recycling facility
workers and protects the environment but it is also important for the continuous development of the global
maritime industry through smooth removal of old vessels from the market.
In March 2019, Japan became a signatory and has been working towards the early enactment of theconvention in other countries. In particular, Japan has been promoting support to improve ship recycling
facilities through ODA in India, which is a major dismantling country that is indispensable to the enactmentof the convention, and this led to India becoming a signatory in November 2019. The enactment requirementsof the convention include: (1) signing by at least 15 countries; (2) the combined merchant fleets of the signed
countries is at least 40%; and (3) the signed countries’combined maximum annual ship recycling volume in
the past 10 years is at least 3% of signed countries’merchant shipping volume. The status of fulfillment as ofthe end of January 2020 is (1) 15 countries, (2) 29.5%, and (3) 2.5%＊2 respectively.
In the future, Japan will continue to cooperate in finding signatories in major dismantling countries such as
Bangladesh that have not yet signed the convention by examining issues in signing it.
On the other hand, the FRP (fiber-reinforced plastic) used in pleasure boat hulls is extremely difficult torecycle. Due to this, at information and opinion sharing events held by the District Transport Bureau, theRegional Development Bureau, and prefectural governments, Japan has striven to raise awareness andunderstanding of the“FRP Boat Recycling System”operated by the Japan Marine Industry Association inorder to promote appropriate recycling of used FRP hulls.
＊1 Ships which have reached the end of their lifespans are disassembled and the majority of the ships’materials are used for steel.
＊2 Calculated assuming that 40% of global merchant shipping tonnage in 2018 to be merchant shipping tonnage of signatory countries.

●FRP boat recycling system
Illegalabandonment

Storage site
Boat owner

Owner
unknown

Commissioned
transporter

Registration andsales site

Commissioned marina,
commisioned sales site

Processing andtemporarystorageMarine areaadministrator,
local government

Commissioned
transporter

Speciﬁed
receiver

Receiving, rough crushing
Intermediate processing（other than FRP）

Registeredwork site
Scrap FRP

Commissioned transporter
Sorting

Scrap FRP
intermediate
processing site

Crush
MixingCommissioned
disposal operator

Comissioned transporter

Final
disposalCommissioned
cement plant

Source: Japan Marine Industry Association FRP Boat
Recycling Center (Tentative translation by Eco-MoFoundation)52

4 Measures by local governments, companies, citizens’ organizations, etc.

4M
 easures by local governments, companies,
citizens’ organizations, etc.
（1）Measures by local governments
Local governments are implementing global warming countermeasures, tailored to their local features, inthe transport and traffic sectors. This section looks at efforts by Fukui Prefecture, Himeji City (population:
530,000) and Oita City (population: 470,000).

■Fukui Prefecture - Creating a society that doesn’t depend excessively on cars

Fukui Prefecture has one of the most automobile-dependent society in Japan. As this excessive dependence

is implicated in the problems of increasing global warming and the decline of public transport, the“NewCentury Fukui Lifestyle Transport Vision”, which was established in 2002, advocates for the creation of asociety where automobiles and public transport coexist, and efforts to revitalize public transport are being
carried out. Currently, based on the prefectural governor's manifesto, mobility management (the optimal
usage of transport means), which includes track-sharing by different railway companies, the extention of
station-front lines and a“Car-Saving Strategy”, is being progressed and policies for lowering the strain on theenvironment and expanding usage of public transport are being strengthened. These initiatives have also
been adopted into the“Fukui Prefecture Environment Fundamental Plan”that was revised in 2013.
As a part of these initiatives, in 2011 the“Fukui Prefecture Citizen Meeting on Promoting the Creation of aSociety that Doesn‘t Depend Excessively on Cars”was established, consisting of academics, experts, transportcompanies and representatives of the prefecture, cities and towns. Based on an action plan formulated in2011, they are undertaking a variety of work for preventing the increase of greenhouse gas particle emissions
and the decline of public transport institutions through the appropriate usage of automobiles and public
transport.
● Track-sharing by different railway companies

Source: Fukui Prefecture53

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector■Himeji City
-Urban Development Based on Public Transport (Railway and Buses)-

In Himeji City,“Himeji City Integrated Transport Plan Based on Public Transport”was formulated inAugust, 2008, and relevant departments are promoting the various policies. By promoting the foregoing plan,
the goal is to increase the users of public transport which are on a downward trend and to maximize theeffect from 3 perspectives, namely “economy,”“safety and security”, and “environment,” such as
by alleviating traffic congestion in the city center and CO₂ reduction in the transport sector. According tothis plan, the policies are being developed based on the following 3 policy pillars, i.e. “improvement in theuser-friendliness of public transport,”“improvement in the usage environment”and“promotion of participationand cooperation”
Improvements in transport hubs and passenger terminals in areas surrounding the station including thedevelopment of new stations are being implemented, as well as operation of community buses in remoteislands. Particularly around JR Himeji Station, development of a public square in front of the station isunderway with a dramatic increase in environmental space and passage of general vehicles are regulated intransit malls. In addition, a share cycle system has been introduced, as a secondly means to promote public
transport.
A bus location system has been introduced for fixed-route buses and improvements are being made incooperation with transport operators such as IC tickets for railways and fixed-route buses, etc.
With emphasis on the promotion of public transport usage and triggered by West Japan Railway Company’stransport improvement project and trial increase in the number of services, JR Kishinsen has begun a“3-million passengers challenge campaign”with towns along the route and business operators, exerting continuous
effort to achieve increase of passengers while utilizing local resources. Moreover, each year, public transportclasswork are being held by transport operators with elementary school children as the target to prepare thenext generation with regard to this endeavor.

● Himeji Station North Public Square and Transit Mall (World Heritage
Site and National Treasure Himeji Castle shown in the front)

Source: Himeji City

54

4 Measures by local governments, companies, citizens’ organizations, etc.

■Oita City
-Lively community development through environmentally friendly transport-

In Oita City, as part of the Oita Station southern area redevelopment project, the plazas in front of Oita

Station, to its north and south, were improved. This smoothed the process of transferring between rail, buses,
and taxis, enhancing the station's functionality as a transport hub. Furthermore, the Symbolic Road in front of
the station was also improved. Together with the track elevation and station building construction, these
efforts completely changed the station area. There was a need to perform urban planning to compact the
area's functions, making it more convenient, and calls to create a public transport network that offeredcomfortable transport, together with road improvements.
In March 2017, the“Oita City local Public Transport Network Development Plan”was formulated with thegoal of creating a sustainable local public transport network. It clarified the public transport ideals and theroles of city residents, transport operators, and government offices. They are now collaborating together toimplement the plan.
● View of the station's Symbolic Road from JR Oita City Rooftop Squareand the south exit of Oita Station

55

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector（2）Measures by companies in the transport sector①Aviation companies

The Scheduled Airlines Association of Japan, a Japanese association of air transport operators, has

implemented environmental measures. Major measures are the following.
○Global warming prevention targets:
Target: R educe energy consumption base units in 2020 by 21% in comparison to 2005
CO2 emission basic units: 0.00095t-CO2/RTK (revenue ton-kilometers)

CO2 emission basic unit index

Achievement: Reduce energy consumption base units in 2018 by 23% in comparison to 2005

(year)
Source: The Scheduled Airlines Association of Japan (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)

Contents of measures:
・Introduce new high fuel efficiency airplanes
・Using area navigation etc, a high-precision navigation method, to reduce flight distances and times
・Reduce weight of loaded articles (reduce weights of cargo containers and in-flight meal facilities, optimize
amounts of fuel and drinking water)
・Recover engine performance and improve fuel efficiency by cleaning engines
・Working with related parties to identify issues involved in introducing alternative fuels and considering
measures for resolving these issues○Support for the creation of a recycling-oriented society
Target: Lower industrial waste final disposal rate to 2.4% or below for 2020
Achievement: Industrial waste final disposal rate in 2018 was 5.1%
Contents of measures: Promote garbage collection by type, promote reuse and recycling, and select waste
processing companies with resource recycling technologies, etc.
○Environmental awareness raising activities
・Participation in forestation activities around airports nationwide, participation in coral planting in
Okinawa, and development of eco-tours related to the above activities.
・Hold environment seminars by pilots to raise the environmental awareness of children, who represent the
future.

56

4 Measures by local governments, companies, citizens’ organizations, etc.

②Railway companies

The Association of Japanese Private Railways, an association of railway operators in Japan, has formulated“Commitment to a Low Cabon Society”and carried out the following principal measures as part of this plan.
Target: Reduce power usage basic units in 2020 by 5.7% in comparison to 2010
Reduce power usage basic units in 2030 by over 5.7% in comparison to 2010
Contents of primary measures:○Introduction of energy saving (railroad) cars
Energy saving trains such as VVVF controlled trains, which consume less power, and regenerative brakeequipped trains, which efficiently use power, are being introduced.
(as of March 31, 2020)●Rates of introduction of energy saving cars by 16 major private rail companies

Number of cars owned

Control method

Number of reduced weight cars

VVVF control

12,526 cars*

10,566 cars

Cars with regenerative brakes

Chopper control

1,979 cars*

925 cars

Resistance control, other602 cars*

213 cars

Cars without regenerative brakes

Resistance control, other

2,208 cars

230 cars*

17,315 cars (A)12,475 cars

Total number of cars owned
Number of energy saving cars (trains with regenerative brakes or reduced weight cars)

15,337 cars (B)(total of *)Share of energy saving cars

88.6％（B/A）

Note 1: As a general rule only commercially used cars are included (funicular lines and new transport lines are notincluded)
Note 2: Reduced weight cars are cars made with stainless steel or aluminum.
Source: The Association of Japanese Private Railways (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)○Usage of energy saving systems (regenerative brakes, regenerated
Power generated
by braking

power storage devices)
Trains with regenerative brakes, which generate power whenbraking and return the power to the overhead power lines for reuse, are being actively introduced.
○Noise and vibration reduction
Efforts to reduce noise and vibration include the introduction of

Reducednoise trains

Long rails

reduced noise trains, the use of long rails to reduce the number ofTrack
improvementrail joints, the use of synthetic crossties, and the installation ofelastic material such as rubber between concrete railbeds andcrossties.
○Use of natural energy
Solar panels and wind power generators are being installed on theroofs of stations, using sunlight and wind to generate the power

Wind power
generation

Solar power
generation

Source: The Association of Japanese Private
Railways (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo
Foundation)used by the station.

57

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector③Truck, bus, and taxi companies

Each industry associations have formulated voluntary action plans as environmental measures, striving topopularize green management certification and promote eco-driving, etc.

■Japan Trucking Association
The Japan Trucking Association is participating in Nippon Keidanren’s “Low Carbon Society
Implementation Action Plan”with the goal of a 31% reduction in CO2 emissions output levels in comparison
to 2005 by 2030 for commercial truck transport ton-km and is working on diverse environmental measures
held up by the industry.
【Contents of measures】❖Spread of trucks with great environmental performance and equipment that greatly improves fuel efficiency
・Work in cooperation with the government to provide partial subsidies for the price difference withordinary vehicles in order to further promote the spread of environmentally-friendly vehicles such as
promising natural gas (CNG) trucks or hybrid trucks with good fuel efficiency as replacements for fossil
fuels from the point of view of energy security.
・Provide subsidies for air heaters and truck battery driven coolers which can be used when engines are
stopped during truck driver breaks, when waiting for cargo to be loaded, etc.
・Make environment-compatible trucks and energy-saving equipment eligible for modernization fundfinancing and subsidize high rates of interest compared to ordinary investment.
Eligibility for various subsidies

CNG trucks

Hybrid trucks

Air heaters

Truck battery driven coolers❖Support for improvement of awareness about environmental measures and energy-saving
・Distribute manuals to promote eco-driving and provide support for operator and driver initiatives.
・Participate in“the Eco-Drive Activity Contest”held by the Eco-Mo Foundation and promote theacquisition of Green Management certification.
❖Project to create“Truck Woods”
・With the aim of preventing global warming through cultivating trees, the association has beenpromoting its project to created“Truck Woods”since 2003. Around one hectare of national forest
field has been set aside as“Truck Woods”and the association planted trees in Tsurumi Ryokuchi
Park in Osaka Prefecture in 2020 in a project to contribute society in which the association is
involved in various activities in cooperation with local volunteers to protect the forests.
・I n addition, the association is promoting projects to create independent“Truck Woods”inprefectural trucking associations and to spread this initiative nationwide.

58

4 Measures by local governments, companies, citizens’ organizations, etc.
〈2020 Project to create “Truck Woods” (Tsurumi Ryokuchi Park in Osaka Prefecture)〉❖Investigation into formulation of new action plan・In order to accurately respond to social conditions and environmental change concerning the trucking
industry including the worsening global warming issue, the“New Basic Environmental Action Plan”wasformulated in 2014 and the association is working to promote the environmental measures upheld by thetruck transportation industry.
〈2020 New Basic Environmental Action Plan〉

New Basic Environmental
Action Plan

Measures

Basic policy①

Promote the spread of
eco-driving

Work towards recognizing the importance of eco-driving,widespread use of eco-driving and establish methods tomanage fuel efficiency as well as improving fuel efficiency
for all vehicles.

②

Thoroughly implement
shutting off engine when
stoppedThoroughly enforce shutting off the engine when stopped.

③

Promote purchase ofadvanced environmentcompatible vehicles

Work towards replacing diesel trucks, old ones in particularwith advanced environment-compatible vehicles.

④

Promote transport efficiency

Actively promote collaborative transportation and delivery,
an increase in size as well as digitalization of vehicles inorder to improve transport efficiency even further, along withworking to improve ratio of loading trips to total trips andload factors.

⑤

Reduce noise pollution

Consider the local environment and work towards reducing
noise pollution through enforcing driving that generates
little noise.

⑥

Promote appropriate disposal
and recycling of waste

Works towards appropriate disposal or recycling of wastefrom used vehicle materials or overhauls. In addition,
promote reuse and recycling of transportation packaging
materials etc.

⑦

Promote environmental
awareness activities

In addition to thorough awareness campaigns for the New
Basic Environmental Action Plan, seek understanding of
initiatives to reduce the environmental burden within andoutside of the truck transportation industry. In addition, eachtruck operator will place importance on the environment andincorporate this into their corporate philosophies.

⑧

Request cooperation fromgovernment, etc.

In order to promote and enhance the efficacy of the New
Basic Environmental Action Plan, actively promote policy
recommendations towards reducing environmental burden
and request activities to related institutions.

⑨

Use carbon offset

Efficient use of carbon offset system.

⑩

Cooperate with related
government institutions andgroupsActively participate in frameworks for all kinds ofenvironmental measures with related government
institutions and groups and cooperated with the governmentand related groups.

■Operator Initiative: SBS Logicom Co., Ltd.
Promoting “Eco-safety driving activities” and calling for accident prevention from anenvironmental standpoint
SBS Logicom was founded in 1940 as a railroad-related transportation company and became affiliated withSBS Group, a comprehensive logistics company in 2005. As one of the core companies in the group, SBS
Logicom owns around 950 trucks and operate diverse logistics services, from courier services to 3PL, houseremovals and indoor logistics as well as international logistics and railroad transportation. Their strength inperformance over the years comes from the company’s high awareness of“taking care of customer’s assets
and delivering them as is”.
59

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector＜Acquisition of “Green Management certification” with the requests from shippers＞
As well as the Facility and Setagaya branches obtaining Green Management certification in February
2004, the Keiyo and Shinsuna branches are registered. The company had originally incorporated Ecostage Certification but switched after receiving requests from customers to fall in line with G-markcertification such as government-related bidding, etc. The transition to Green Management certification
went smoothly due to the response to Eco-stage
certification and the long-established eco-driving
initiatives.
Green Management certification places less of aburden on actual worksites than Eco-stage certification
and, by being able to concentrate on educating drivers,
managers received good feedback from work sites. In
addition, it can be said that, rather than giving
guidance about inflexible initiatives, it is a good point
to respect activity contents that conform to the workof each company or workplace.

＜Start of eco-safety driving on-site training sessions＞
The features of the company’s environmental activities include not only focus on CO2 emitted bytrucks but also on electricity and water used in the warehouses. This leads to shortening employee
working hours and limiting the amount of energy used and work streamlining contributes not only to
low-cost operation but also to reducing the environmental burden. In the same way, from both aspectsof safety and the environment, the company is making people aware of the necessity of accident prevention.
This training was developed by the SBS Group as a whole and started in 2008. It has been held 4times in a year to date. With cooperation from car manufacturers, the training is highly specialized andpractical with both classroom and driving training and more than 1,600 people have participated. Bothdrivers and managers participated in the first training session so the managers were able to encourageothers to promote eco-safety driving activities.
However, it has recently become more difficult to make time to train drivers due to a lack of staff.
Therefore, recently the company has been borrowing safety training vehicles from car manufacturers
and sending them to each branch for training sessions. This makes it possible to use drivers’time more
efficiently and branches welcome this innovation.
In addition, while teaching the implementation of eco-driving at eco-safety driving training sessions,some drivers offered the opinion that it was difficult to start driving slowly because they were worried
about the vehicles behind them. Consequently, the company created a new sticker saying“This driveris implementing eco-safety driving’and these were handed out to all drivers to stick on the back of
their trucks. It features large print so that it can be read even from a distance.

＜Understanding how you drive with self-management of fuel efficiency＞
Driver self-management of fuel efficiency promotes both aspects of eco-safety driving training. By
writing down volume of fuel added to the tank, distance travelled and fuel efficiency, drivers understandhow they drive and become aware of how to drive in a more fuel-efficient manner. The data recordedby each driver is aggregated at each workplace and monthly fuel efficiency is calculated for eachvehicle.
The company thought it would be possible to set up an awards system for eco-safety driving using
this kind of data but it was difficult to make simple comparisons due to differences in vehicles uses,60

4 Measures by local governments, companies, citizens’ organizations, etc.

cargo handled and routes driven at each branch so it was researched over a number of years. However,in September last year, the awards system was completed and realized in the form of evaluation by
branch based on comparing figures from the previous year’s performance. The awards system also
contributes to driver motivation so the company intends to continue with it in the future.
In conjunction with this, the company is focusing on policies that lead to safety and environmental
friendliness as well as preventing vehicle breakdown. Vehicle road accidents cause traffic jams or
further accidents and increase the amount of CO2 emissions. It is one of the missions of transportationcompanies not to send vehicles that are not in good working order out onto public roads. So, along withstrengthening vehicle maintenance, the company is making sure that vehicles are inspected before
leaving and that a report is made on return.
In addition to these activities overall, smaller routine initiatives are being implemented at branches.
Workplaces have their own posters and there are some that have no-car commute days or that haveincorporated quota charges. Some are participating in external training held by trucking associations,etc. One workplace has created its own gate that estimates the delivery destination and, by checking
every day before departure, it was possible to reduce the number of accidents when arriving at thedelivery destination.

＜Partner activities with SBS Group＞
The Operations Management Department controls initiatives for environmental management acrossthe company. It partners with SBS Holdings CSR, Promotion Department and Logistics Quality
Management Department to lay out overall policies and encourage specific activities. SBS Ricoh
Logistics System, which joined SBS Group in August 2018, is a company that has long placed
importance on environmental management. SBS Logicom also cooperates with this company to work
diligently and continue with initiatives across the group.
One of SBS Group’s activities is to advertise internally to employees for safety slogans. There arearound 10,000 suggestions a year and the grand prize is for the annual slogan and other awards are formonthly slogans. This was planned as a way to make sure that management, which is distanced fromwork sites, continues to have an awareness of safety so it is already 10 years since this started. All
employees, not just those on work sites, are encouraged to wear
National Traffic Safety Movement badges.
A new Group initiative is to install sunshades in trucks in
January. Of the Group’s 3,000 vehicles, they are being
distributed to around 2,000 drivers who have requested them.
They are expected to improve air conditioner efficiency in thesummer and heat retention effect in the winter so they are
expected to reduce environmental load.

＜Serious accidents have decreased and employee awareness has changed＞
To be honest, the number of accidents overall has not decreased. This is because really minor
accidents are also included in the figures. Fuel efficiency seems to have reached its peak and, inparticular, due to the recent advances in environmental performance in vehicles, it is difficult to seelarge numerical effects due to eco-driving.
However, serious accidents and those due to gross negligence are decreasing and costs per accident
are also decreasing. Repair and towing costs are also decreasing. More than anything else, the biggest
result is the change in awareness among employees. Work sites are cleaner and company materials aretreated more carefully than before as shared assets.
On the other hand, there is a limit to the environmental activities that we can implement at
61

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector

companies and workplaces. In the future, in order to achieve even further decreases in environmentload, it may be necessary to encourage employee activities such as reducing waste at home or ecodriving when using their own cars.

■Nihon Bus Association- Bus business“Low Carbon Society Implementation Action Plan”Target:○Cut CO2 emission intensity in 2030 by 6% in comparison to 2015.
○Promote shift from use of private cars to buses.
Specific activity contents:○CO2 emission rates reduction measures
・Nationwide promotion of eco-driving
Member companies are striving to ensure drivers thoroughly engage in eco-driving, such as by stopping
their engines when idle, and avoiding quick acceleration and quick braking. During Eco-Driving Promotion
Month, of which the Nihon Bus Association is a leading advocate, the association takes even more intensive
measures, such as carrying out checks of eco-driving implementation. The association is also actively
equipping buses with devices which contribute to eco-driving, such as start-stop (idling-stop) devices anddigital drive recording devices.
・Promotion of introduction of high fuel efficiency buses
When purchasing new vehicles, national, local government, and Nihon Bus Association subsidy systems
are used to actively strive to deploy hybrid buses and high fuel efficiency buses.
・Enforcement of detailed inspections and maintenance which help maintain fuel efficiency performance○Measures for promoting shifting from use of private cars to buses
・Bus usage promotion
The association is implementing the following measures in order to improve omnibus convenience andpromote bus usage.
◇Popularization of non-step buses and pleasant, comfortable buses◇Promotion of installation and improvement of shared card systems and IC card systems◇Popularization of information systems such as bus location systems◇Active participation in regional measures such as Park & Bus Ride and omnibus town systems
・Driving environment improvement◇Issuing of requests to related organizations whenever possible regarding the creation of bus-only lanes
and bus-priority lanes, bus-prioritizing traffic signals, the removal of illegally parked vehicles on streets
used by buses, etc.

■Japan Federation of Hire-Taxi Associations- Hire-taxi industry's a Low Carbon Society Implementation Action Plan (voluntary action plan) Target level:○2020 target (total volume of emissions target)
Reduce CO2 emissions by 20% in comparison to 2010.
○2030 target (total volume of emissions target)
Reduce CO2 emissions by 25% in comparison to 2010.
Basis used to establish targets:○2020 target
62

4 Measures by local governments, companies, citizens’ organizations, etc.

30% of taxis will consist of HVs, EVs, or other environmentally friendly vehicles. CO2 emissions will be
reduced by reducing fuel consumption through demand and supply optimization.
○2030 target
40% of taxis will consist of HVs, EVs, or other environmentally friendly vehicles. CO2 emissions will be
reduced by reducing fuel consumption through demand and supply optimization.
Specific plans:○Global warming countermeasures
In order to achieve hire-taxi industry target levels, the following countermeasures will be promoted andthe federation will coordinate and collaborate with national and local governments as necessary.
・Switchover to environmentally friendly taxi vehicles◇By 2020 30%,by 2030 40% of taxis will consist of HVs, EVs, or other environmentally friendly vehicles,
and the association will encourage automobile manufacturers to speedily launch HV vehicles which use
LP gas.
･Optimization of the number of taxi vehicles◇ Based on the“Act on Special Measures Concerning the Rectiﬁcation and Vitalization of the General
Passenger Vehicle Transport Business in Specific Areas”, revised in November 2013, the federation is
promoting the elimination and suspension of vehicles in order to eliminate excess supply.
･Taxi usage promotion◇The federation is promoting universal driver training and cultivating high quality drivers.
◇The federation is striving to improve user convenience and promote taxi usage by improving taxi stands
and promoting the deployment of advanced technologies such as smartphone-based technologies.
◇The federation is working to expand shared taxi use and reduce the amount of private car usage.
･Enrichment of and PR for sightseeing taxis◇The federation is striving to enrich and engage in PR for sightseeing taxis in order to reduce the usageof private cars on freeways and at destinations, cut exhaust gas emissions, mitigate traﬃc congestion andparking space shortages, and reduce the number of traffic accidents.
◇ Multilingual audio translation system and foreign language sheets which can be used by pointing at
phrases are being prepared and supplied in order to enable taxi drivers to accommodate foreign
travellers.
･Improvement of operation eﬃciency◇ The federation is promoting the use of GPS-AVM-based taxi assignment systems and advanced
technologies such as smartphone-based technologies in order to improve operation eﬃciency and reduce
exhaust gas emissions.
◇Requests are being issued to related organizations to establish and improve taxi pools in order to reduce
the amount of unoccupied taxi operation.
･Eco-driving◇The federation is working to ensure thorough stopping of engines when vehicles are stopped, preventionof excess vehicle cooling and heating, and prevention of quick acceleration and braking.
◇Engines are to be stopped when drivers are taking rests, naps, and washing vehicles.
◇ Green management is being promoted through measures such as expanding the number of operatorswith green management certification.
◇The federation is promoting the stopping of engines when vehicles are stopped and the deployment of
EMS (digital tachographs) in order to support eco-driving.
･Office and business site measures◇ Air conditioner thermostats in offices and business site are set to 28 degrees or higher during the63

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector

summer and 20 degrees or lower during the winter.
◇Training regarding environmental measures and fuel efficiency improvements are provided to mechanics
and drivers through maintenance managers and driving managers.
･Improvement of environmental issue related implementation systems◇Environmental measure related policies such as carbon oﬀset policies are considered by committees suchas technical and environmental committees.
･PR regarding global warming countermeasures◇The federation will use websites, posters, stickers applied to taxis, and other means to publicize the taxi
industry’s efforts to reduce CO2 emissions and increase awareness among the general public regarding
the prevention of global warming.
○Creation of a recycling-oriented economic society
Disposable economic society will be reevaluated from the position of effective resource utilization, and hiretaxi operators will do their utmost to achieve the following, in order to systematically reduce waste
production, and to recycle resources.
･ELVs (End-of-Life Vehicles) will be processed appropriately in accordance with the Act on Recycling, etc. of
End-of-Life Vehicles.
･End-of-life tires, etc. will be appropriately processed as industrial waste.
･Recycling will be promoted through measures such as the proactive purchasing of recycled products.

④Warehouse conpanies

The Japan Association of Refrigerated Warehouses is continuing its efforts to reduce“CO2 emissions andenergy usage”through measures such as: ① Acceleration program (subsidizing 1/3 of project costs) for the
introduction of energy-saving natural refrigeration equipment for the early realization of a CFC-free and low
carbon society, and promotion energy-saving machines that don’t use CFC, ② carrying out“Energy usagefact-finding studies”and“Coolant studies”to collect basic data related to CO2 emissions reductions, and ③
promoting the acquisition of Green Management certifications (subsidizing part of the cost of acquiring new
Green Management certifications).

64

4 Measures by local governments, companies, citizens’ organizations, etc.

（3）Measures by citizens’ organizations
The expansion of lifestyles which are dependent on the use of private cars has resulted in chronic traffic
congestion and the waning of public transport. In order to create a shift from the use of private cars to public
transport, Car-free Day are taking place.
Every year cities around the world take part in Mobility Week & Car-free Day (September 16 to September 22),
initiatives in which residents refrain from using their own personal vehicles in central city areas and consider theissues of traffic and its effects on the environment, and urban life and how to best use vehicles. These transportmeasures and events, which began in Europe, have spread to roughly 3,000 cities around the world, linked by acommon objective and working at the same time in a global environmental and transport event. In 2020, 9 cities inJapan participated. (Yokohama City*, Zushi City*, Matsumoto City, Kanazawa City, Fukui City*, Toyohashi City,
Osaka City*, Nara City, Fukuyama City*.)＊Citizen group-sponsored; Those unmarked are local government-sponsored. Secretariat : Car Free Day Japan
In addition, the“Kumamoto Prefecture All Citizen Stop Warming Movement Meeting”is a prefectural citizen’smovement started in August 2008 for reviewing lifestyles and corporate activities so that each citizen cancompletely eliminate the waste of energy and the efforts to reduce greenhouse gases can be progressed further.
Based on the fact that automobiles are the main means of transport in areas outside the central zone of Kumamoto
Prefecture, the concept of eco-driving was put in the spotlight.
Specifically, eco-driving diagnoses via safe driving eco-driving support systems that use GPS receivers are being
actively promoted in collaboration with Kumamoto Prefecture. These are devices for managing drivers, rather
than just cars, and diagnoses are possible even if the vehicle driven is different - if it is for example a company car
or a private vehicle. Offices purchase the devices and lend them out to participants to conduct eco-driving
diagnosis relays with all citizens.

The Denki Unazuki Project Planning Committee (in Toyama Prefecture) was established in July 2009, andwith the cooperation of community residents, it has carried out activities aimed at creating a natural energy
public transport system that exists in harmony with the rich natural environment though measures such as
small hydroelectric generation, with the aim of achieving local consumption of locally produced energy. In July
2013 the unincorporated association became the Association of Denki Unazuki Project.
At the Unazuki Hot Spring, it introduced apublic transport project using renewableenergy such as small hydroelectric generation
and Green Slow Mobility (eCOM-8 low-speed

The Denki Unazuki Project’s activities!
Travel to hidden
hot springs using
electric vehicles

Park and rideto the hot spring
district

eight wheel electric community vehicles,
known

as “EMU”).

The

Associationisworking to attract tourists to Unazuki Hot
Spring, which has flourished as an advanced
eco-hot spring resort as the result of thispowerdevelopment,

and

to

Electric vehicle
rentalpromoteautonomous community development fromthe perspective of local consumption of locally
produced energy.

The hot spring district isan electric vehicle zone

Energy is provided
by small hydroelectric
generation

Source: Denki Unazuki Project website (Tentative translation by
Eco-Mo Foundation)

65

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector

ColumnNationwide Bus Map Summit(Bus map creation initiative by citizens)
The Nationwide Bus Map Summit is held once a year by the Nationwide Bus Map Summit Planning
Committee, which is composed of citizens’organizations and other bus map creating organizations.
Approximately 100 people from across Japan participate.
Last year’s summit was cancelled due to the coronavirus but weekly Zoom meetings were held and achallenge to automatically draw maps through an open day and general traffic information with MaaS as thefoundation was discussed.
●List of citizen’s organizations in the Nationwide Bus Map Summit Planning Commitee
RegionName

Bus Map, etc.

SapporoYourun NPO Inc.

Sapporo Super Convenient Bus Map
Hakodate Super Cool Bus Map
Iwamizawa Super Rice Bus Map

Hirosaki

H・O・T Managers“Hotto” informational magazine

Community Development Policy
SendaiForum
YUKAI. (3-chome)
Tokyo (Metropolitan Area)
RACUMobi
Niigata Environment and Transport
Niigata
Research Society
ROBA (Fukui Tram and Machizukuri
Fukui
Association NPO Inc. )Public Transport Machizukuri
3 Tokai Prefectures (Aichi, Gifu, Mie)
Promotion Network
Wakayama City Planning Council
Wakayama- Wakayama Komachi

100 Yen Pakku Map
Bus Service Map
Niigata City Transport Map
Fukui Norinori Map
BUS-DENSYA-NET FUKUIRosenzu.com
Gifu City Bus Map, etc.
wap
Doko Demo Bus Net
Doko Demo Bus Book
Doko Demo Bus Map Sugoroku

MatsueProject UI NPO Inc.

OkayamaRail transport system Amenity
Community Design Association(RACDA) NPO Inc.

Hiroshima

Hiroshima BRT Research Society

Bus Supermap

Okinawa

Bus Map Okinawa

Bus Map Okinawa

Bokke Convenient Bus Map
Bisan Seto Access Map

Source: The Nationwide Bus Map Summit website (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)●Bus maps example (wap)↑ Front side (Japanese)
Reverse side (English) →Source: Wakayama Transport Machizukuri Council — Wakayama Komachi

66

4 Measures by local governments, companies, citizens’ organizations, etc.

（4）Measures by the Eco-Mo Foundation①Implementation of the transport business Green Management (low environmental
impact business management) Certification System
The Green Management Certification System, which objectively certifies the efforts of companies to makeenvironmental improvements, strives to encourage companies to engage in environmental efforts, andcontributes to reductions in the environmental impact of industry by fostering understanding and cooperation
between certified companies, society, and users. The system, with the Eco-Mo Foundation as its certifying
body, certifies and register transport operators whose environmental activities meet or exceed levels definedin the Green Management Promotion Manual*. The system was launched for the truck industry in October
2003, for the bus and taxi industry in April 2004, and for the passenger ship, coastal shipping, port transport,
and warehouse companies in July 2005. As of the end of 2020 there are 3,383 certified businesses and 6,646
certified business sites. These are indicated as“Environmentally-friendly transport operators”on the Eco-Mo
Foundation website, and each month press releases are issued to newspaper companies containing newly
certified businesses.
※ The Green Management Promotion Manual contains specific measures for individual environmental
conservation items, based on the concepts of ISO14031 (an international standard for environmental
performance evaluation). They make it easy to establish targets and carry out evaluations, which in turnmake it easy to implement environmental management on an ongoing basis.
●Number of vehicles owned
Certified Companies asof December 31, 2019

Companies
Nationwide

Percentage
Owned byCertifiedCompanies

Notes(Note 1): Number of vehicles owned as of the end of March 2019. This

Trucks142,146

1,300,134(Note 1)includes the number of commercial trucks (excluding trailers)

10.9%

and the number of commercial special purpose vehicles as
indicated in the “Transport Statistics Collection” (from MLIT). It
does not include the number of registered light trucks.

Buses
Taxis

14,56929,942

115,746(Note 2)
197,990(Note 3)

12.6%
15.1%

(Note 2): Number of vehicles owned as of the end of March 2019. Basedon the “Transport Statistics Collection” (MLIT)(Note 3): Number of corporate taxis owned as of the end of March 2019.
Based on “TAXI TODAY in JAPAN 2020” (Japan Federation of
Hire-Taxi Associations).

67

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector■Evaluations of Green Management Certification

The results of various green management efforts have been tested and verified, and this certification

system has come to be evaluated highly, even being included as an element in government measures.
○Freight owner considerations required by notices based on the Energy Saving Act
One of the energy saving measures required of freight owners under the Energy Saving Act (enacted in
December 2018) is the selection of environmentally-friendly freight carriers (carriers who have obtained
ISO14001 or green management certifications).
○Addition of transport and delivery, chartered buses, and taxis to the procurement items specified in the Act
on Promoting Green Purchasing
The 2007 basic policy on the Act on Promoting Green Purchasing (Act on Promotion of Procurement of
Eco-Friendly Goods and Services by the State and Other Entities) was approved by the Cabinet on February
2, 2007. It added【transport and delivery】※ to the list of specified procurement items. The 2008 basic policy
was approved by the Cabinet on February 5, 2008, and added【chartered buses and taxis】to the list. The
decision criteria are the“neutral evaluation by a third party”of measures such as“implementing measuresfor promoting eco-driving”. In general, this corresponds with green management certified companies.
※ Transport and delivery operations within green procurement scope: Domestic correspondence, parcel
delivery, parcel post, mail express○ Expressly written in the“Guidelines for the Selection and Use of Chartered Buses in Order to Ensure
Transport Safety”【Published: June 29, 2012】
The MLIT has formulated and issued guidelines which clearly explain the key points involved when travelcompanies, local governments, educational institutions, etc. select and use chartered bus operators.
These guidelines clearly specify“green management certification”as one of the“evaluation items andevaluation elements involved in comprehensive evaluation”indicated in the guidelines’“key points regarding
the selection of chartered bus operators”and“key points regarding bidding, etc., for chartered bus
procurement“.
○Expressly written in the“Community Bus Deployment Guidelines”as specified in the notice regarding therevision of the Road Transport Act【Notice: MLIT Notice 633, April 10, 2013“Concerning the Approach of the MLIT to Local Public Transport
Councils”】
The notice clearly states that the perspective of“environmentally consciousness”is to be included by cities,
towns, or villages, etc. when selecting community bus operators, and specifies“acquisition of Eco-Mo
Foundation Green Management Certification or ISO14001 certification”as a means of evaluating thisenvironmental consciousness.
○Relaxation requirements for Superior Hybrid Vehicles and CNG Vehicles deployment subsidy systems
In order to promote the greater use of low-emission vehicles, the MLIT provides systems for partial
subsidization of the difference in prices between low-emission vehicles and standard vehicles. Subsidy
requirements such as fleet size limitations are relaxed for truck transport operators who have received theGreen Management Certification.
○Certiﬁcation acquisition subsidy systems
68

4 Measures by local governments, companies, citizens’ organizations, etc.

Local governments:
6 organizations (Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; Sumida-ku, Tokyo; Katsushika-ku, Tokyo; Yokohama
City, Kanagawa Prefecture; Shiojiri City, Nagano Prefecture)
Industry groupJapan Association of Refrigerated Warehouses and 37 prefectural Trucking Associations(Hokkaido, Aomori Prefecture, Iwate Prefecture, Akita Prefecture, Fukushima Prefecture, Ibaraki
Prefecture, Tochigi Prefecture, Gunma Prefecture, Saitama Prefecture, Chiba Prefecture, Tokyo Metropolis,
Kanagawa Prefecture, Niigata Prefecture, Yamanashi Prefecture, Nagano Prefecture, Fukui Prefecture, Gifu
Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture, Aichi Prefecture, Mie Prefecture, Shiga Prefecture, Osaka Prefecture,
Hyogo Prefecture, Nara Prefecture, Wakayama Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture, Okayama Prefecture,
Hiroshima Prefecture, Tokushima Prefecture, Kagawa Prefecture, Kochi Prefecture, Fukuoka Prefecture,
Nagasaki Prefecture, Kumamoto Prefecture, Oita Prefecture, Miyazaki Prefecture, Kagoshima Prefecture)②Implementation of the Excellent Eco-Commuting Business Site Certification
SystemThe Excellent Eco-Commuting Business Site Certiﬁcation System has been implemented since June 2009 tocertify business establishment which actively promote eco-commuting, widely sharing information on theireﬀorts in order to promote greater adoption of eco-commuting.
The“Conference on Promotion of Public Transport”, consisting of various transport operator organizations,
economic organizations, related government bureaus, and other organizations, acts as its certification body.
MLIT’s Policy Bureau Regional Transport Division and the Eco-Mo Foundation jointly operate the certification
system as the secretariat. By the end of December 2020, 763 business sites have been certified and registered.
Certified business sites implementing best measures may also be recommended for MLIT awards. In 2020,
Aichi Eco Mobility Life Promotion Council and Kasumigaura District Environment Action Promotion Council
were selected as the winners of the“2020 Minister’s Award for Excellent Business Implementing TrafficRelated Environmental Conservation Efforts”.

● Kasumigaura District Environment
Action Promotion Council●Aichi Eco Mobility Life Promotion Council

69

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector③Promotion of eco-driving
The Eco-Mo Foundation acts as the secretariat of the Eco-Drive Promotion Implementation Council (consistingof 16 transport related organizations) as well as conducting activities in order to promote the spread of diverse
eco-driving independently.
Since April 2007 it has offered truck eco-driving training certification, and then passenger vehicle eco-driving
training certification from September 2008, and presents attendants who have successfully completed training
at certified organizations with completion certificates.
Since 2011 it has also held the “Eco-Drive Activity Contest” with the support of the Eco-Drive Promotion
Liaison Committee (consist of the NPA, METI, MLIT, and MOE) and the Eco-Drive Promotion Implementation
Council. Since 2014 Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award (transport businesscategory) and Minister of the Environment Award (general category) have been conferred, and the award
ceremony for top winners was held as part of the “2020 Eco-Drive Symposium” on November 26.
●Accumulated number of completed certificates issued
180,000
160,000

Truck

Passenger vehicle

2009

2010

140,000
120,000
100,000
80,00060,00040,00020,000
0

2008

2011

2012

2013

●2020 Eco-Drive Activity Contest award ceremony

70

2014

2015

2016

2017

●Contest leaflet

2018

2019

4 Measures by local governments, companies, citizens’ organizations, etc.

④Promotion of Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST)The OECD has proposed Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST) (see page 39), and organizations such
as Japan’s MLIT have implemented EST model projects. In order to achieve greater use of EST by local
governments and transport operators, since 2006 the Eco-Mo Foundation has worked with academic experts,
related groups, EST related ministries and agencies, and other organizations to promote EST.
The 11th EST Transport Environment Awards and Commemorative Lecture were held online. In 2020, there
was also cooperation with regional transport bureaus, etc. to hold seminars for local governments and transport
operators (42nd EST Emergence Seminar in Tokyo (Kanto) / 43rd EST Emergence Seminar in Niigata (Hokuriku
Shinetsu)). In addition, information was provided through the EST portal site (http://www.estfukyu.jp/) andnewsletter as well as Twitter (https://twitter.com/#!/officeEST).
●11th EST Transport Environment Award results
Award

Recipient

Grand
Prize

[MLIT Minister Award]

Grand
Prize

[MOE Minister award]

Outstanding
PerformanceAward

IncentiveAward
IncentiveAward

Name of Main ProjectI y o t e t s u c h a l l e n ge – “A i m i n g t o b u i l d asustainable environmentally-friendly society. A

Iyotetsu Group (Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture)

challenge from a rural area!”

Tokyu Railways, Tokyu Power Supply (Setagaya-ku, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo)

Setagaya Line zero carbon initiative
Development of a sustainable transport

Niigata City, Niigata Kotsu (Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture)system with the introduction of a new bus
systemExecutive Committee for the Fagiano project for people-, communityand environmentally-friendly access (Okayama City, Okayama Faggio car projectPrefecture)
Sakura Machi Data Project (All areas of Kumamoto Prefecture)

Social Test and verification of free bus andtrain society in Kumamoto Prefecture●J apan’s first 100% sustainable energy urban
commuter train departs! (Tokyu Railways, Tokyu
Power Supply)●Bottchan train and new LRT car (low-floor) 5000type running with Matsuyama Castle in the
background (Iyotetsu Group)71

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector⑤Promotion of mobility management education (Transport Environment Education)
With the aim of promoting the spread of mobility management education (transport environment education),providing support to local governments and elementary and junior high schools, creating centers for ongoingeducation, publishing educational manifestos to serve as guidelines, publishes textbooks, and engaging in othereducation promotion activities.
Support for local governments continues for Shiga Prefecture, Hachinohe City and Urasoe City.
<Supporting local government initiative>
Shiga Prefecture: In addition to programs that are easy to put into practice by the teaching staff associated withthe subject were carried out at 6 schools in 5 local municipalities.
Hachinohe City: T he city developed a program for active and autonomous involvement by teaching staff,
created teaching materials and videos and tested them at 2 schools.
Urasoe City: ICT instructional materials created in 2019 were reviewed and tested at 1 school.
In addition, support has also been provided to the following 12 schools.
●Names of supported schools and educational themes
SchoolTheme

Toyokawa Elementary School, Tomakomai
City

The Transport Hub, Tomakomai and environmental
education

Life studies, social studies

Kanagawa Elementary School, Yokohama City

Rails to the future connecting everyone in Kanagawa

Social studies, integrated studies

Joetsu University of Education Attached
Elementary and Junior High Schools

Creative activity – Car Technology

Integrated studies

Kyoto University of Education Attached Kyoto
Elementary and Junior High Schools

Kyoto’s public transport and town planningSocial studies, science, integrated
studiesMidoridai Elementary School, Kawanishi City

Hometown Kawanishi PR Group

Social studies, integrated studies

Akiu Junior High School, Sendai City

Project to think about Akiu District transport

Social studies, integrated studies

Keimei Gakuen Junior High School

The role of community busesSocial studies, integrated studies

Tourism and transport in Kyoto

Social studies, math

Doshisha Junior and Senior High School

Junior high school student movement to activate
stations and the community Eizan Electric Railway
Hachimanmae Station ProjectSpecial studies

Sagotani Junior High School, Hiroshima

Consideration of town planning and the transport networkin Tokyo

Shimada Commercial High School, Shizuoka
Prefecture

Creation of Shimada City community bus GTFS data andacquisition of and research into real time GTFS

Task research

Nagasaki Kita
Prefecture

Research into public transport that co-exists with thecommunity

Comprehensive research

Kyoto University of Education
Momoyama Junior High School

High

School,Attached

Nagasaki

Subject⑥ Regional promotion of the smooth mobility of foreign tourists

In the“Tourism Vision to Support Tomorrow’s Japan”that was established in 2016, the Japanese

Government released the clear goals of 60 million foreign tourist visitors and 15 trillion yen in the consumption
annually in 2030 In 2019, the annual number of inbound tourists was 31.88 million.
The numbers of Foreign Independent Tours (FIT) in which travelers make independent airline andaccommodation reservations is increasing year by year and the need for an improved environment to enablesmooth and comfortable mobility for such independent travelers is an urgent issue.
Therefore, since 2017, Eco-Mo Foundation have been supporting the funding, know-how and consensusbuilding of groups that are improving transport means and enriching guide information for the smooth
movement of foreign tourists.
72

4 Measures by local governments, companies, citizens’ organizations, etc.

In April 2017, Eco-Mo Foundation publicly invited support groups and two support groups were selected by
a Foundation committee to provide support until the end of March 2020. An outline of the initiatives is as follows.
●The work of the support groups
Group
Tokachi Area
Intermodal Passenger
Transport Vitalization
Promotion Council

Project name and outline of work
Tokachi Area Project for the Smooth Transport of Foreign Tourists
Revision of multilingual signage for bus stops and ticket machines for airport buses, developed tours
using buses and taxis and creation of a taxi driver communication board (English, Chinese (traditional/
simplified)).
Miyoshi City “Sennen-no-kakurenbo Smooth Transport Project for Tourist Areas”

Miyoshi City

Along with creating sightseeing and excursion maps for the areas around 4 major stations, promotion of
the use of small-size mobility that is available for tourism.

●Tokachi Project Communication Board●Miyoshi City Awa Kawaguchi Station Area Map

73

Ⅲ．Measures in Response to Major Environmental Problems of the Transport Sector⑦Promotion of Green Slow Mobility

The waning of public transport in provincial areas of Japan has produced a greater environmental impact

as the result of growing use of personally-owned vehicles and created mobility problems for senior citizens
unable to drive.
Green Slow Mobility have little environmental impact and can coexist harmoniously with pedestrians andcars due to their low maximum speed of under 20km/h. Hopes are high for the potential these vehicles haveto address environmental impact and reduced senior mobility problems when used for living activities withincommunities and as a means of transport in tourist destinations, helping achieve an even lower carbon society.
Golf carts have been permitted to drive on public roads since 2014, and societal pilot tests have finallybegun. Since 2018, efforts have been made to increase the promotion of Green Slow Mobility through nationalverification experiments, vehicle purchasing subsidies, etc.
The Eco-Mo Foundation continues to lend its experimental vehicles, to hold training sessions, and to shareits operational know-how.

●Training Session (Matsue)●Onsite Demonstration (Matsue)●Safety Training (Classroom) (Wajima)●Safety Training (Driving in the sites）(Wajima)74

4 Measures by local governments, companies, citizens’ organizations, etc.

⑧Publication of “Transport and Environment in Japan”

The Foundation has published“Transport and Environment in Japan,”which provides basic data and thelatest countermeasures against the environmental problems and challenges of the transport sector (global
warming, air pollution, waste, recycling, sea pollution, noise, etc.), as well as introducing the activities of local
governments, businesses, citizens’
groups, the Eco-Mo Foundation, and more. Since 2015 an English version
has also been published to showcase Japan’s transport environment measures and countermeasures overseas.
(The English version can be downloaded from the Eco-Mo Foundation website.)●Transport and Environment in Japan 2020 English Version75

Ⅳ．Measures in Response to Other Environmental Issues

Ⅳ．Measures in Response to Other Environmental Issues
1 Noise related measures（1）Automobile noise countermeasures
A study of motor vehicle noise environmental standard compliance status conducted in 2018 found that of
the approximately 8,916,000 homes studied, approximately 511,200 (5.7%) homes had motor vehicle noise levels
which exceeded environmental standards either during the day (6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.), at night (10:00 p.m. to
6:00 a.m.), or both. approximately 238,700 homes (2.7%) exceeded environmental noise standards both during
the day and at night.
Of the approximately 3,796,500 homes in areas along major arterial roads, approximately 372,700 (9.8%)
homes exceeded environmental noise standards during the day, at night, or both. Of those, approximately
171,400 (4.5%) homes exceeded environmental noise standards both during the day and at night.
Changes in the compliance of environmental noise standards must take into consideration changes in thehomes investigated each year, but within the reported scope there appears to have been a gradualimprovement over time.
Broken down by road type, the largest share of homes in areas exceeding environmental noise standards
either during the day, at night, or both were located near urban expressways. Of the approximately 93,400
homes located in these areas, approximately 10,800 homes (11.5%) exceeded environmental noise standards.
(Source: Ministry of the Environment “Automobile Transport Noise in 2018”)
This information is provided together with corresponding maps on the Nationwide Motor Vehicle Noise
Map (Environmental GIS Motor Vehicle Noise Survey Report) website, operated by the National Institute forEnvironmental Studies (NIES).
●Nationwide Motor Vehicle Noise Map

Source: NIES76

1 Noise related measures（2）Rail noise countermeasures
Regarding noise from Shinkansen trains, based on“About the Environment Standards Associated with
Shinkansen Railway Noise”that was announced by the Environment Agency in 1975, measures, such as
setting up and raising soundproof walls, have been carried out in order for the environment standards to beattained.
In addition, regarding noise from conventional railways, based on the“Noise Countermeasure Guidelines
Regarding the New Construction or Large-Scale Improvement of Conventional Railway Lines”that was
published by the Environment Agency in 1995, measures such as the use of long rails are being carried out inorder to meet these Guidelines.

（3）Airplane noise countermeasures
Aircraft noise countermeasures in Japan can be broadly
categorized into source control, improvement of the airport
structure and environmental measures in areas●Eco-airport conceptual diagram
Surrounding environment measures and countermeasures
In order to reduce or eliminate the eﬀects of noise, soundprooﬁng construction, etc., is implemented for houses and schools, etc.,
and green space improvements are made to both improve living environments and act as global warming countermeasures. Eﬀorts
are also made to establish and maintain new noise compatible facilities and to promote the use of relocation compensation sites

surrounding airports. Combinations of these measures arebeing implemented in a balanced way according to theAirfront Oasis

Distribution
facilities and stores

Noise berm

City planninggreen space

Water quality
management

characteristics of each airport.
Regarding the source control, there are such measures
as noise reduction of aircrafts, improvement in the

Improvement ofsilencing facilities
Introduction of
low-emission
vehiclesPromotionof GPU use
Promotion of the green
government buildings
Promotion of installationof rooftop gardens

Introduction ofalternative energy
sources

operation method and restrictions on departures andlandings. As a result of advancements in noise reduction

Airport environment countermeasures◆Local environmental and global environmental measures are carried out, including measures for reducing the impacts of air pollutants, waste
water, and wastes produced by airport operation, improvement of energy eﬃciency, and installation of roof gardens.

technology, the latest aircrafts can achieve anapproximately 30dB noise level reduction in comparison to

Source: MLIT (Tentative translation by
Eco-Mo Foundation)

aircrafts 50 years ago.
As for improvement of the airport structure, efforts are being made to open offshore airports where theeffects of noise are minimal, as well as to install sound-insulating walls.
With regard to environmental measures in areas surrounding airports, based on the Act on Prevention of
Damage Caused by Aircraft Noise in Areas Around Airports (Act No. 110 of 1967), subsidies for noise
prevention works in residences and schools are being granted and development of green belts, etc. is being
carried out.
The Eco-Airport Guidelines were established in order to assist with environmental protection and creation
for airports and their surrounding communities. Based on these guidelines, eco-airport design is being
implemented in airports through measures such as the creation of environmental plans for airports and theirsurrounding areas, and through support for the installation of Ground Power Units (GPUs).

77

Ⅳ．Measures in Response to Other Environmental Issues

2 Sea pollution countermeasures（1）Large scale oil spill countermeasures
One of the major factors behind the large scale oil spills in recent
years is the existence of ships which do not meet the standards set
forth in marine safety and sea environmental conservation treaties● Coverage scope of system of 3
large dredging and oil reclamation
ships
3 ship oil recovery
areas(sub-standard ships). In order to eliminate these ships, Japan isparticipating in international efforts such as the creation of an

HakusanSeiryu Maru
Kaisho Maru

Hakusaninternational ship database (EQUASIS), as well as enhancing port

Niigata
Nagoyastate control (PSC) by performing onboard inspections of foreign

Kitakyushu

vessels stopping in Japanese ports confirming that they meet treaty
standards.

Seiryu Maru
Kaisho Maru

The creation of a system, advocated for by the Japanese
government, for checking that flag state governments are fulfilling
their duties to monitor and supervise ships flown under their flags wasapproved at the 2005 IMO general meeting as a voluntary system.

"Hakusan" can start oil recovery operation within 24 hours
in the Japan Sea area, and even in the Hokkaido sea area
can start operation within 2 days. Together with the "Seiryu
Maru" and the "Kaisho Maru", it helps further enhance
Japan's ability to respond to oil spills around Japan.

Source: MLIT (Tentative translation by
Eco-Mo Foundation)

Based on the efforts that followed, this system was made mandatory from January 2016.
Japan maintains three large dredging and oil reclamation ships to quickly reach and clean up oil spills in theseas around Japan, and in accordance with the Act on the Prevention of Sea Pollution, a joint public-private oil
pollution prevention and cleanup system has been created. Furthermore, Japan, China, the Republic of Korea,
and Russia have established a collaborative system for cleaning up large spills of oil or hazardous substancesin the seas around Japan, the Sakhalin area, and Okhotsk. The system of international collaboration andcoordination is being strengthened through the“Action Plan Area for the Protection, Management andDevelopment of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Northwest Pacific Region (NOWPAP) Oil andHazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) Spill Contingency Plan”(2008).

（2）Countermeasures against harmful aquatic organisms in ballast water
Organisms such as plankton in ship ballast water (sea water used to weigh empty ships for greater safety)
can contaminate areas where they are not normally found when ballast water is purged, harming the local
ecosystem as well as having negative effects on human health and economic activity. In February 2004 theInternational Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted the Ballast Water Management Convention in order toregulate ballast water countermeasures using a consistent global standard. Japan became a party to theconvention in October 2014.
As of November 2013 nine ballast water management systems have been approved. The first unit of the“JFE Ballast Ace”, a ballast water processing system developed by JFE Engineering Corporation andcommercially released after being the first system to receive model approval by the MLIT, was installed inAugust 2010 in the Emerald Leader, a vehicle carrier owned by NYK. Other ballast water countermeasures
are also being earnestly implemented. These include the FineBallast®OZ ozone-based ballast water processing
system, jointly developed by Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding, the Japan Association of Marine Safety, andfive other companies, which received approval by the MLIT in June 2011.

78

3 Ship exhaust gas emissions countermeasures

3 Ship exhaust gas emissions countermeasures
In order to reduce air pollution caused by Sulphur Oxides (SOx) emitted from ships, the Sulphur content inship fuel oil is being regulated on a global scale under the MARPOL Convention. Due to revisions to the
MARPOL Convention in 2008, the allowance of Sulphur content was strengthened from its previous level of
3.5% or less to 0.5% or less from January 2020.
In Japan, in order to smoothly handle the implementation of these strengthened regulations, the shipping
industry, oil industry, the MLIT and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry collaborated together andshared a mutual understanding on the range of fuel oil conditions and specifications complying with the
MARPOL Convention so that Japanese petroleum suppliers can provide a stable supply of oil while minimizing
an impact on ship safety and operation. For that purpose, the trial operation using actual ships was also
conducted.
Following the entry into force of the strengthened Sulphur content regulation, operations by the industry is
being followed up in order to ensure the smooth implementation of the regulations.
●International regulations for reducing Sulfur Oxide (SOx) and Particulate Matter (PM) emissions
2008 MARPOL Treaty Revision

Summary of SOx regulations

MARPOL Treaty

Generalsea areas•Through the revising of the MARPOL Convention in2008 by the International Maritime Organization (IMO),
the allowance of Sulphur content within fuel oil forships was globally strengthened from its previous levelof 3.5% or less to 0.5% or less from January 2020.

•For Japan, as an environmentally advanced country, it

Designatedsea areas
(ECA)

2012
4.5%

2020

2015

0.5%

3.5% (Class C heavy oil)

（Low sulfur fuel oil ）to1.0% (Equivalentclass A heavy oil)

0.1% (Equivalent to light oil)◆Designated sea areas
North Sea / Baltic Sea

North American
coast, etc

is necessary to appropriately handle the reduction of

the bad eﬀects on human health and the environment
from the SOx emissions of ships.

Source: MLIT (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)

79

Ⅳ．Measures in Response to Other Environmental Issues

4 Chemical substances countermeasures（1）Dioxin, etc. countermeasures
Dioxins are produced when garbage and other ●Dioxin, etc. countermeasuresmatter are burned. There are concerns about the harm

Dredging

these chemicals cause to the human body. The MLIT

Dredgedsediment（slurry）

Cycloneseparator

is studying dioxins and implementing countermeasures,

Vibratingstrainermonitoring marine pollution conditions, and carryingout other measures by establishing a“Fundamental
Policy Regarding Countermeasures Against Sediment
Dioxins”, technical guidelines concerning the removal

Sand andstones

Sediment which exceeds environmental
standards is removed by dredging, etc.

environmental standards for sediment, and revising theRivers, Lakes, etc.” (the River Manual) and theIntermediate
processing
Mechanicaldehydrator

Dehydrating
assistantMechanicaldehydration

Mud Slurrytank tank

Dehydrated
soil

Eﬀective use of separated sand

Reduction of volume of dredged sediment
Dried polluted
soil

MeltingHarmless slag

Melting
1400℃

of sediment in ports with dioxin levels exceeding“Manual of Sediment Dioxin Countermeasures forFine particles

Slag
Melting method
Polluted dredged sediment isbroken down and rendered harmless

Eﬀective use as soil material（Note） The ﬁgure above shows an overview of the processing and disposal process.
Speciﬁc methods in actual use may vary.

Source: MLIT (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo
Foundation)“Technical Guidelines Regarding Sediment Dioxin
Countermeasures for Ports”(the Port Guidelines).

（2）Endocrine disruptors countermeasures
Endocrine disruptors (environmental hormones) ●Endocrine disruptor website
disrupt the endocrine systems of people and wild
animals, producing a number of adverse effects such as
reducing sperm counts.
The need for countermeasures in response to theseendocrine disruptors is growing year by year. In
September 2008 the“International Convention on theControl of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems in Ships (AFS
Convention)”went into effect. This global convention
completely prohibits the use of ship hull antifouling
paint containing tributyltin (TBT), an endocrine
disruptor. The convention prohibits new application of
TBT paint, and requires ship owners to completely

Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare(Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)

remove all TBT paint already applied to ships, or to coat painted portions with a protective layer which
prevents leaching of TBT into seawater. All foreign ships entering Japanese ports are prohibited from using
TBT hull antifouling paint, so when the MLIT actively includes monitoring for TBT hull antifouling paintusage as part of its port state control (PSC) monitoring of whether arriving foreign ships are in conformancewith international conventions regarding marine safety and marine environmental conservation, with the aimof eliminating foreign ships on which toxic hull paint has been used.

80

4 Chemical substances countermeasures（3）Asbestos countermeasures● Asbestos countermeasurepamphletAsbestos, used in various facilities, such as warehouses and storage
sheds, present a life-threatening hazard. The buildings constructed in the
1970s and onwards, when large amounts of asbestos were imported, arereaching the ends of their lifespans and will be dismantled, so it isimportant to implement preemptive measures to prevent this work from
causing public harm.
The MLIT is following up on the status of asbestos removal andscatter prevention measures for facilities under its jurisdiction in orderto advance the removal of asbestos from existing buildings. In addition,measures for removing spray-applied asbestos insulation in existingbuildings are being promoted though activities such as subsidies forresidence and building safety stock formation operations and local
housing subsidies.

Source: MLIT

In conjunction with revisions to the Building Standards Act the use ofspray-applied asbestos insulation etc. in buildings has been prohibited, and Japan is disseminating informationin the form of asbestos removal work reference estimates, documents which assist with the process ofidentifying building materials containing asbestos (visually identifiable building materials containing asbestos),
by compiling databases of information regarding building materials containing asbestos, and preparing
pamphlets regarding building asbestos countermeasures. Japan is also implementing measures for thoroughly
ensuring the prevention of asbestos scattering or exposure during building dismantling.

（4）PRTR(Pollutant Release and Transfer Register) system
There is growing interest around the world in environmental ●PRTR pamphlet
pollutants such as environmental hormones and new chemical substances
produced by high-tech industry. In 1992 the UN Conference on
Environment and Development (Earth Summit) indicated the need for asystem for managing the discharge and movement of hazardous
chemicals in order to reduce their inherent risks.
In response, in 1999 Japan formulated the“Act on Confirmation, etc.
of Release Amounts of Specific Chemical Substances in the Environment
and Promotion of Improvements to the Management Thereof (PRTR
Law)”. This act defines a system for confirming, tabulating, and publicly
releasing data on which of a wide range of hazardous chemicals havebeen produced, by whom they were produced, how much of thechemicals have been released into the environment, and how much of
the chemicals have been taken off from company properties in the form

Source: METI and MOEof waste products. This system has been in effect since 2001.
Under this act, warehouse operators (limited to warehousing to store farm products or to store gas or liquidin storage tanks) and automobile maintenance operators are also required to report transfers of specified
chemical substances.

81

Ⅳ．Measures in Response to Other Environmental Issues

5 Ozone layer destruction prevention
The ozone layer which envelops the earth plays an important role in protecting life on the earth byabsorbing harmful ultraviolet radiation. When this ozone layer is damaged, it allows a greater amount of
hazardous ultraviolet radiation to pass through, increasing the incidence of skin cancer and cataracts andimpairing immunity in humans as well as affecting animal and plant ecosystems.
Fluorocarbons (CFCs and HCFCs), used as coolants in devices such as refrigerators and air conditioners, are
known to damage the ozone layer. Fluorocarbons are greenhouse gasses that are hundreds to tens of
thousands of times stronger than carbon dioxide, so it is important to prevent fluorocarbons used in devices(CFCs, HCFCs, and HFCs) from being discharged into the atmosphere in order to protect the ozone layer andprevent global warming.
The“Act on the Protection of the Ozone Layer Through the Control of Specified Substances and Other
Measures.,”passed in 1995, prohibited the manufacturing of specified fluorocarbons (CFCs), and the“Act for
Recycling of Specified Kinds of Home Appliances (the Appliance Recycling Act)”, passed in 2001, mandated
the reclamation of fluorocarbons from domestic refrigerators and air conditioners. In 2002“the Act
Concerning the Recovery and Destruction of Fluorocarbons (the Fluorocarbon Recovery and DestructionAct)”mandated the recovery of fluorocarbons from industrial air conditioning and refrigeration equipment
and vehicle air conditioners.
With regard to the recovery of fluorocarbons from vehicle air conditioners and subsequent destruction, due
to the fact that vehicle air conditioners are constituent components of automobiles, in January 2005 they were
excluded from the scope of the“Fluorocarbon Recovery and Destruction Act”, and regulated together withthe disposal of vehicle bodies and engines under“the Act on Recycling, etc. of End-of-Life Vehicles”, which
regulates the appropriate processing and disposal of end-of-life vehicles.
In response to a rapid increase in emissions of fluorocarbons (HFCs) with very strong greenhouse effects,
particularly those used as coolants in air conditioning and refrigeration equipment, in June 2013 theFluorocarbon Recovery and Destruction Act was revised to require that the manufacturers of fluorocarbons
and devices which use fluorocarbons, and the users of industrial air conditioning and refrigeration equipment,
rationalize fluorocarbon use and appropriately manage fluorocarbons. It also established mechanisms such as afluorocarbon filling operator registration system and a recycling operator licensing system, and the name of
the law was changed to the“Act on the Rational Use and Management of Fluorocarbons (Fluorocarbon
Discharge Prevention Act)”.
●Changes in global amount of ozone over timeAmount of ozone worldwide
Except for low latitudes, the average amount of ozone worldwide, as measured terrestrially and from satellites, fell significantly from the
1980s to the early 1990s. Since the late 1990s it has remained constant or increased slightly, but the total amount of ozone remains
low.
Satellite observation data

Deviation

Terrestrial observation data

（Year）

This graph shows the percentage of increase or decrease in the average amount of ozone worldwide compared to the average amountfor the 1970 to 1980 period.* These value changes have been adjusted to eliminate the influence of seasonal variation. The solid lines
indicate data from terrestrial observation sites, and the dots indicate averaged satellite observation data between N70 and S70 degrees
latitude. The terrestrial observation site data was supplied by the World Ozone and Ultraviolet Radiation Data Centre. The satellite
observation data was obtained from data supplied by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Note: The period before the prominent damage to the ozone layer82

5 Ozone layer destruction prevention●Overview of the Fluorocarbon Discharge Prevention Act（1）Reduce amount of new chloroﬂuorocarbon
produced through conversion and reuse ofexisting chloroﬂuorocarbons（Strict observation of evaluation criteria）（2）Promotion of coolant conversion（switchover to chloroﬂuorocarbon-freeand low GWP chloroﬂuorocarbon
Product manufacturer
products）（Strict observation of evaluation criteria）

Chloroﬂuorocarbon
manufacturer

Low GWP /Natural cooling
products

Low GWP /Natural cooling
Chloroﬂuorocarbons

Partial recycling
and reuse（3）Proper management ofcommercial device coolant（Reduction of leakage during usage）（Strict observation of evaluation criteria,leak reporting）（5）Recycling and destruction optimization（operation licensing system, strict observanceof recycling and destruction criteria, issuing ofcertiﬁcations, recording and reporting, etc.）

User

Regularinspection
Leakage volume
calculation andreportingRepairs whennecessary

Filling and reclamation
operator（ﬁlling）

Destruction
obligation

Destruction operator,
recycling operator

Filling and reclamation
operator（reclamation）（4）Filling optimization andreclamation obligation（operation licensing system,
strict observance of ﬁlling andreclamation criteria, issuing ofcertiﬁcations, recording andreporting, etc.）

Source: METI and MOE (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)●Fluorocarbon Discharge Prevention Act pamphlet

Fluorocarbons must be reclaimed
whenever performing disassembly work!
Under the Act on the Rational Use and Proper Management of
Fluorocarbons (Fluorocarbon Release Prevention Act), ﬂuorocarbons
must be reclaimed when disposing of commercial air conditioners,
refrigerators, or freezers which use ﬂuorocarbons (CFC, HCFC, and HFC).
It is against the law to allow ﬂuorocarbons to bereleased into the atmosphere when performing disassembly work.

Examples of devices which use ﬂuorocarbons(commercial refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners)
In oﬃce buildings

Water coolers

In dining establishments

Package A/C
Commercial freezers
and refrigerators

In supermarkets
Package A/C GHP(gas heat pump A/C)

In town
Package A/C

Package A/C

Vending machines
Chilled showcases
Turbo freezers

Icemakers

Beer servers

Freezer showcases

Spot A/C
Transport freezer andrefrigerator units
Transport A/C

Water
coolers
Air handling units(chiller secondary units)

The penalty for reckless releasing of
ﬂuorocarbons is imprisonment of for up
to 1 year or a ﬁne of up to 500 thousand yen.
Source: METI and MOE (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)

83

Ⅳ．Measures in Response to Other Environmental Issues●Overview of the Act on Recycling, etc. of End-of-Life Vehicles process

Recycling fund manager
JARC

Payment

Three category item
receipt manifests
Deposit ofrecycling fees

Automobile
manufacturers /importers

OwnersPayment
for recovery

ELVcollectors
Deliverymanifests

Airbags

Fluorocarbon
recoveryoperators
Receipt
manifests

Shredderresidue

ELVs

ELVs

Fluorocarbons

Payment
for recovery

Dismantled
vehiclesELVsReceipt
manifests

Designatedrecyclingorganization
JARC

Dismantlers

Deliverymanifests

Receipt
manifests

Deliverymanifests

ShredderShredderoperators
Receipt
manifests

Deliverymanifests

Information management center
JARC

ELV ﬂow

Information
ﬂow

Payment ﬂow

Source: Japan Automobile Recycling Promotion Center (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)84

6 Global environmental observation and monitoring

6 Global environmental observation and monitoring
Implementing appropriate environmental problem countermeasures in the transport sector requires theaccurate assessment of air and sea changes through steady, long-term observation and monitoring. Diverse
air, sea, and other observation and monitoring are being implemented by global monitoring networks.

（1）Climate change observation and monitoring
International efforts aimed at tackling global ●Atmospheric environment monitoring network
environmental issues such as global warming are being
enhaced. In addition to its previous ongoing efforts, theJMA is implementing the following measures inaccordance with the“Strategic Policy Regarding Future
Global Environmental Operations”, formulated andGreenhouse gas, etc. observation(Showa Station (Antarctica) only
performs terrestrial ozone observation)

Navigation routes of observation ships
Sunlight radiation observation
Ozone layer / ultraviolet
sunlight observation

Sapporo(Minamitorishima Island only performs
ozone layer observation)

Observation of chemicalcomposition of precipitation

Ryori

Showa Station(Antarctica)

Tsukuba

Fukuokaannounced in 2008.

Ryofumaru

In order to assess greenhouse gas conditions, theYonaguni

Ishigakijima
Keifumaru

amount of CO2 in the atmosphere is being measured atthree locations in Japan and the amount of CO2 in thesurface sea water and the air above the northwest PacificMinamitorishima

Naha

Source: JMA (Tentative translation by
Eco-Mo Foundation)

Ocean is being measured by marine weather observation vessels. Furthermore, since 2009 precise sunlightand infrared radiation measurements have been performed at five locations in Japan.
Sea level increases levels caused by global warming are also being monitored, and information is being
released regarding long-term sea level changes along the coast of Japan.
In order to achieve more accurate climate change monitoring and seasonal forecasts, a“Long Term ReAnalysis Project”is being carried out in conjunction with the Central Research Institute of Electric Power
Industry. This project analyzes past global atmosphere conditions using consistent methodology, and thefindings of the project are being released to research organizations in Japan and abroad.
“Climate change monitoring reports”and“Anomalous weather reports”are created based on observation
results, and views on annual climate changes, anomalous weather, and global warming conditions and changes
are also released.

Carbon dioxide concentration●Changes in carbon dioxide concentrations inJapan and global concentration distributionof carbon dioxide (3 measurement points)
Ryori

Minamitorishima●Climate change monitoring report

Yonagunijima（Year）

Planetary CO₂ concentration distribution
April 1987

April 1997

Low

April 2007

High

Changes in carbon dioxide concentration over time at Ryori, Minamitorishima, and Yonagunijima (top)Changes in planetary carbon dioxide concentrations calculated from observation results (bottom)

Source: MLIT (Tentative translation
by Eco-Mo Foundation)

Source: JMA

85

Ⅳ．Measures in Response to Other Environmental Issues（2）Himawari 8 and 9
Himawari 8 and 9 are the successors to the Himawari 7 ●Monitoring capability improvements provided
by Himawari 8/9(MTSAT-2) satellite, a multipurpose transport satellite
currently in operation. Himawari 8 was launched in

Doubled horizontal resolution
Himawari 6/7

Himawari 8/9

Visible1km

VisibleInfrared 4km

Infrared

October 7, 2014, and after performing confirmation testingof its functionality while it orbited, full-fledged operation
began on July 7, 2015, taking over from Himawari 7.

High resolution

0.5-1km Visible
2km

Himawari 6/7

Himawari 8/9

1 band（B/W）

2 bands（Color）

None

3 bands

4 bands

10 bands

Development of
new perspectives

Reduced full disk observation time
Near

Himawari 9 was launched in 2016, and will remain in orbit

10 min infrared
30 minin standby until 2022. Himawari 8 and 9 have radiometers

10 min10 min Infrared(AHI) which use cutting edge observation technologies, andHigh frequency observation
Every 2.5 min inarea around Japantheir deployment ahead of other US and European next
generation still imaging satellites has drawn international

Increased number of bands（channels）

High frequency

attention.

Phenomena
analysis innovation

5 channels
Increased range of
observation types

16 channels
More advanced
satellite products

Source: JMA (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo
Foundation)（3）Sea observation and monitoring
The sea absorbs CO2, a greenhouse gas, and retains heat, moderating global warming. Sea changes are
intrinsically linked to typhoons and anomalous weather conditions, so accurately assessing sea conditions is an
important part of responding to global environmental problems.
In order to immediately monitor and assess sea changes throughout the world the MLIT is coordinatingwith other related ministries and agencies, engaging in international collaboration with organizations such as
the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to carry out the Argo project, deploying devices (Argo floats)around the world to automatically observe conditions within the sea.
●Overview of Argo project monitoring and Argo float distribution

Surface
Deployed

1000m
Sinks to 1000m and drift

Middle layer
2000m

Sinks to 2000m once every 10 days, and rises
measuring water temperature and salinity

Argo ﬂoats deployed at sea by marine weather
observation vessels or other vessels sink to a depthof approximately 2,000m every 10 days and thenrise again, obtaining vertical water temperature andsalinity data and automatically reporting it bytransmitting it via satellite.

Worldwide distribution of Argo ﬂoats reporting data
within the past month（3,902 ﬂoats as of February
4,2021. 217 of these ﬂoats are Japanese, indicatedwith a（●）.）

Source: MLIT and Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)86

6 Global environmental observation and monitoring

The JMA collects and analyzes data from various sources, such as observation vessels, Argo floats, andsatellites, and releases“Marine Health Diagnosis Tables”, comprehensive diagnoses and future predictions
regarding sea change conditions related to the global environment.
The Japan Coast Guard's Japan Oceanographic Data Center collects and manages sea data from Japanese
oceanic research organizations, and provides it to related organizations and the general public.

●“Marine Health Diagnosis Table”
Yearly average sea surface temperature (global average) annual deviation trend■ Diagnosis (2018)•In 2018, the sea surface temperature was 0.22°C higher than the average annual sea surface temperature (global average). Thiswas fourth highest value since statistics were first recorded in 1891.
•The average annual sea surface temperature (global average) is changing due to marine and atmospheric changes, global warming,etc., on a scale of several years to several decades. The long-term trend has been an increase of 0.54°C per century.

Trend=0.54 (°C/100 years)

Sea surface temperature annual deviation (°C)

Average annual value: Average for 1981 to 2010Year
Annualdeviation

5 yearmoving averageLong-termchange trend

Average annual sea surface temperature (global average) annual deviation trend
Values for individual years are connected with a black line. 5 year moving average values areconnected with a blue line. The long-term change trend is indicated with a red line.
The average annual value is the average value for the 30 year period from 1981 to 2010.

Source: JMA (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)（4）Ozone layer observation and monitoring
In order to protect the ozone layer, which absorbs●UV index (max daily values)

harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun, the production,use, and trading of fluorocarbons and other ozone layer

INDEX

destroying substances is internationally regulated by the“Montreal Protocol”and other agreements and conventions.
The JMA releases the results of ozone and ultraviolet
radiation observation on a yearly basis. It also provides
daily data regarding ultraviolet radiation in the form of a
UV index, easy-to-understand numerical data indicating thestrength of ultraviolet radiation.

Source: JMA

87

Ⅳ．Measures in Response to Other Environmental Issues（5）Promotion of regular observation at the south pole
The Geospatial Information Authority creates topographical and other maps based on reference point
measurements, gravity measurements, continuous GPS observation, bare rock area change measurements,
and photographic measurements. The results contribute to research regarding global environmental changes
in the south pole area, etc., and international activities focusing on land measurement and geographicalinformation.
At the Showa Base the JMA is performing continuous sunlight, radiation, and land and high altitude
meteorological observation. This observation is effectively utilized in international measures, contributing toclimate change research and monitoring of the south pole ozone hole.
The Japan Coast Guard carries out sea floor topological surveys. It also performs tidal observation, which
contributes to monitoring of sea level changes, which are closely linked to global warming.

●Total ozone distribution map in the Antarctic region (October) 1979 to 2020
Distribution of average ozone levels in October in the Antarctic region in 1979, before the southern hemisphere ozone hole appeared, and in 2020.
The region with a concentration of 220m atm-cm or less in the ozone hole.
Created by the JMA based on satellite data provided by NASA.

October 1979

October 2020

Created by the JAM based on satellite data provided by NASA

Source: JMA and NASA (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)88

7 Adaptation Measures for Climate Change in the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Sectors

7 Adaptation Measures for Climate Change in theLand, Infrastructure and Transport Sectors
In order to deal with the effects from climate change that accompany global warming, not only“mitigation”
by restraining greenhouse gas emissions, but also“adaptation”to the already appearing effects and the longterm effects should be promoted.
The MLIT, which controls various sectors including territory preservation and is responsible for making
territories and regions safe and secure, established the“MLIT Climate Change Adaptation Plan”in November
2015, and afterwards in November 2018 carried out a revision that takes into account the latest policies.
The transport and infrastructure sector is already experiencing subway flooding and slope collapses causedby record rainfalls and typhoons, transport interruptions due to snowfall, and other problems. In the future
heavy rains, strong typhoons, and violent weather phenomena such as tornados are expected to occur more
frequently, and there are concerns of growing climate risks.
Given these situation, there is a strong need to smoothly secure infrasturactures and personnel.
●Overview of the MLIT Climate Change Adaptation Plan (Summary of policies by sector)
Potential impact of climate change on transport and infrastructure(Natural disasters)
Frequent flooding, extremely large-scale flooding, increase in landslide frequency, significant impact on harbors and coasts(Water resources/environment)
Greater drought frequency, water quality changes(Peoples’ lives, industrial activity, etc.) Increased risks to transport infrastructure, large-scale rise in temperatures in urban areas, impact of storm andflood damage on distribution and tourism
Natural disasters

Water resources/environment¡Flood damage• Use facilities to prevent disasters involving flooding and relatively frequent external
forces from occurring• When facilities are subject to external forces which exceed their capacity, mobilize all
Frequency of inundations above floor level
personnel to implement measures to minimize damage• Disaster risk evaluation• Disaster risk information sharing
1) Disaster prevention measures for external forces with relatively high disaster risks• Thorough facility maintenance• Improvement of functionality of existing facilities• Design of facilities to minimize reworking, etc.
Frequency of inundations
above floor level2) Disaster mitigation measures for external forces which exceed facility capacities① Facility measures involving operation, structure, maintenance procedures, etc.
② Flood mitigation measures integrated with town planning and community development③ Evacuation, first-aid activity, business continuity, and other preparation¡Landslide disasters• Measures to address rise in landslide frequency, deep-seated landslide countermeasures• Warning and evacuation for landslides with little lead time
[Use in detailed disaster risk information• Land usage, dwelling styles, etc., that take disaster risks into consideration
evacuation decisions, town planning, etc.]¡High tides and tidal waves, etc
1) Harbors• Sea phenomena monitoring and regular evaluation for harbors• Countermeasures for external forces which exceed protection levels, etc.
2) Coasts• Disaster risk evaluation and countermeasures for individual disaster risks• Enhancement of coastal erosion countermeasures, etc.

¡Water resources• Measures for thoroughly leveraging existing facilities, using rainwater and reclaimed water, minimizing critical drought damage, etc.
¡Water environments• Monitoring and forecasting related research, water quality improvement measures

Infrastructure
measures¡Promotion and awareness raising, information provision• Promotion and awareness raising regarding disaster prevention and climate change information• Provision of geospatial information, etc.

Daily life/urban life
¡Transport infrastructure• (Rail) Flooding countermeasures for subway stations, etc.
• (Harbors) Business continuity plan (harbor BCP) formulation• (Airports) Hazard maps, airport snow removal system review and revision• (Roads) Safety, high reliability road network improvement, promotion of
telephone pole-free design, Active use of bicycle[Subway station flood prevention
using water blocking boards]• (Distribution) Distribution BCP, improvement of disaster support･supply
storage agreements, countermeasures for transport obstacles for rail cargo
movement¡Heat islands• Ground surface covering improvements (promotion of installation of rooftop
gardens on private land and public spaces, etc., urban park improvement,
treated sewage water usage, etc.)• Reduction of artificial exhaust heat (energy savings in houses and buildings, promotion of [Rooftop gardens on private land]
low-emission vehicles, more use of bicycle, promotion of usage houses of sewage heat, etc.)¡Observation, research, and technical development• Climate, sea level, and land observation and monitoring• Climate change forecasting, analysis of snow and ice environment change trends, etc.
• Impact of growing external forces on flooding and inland water measures and countermeasures

Industrial/
economic activity• Use of Northern
Sea routeArchitec Sea• Measures for providing
information to foreign
travelers andcountermeasures fordamages by rumors¡International contributions• Global provision of Japanese disaster sector technologies and expertise• Participation in international observation, monitoring, and research, etc.

Source: MLIT (Tentative translation by Eco-Mo Foundation)89

List of Abbreviations
BRT (Bus Rapid Transit)
CMP (Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol)
CNG (Compressed Natural Gas)
COP (Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC)EDMC (the Energy Data and Modelling Center)
ELV (End-of-Life Vehicle)
ETC (Electronic Toll Collection System)
EU (European Union)
GIO (The Greenhouse Gas Inventory Office of Japan)
ICT (Information and Communication Technology)
INDC (Intended Nationally Determined Contribution)
IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)
ISO (International Organization for Standardization)
ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems)
JCM (Joint Crediting Mechanism)
JMA (Japan Meteorological Agency)
LED (Light Emitting Diode)
LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas)LPAA (Lima-Paris Action Agenda)
LRT (Light Rail Transit)
METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry)
MLIT (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism)
MOE (Ministry of the Environment)
NASA (US National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
NIES (The National Institute for Environmental Studies)
NPA (National Police Agency)
OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development)
PM (Particulate Matter)
RFA (the Railway Freight Association)
SPM (Suspended Particulate Matter)
UNCRD (United Nations Centre for Regional Development)
UNFCCC (the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change)
VVVF (Variable Voltage Variable Frequency)
WDCGG (World Data Centre for Greenhouse Gases)

90

Transport and Environment in Japan 2021
Published October 2021

Publisher
Foundation for Promoting Personal Mobility and Ecological Transportation
Goban-cho KU Bldg. 10, Goban-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0076, JapanTEL+81-3-3221-7637

FAX+81-3-3221-6674

URL

http://www.ecomo.or.jp/