Fig. 2-1 Progress of waste management and 3R

Reinforcement of laws and policies	Change of organization	Technological development
1954 The Public Cleansing Law
1967 The Basic Law for Environmental Pollution Control
1970 The Waste Management Law (Introduced the responsibility of waste-generating business)	1971 Environment Agency established	Improvement of hygiene
1976 Revision of the Waste Management Law (Clarified enterprise's responsibility for industrial waste disposal)	Measures against hazardous substances
1991 Revision of the Waste Management Law (Reduction of waste generation and recycling of waste)
The Law to Promote Recycled Resource Use
1995 The Law for the Recycling of Containers and Packages
1997 Revision of the Waste Management Law (Measures against illegal dumping, etc.)
1998 The Home Appliances Recycling Law
2000 The Law for the Recycling of Construction Material
The Fundamental Law for Establishing a Sound Material-cycle Society
The Law for the Promotion of Effective Utilities of Resources
The Food Waste Recycling Law
2001 PCB Special Measures Law	2001 Ministry of the Environment established
2002 The End-of-life Vehicle Recycling Law	(Responsibility for the control of waste transferred to the Ministry of the Environment)	Reduce, reuse
2003 Fundamental Plan for Establishing a Sound Material-cycle Society

Source: Ministry of the Environment

This section outlines various technologies that support the SMS of Japan, for example the following: waste-related technology for improving public health; hazardous substance countermeasure technology for reducing influences on human health and the ecosystem; 3R-related technology for enabling the 3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle) of waste; and resource recycling technology that focuses on major metals. While some of these technologies were introduced from other advanced countries and used until now, there are also many technologies that have been developed by Japan. These original Japan technologies have the possibility of contributing significantly to the appropriate management of waste and the promotion of 3R activities, especially in Asian regions. For example, Japan has been promoting incineration, considering its hot humid climate in summer, in order to sanitarily and rapidly dispose of waste. Japan’s technology and experience can be shared with Asian countries that also have hot, humid climates.

### 1. Improvement in Hygiene

The main purpose of waste management is to maintain a sanitary and comfortable living environment. The Public Cleansing Law was enacted in 1954 for the purpose of “improving public health by sanitarily disposing of waste and cleaning the living environment.” The sanitary disposal of waste has contributed to the improvement in hygiene in Japan. For example, sanitary disposal of waste prevents vast numbers of mosquitoes and flies from breeding and is thought to be one factor that has enabled the Japanese to acquire a taste for raw food in their diet.

With the growth of the Japanese economy and resultant industrial development, waste generation became an issue, such as areas of polluted water due to illegally dumped waste oil. So, the Public Cleansing Law was amended in 1970 to become the Waste Management and Public Cleansing Law (hereinafter called "the Waste Management Law"). The present waste management law is enacted for the purpose of "preserving the living environment and improving public health through the restriction of waste discharge, appropriate sorting, storage, collection, transport, recycling, disposal, or the like of waste and conservation of a clean living environment" (Article 1). The term "appropriate sorting, storage, collection, transport, recycling, disposal" clarifies how to