Figure4-1 Outline of the Act on the Evaluation of Chemical Substances and Regulation of Their Manufacture, etc.

□Aim to prevent environmental pollutions by hazardous chemical substances

□Two pillars of evaluation and regulation of chemical substances

### 1. Evaluation

New chemical substances being manufactured or imported, pre-marketing evaluations are conducted for:

①Biodegradability,

②Bio-accumulation,

③Toxicity for human, and living organisms.

The evaluation is to be conducted rationally, depending on the volume of manufacturing or import and the possibility of release into the environment.

### 2. Regulations

Regulations on the manufacturing, import or use are to be implemented according to characteristics of the chemical substance concerned based on the results of pre-marketing evaluation for new chemicals and the assessment for existing chemicals that had been in the market before the enactment of the Law.

Category	Regulatory measures
Class 1 Specified Chemical Substances (16 substances including PCB)	·Virtually ban on manufacturing, import or use
Class 2 Specified Chemical Substances (23 substances including trichloroethylene)	·Mandatory reporting of planned and actual manufactured or imported ·Restriction on the manufactured or imported amounts, as necessary ·Compliance with technical guidelines as to treatment
Monitoring chemical substances	·Mandatory reporting on actual manufactured and imported amounts ·Move to the category “specified chemical substance” according to the results of hazard assessment, risk evaluation, etc.
Class 1: 36 substances Class 2: 921 substances Class 3: 124 substances

Note: The number of substances mentioned above is as of the end of March 2009.

Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and Ministry of the Environment

Figure4-2 Top 10 Chemicals of Reported Releases and Transfers and Estimated Releases Outside Notification (FY2007)

Source: Ministry of the Environment

Figure4-3 Changes in Total Dioxin Emissions

Decrease rate from the year 1997 (%)

Base year	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
49.0~51.9	60.6~62.6	68.8~68.9	75.2~75.3	87.7~88.1	95.1~95.2	95.5	95.6	96.1~96.2	96.2~96.3

Source: Ministry of the Environment

In recent years, there is concern that the environmental risk for children is increasing, and children's environmental health is being paid attention internationally. In order to assess the impacts of environmental risks (including chemical substances and living environment) on children's growth, it is also important to monitor groups of people with an epidemiological approach. The government has set up the "Japan Environment & Children's Study" in order to implement a fresh birth cohort (follow-up) research to follow up children's development from the fetal stage through childhood, and the preparations are in progress.

With regard to measures on poison gas munitions in Japan, the ministry, in line with Cabinet approval in June 2003 and the Cabinet decision in December 2003, is implementing environmental research from the point of view to prevent damages from occurring from these munitions. The Ministry of the Environment is collecting data at the Poison Gas Information Center, established in the ministry, and spreading information via the Internet and leaflets, etc. to prevent damage from occurring.