Silviase/jgov_v1.4_full_ann huggingface dataset:
# Figure 4-3-13 Examples of waste disposal and collected items

Collection of useful metals from wastes considered difficult to dispose of and wastes containing hazardous materials and potentially having a serious impact on the environment if released

Source : Japan Mining Industry Association

### A. Northern Akita Prefecture

In the northern part of Akita Prefecture, which was once one of the world's richest mining areas, a project to recycle metals by making use of the local mines and refineries is now underway. Based on the zero-emissions concept, which aims to completely eliminate waste by using all industrial waste as raw materials in other sectors, the region has been approved under the Eco-town program which seeks to create communities in harmony with the environment while also fostering regional development. The region now serves as a wide-area recycling center for metals, including rare metals (Figure4-3-14).
# Figure 4-3-14 Eco-town projects

Eco-town projects

This is a program based on the zero-emissions concept, which aims to completely eliminate waste through the use of all waste from industry as raw materials in other sectors. Eco-town projects seek to create communities in harmony with the environment while fostering regional development. To date, 26 regions have been approved.

One project related to rare metals is the “Northern Akita Prefecture Eco-town Plan” (approved in November 1999), which intends to promote metal recycling in a region that was once one of the world's richest mining areas, by using its mine and refinery facilities.

☑ Outline of the Northern Akita Prefecture Eco-town Plan

Facilities	Operating entity	Project description
Home appliance recycling facilities	Eco-Recycle Co., Ltd.	◆Recycles four types of home appliances pursuant to the Home Appliance Recycling Law, along with office equipment (6,000 t/yr in throughput)
Four types of home appliances, etc.
Nonferrous metal collection facilities	Ecosystem Kosaka Co., Ltd.	Shredder dustWaste circuit boards
Metallic vapor collection furnace
Collects metals from circuit boards containing valuable metals (removed from end-of-life home appliances) by using them as recycled raw materials in a refinery (50,000 t/yr in throughput)
Facilities for manufacturing new building materials from waste plastic	Akita wood Co., Ltd.	Mixes waste plastic with waste wood to produce energy-efficient construction materials by extrusion molding.
Coal ash and waste plastic recycling facilities	Akita Eco Plash Co., Ltd.	By using wastes such as plastic containers and packaging, produces secondary plastic products (materials for electrical facilities and construction materials)

Source : Ministry of the Environment

A private enterprise initiative in this region, carried out in cooperation with the Secretariat of the Basel Convention and participating Asian countries, is planning a project to collect used mobile phones from Asia and recover resources from them.

### B. Kawasaki City

Kawasaki City has developed its coastal “Kawasaki Eco-town,” which aims to minimize environmental burdens on the region and create a sustainable society in which industrial activities are in harmony with the environment. In this Eco-town, local companies seek to reduce environmental impact factors in every aspect of their activities, from production through to the disposal of their products. As well as promoting such company-level efforts, the Eco-town strives to establish a regional resource cycle through collaboration among companies and the use of recycling facilities. The material flow in Kawasaki Eco-town indicates that cyclical use has increased within Kawasaki (Figure4-3-15).
Figure 4-3-15 Material flow of waterfront area

Source : National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan

### C. Kitakyushu City

Based on its experience in overcoming serious pollution problems, and having already implemented Eco-towns and other projects for the establishment of a SMC, Kitakyushu City has been cooperating with other Asian regions on environmental issues. In an effort to construct a mechanism for international resource circulation, the city is conducting a field trial for waste tracking using IC tags. In this trial, waste circuit boards are imported from Asian countries for advanced recycling, while waste plastics are exported back to those areas. The city is also acting as a center for international resource circulation in other ways, considering such things as the inclusion of safe and secure gateway functions in its Eco-town and port, including inspection and formality execution and the certification capability needed for traceability information management (Figure4-3-16) (Table 4-3-1).
Figure 4-3-16 Kitakyushu City's efforts

Source : Documents provided by the Central Environmental Council
In the case of biomass CRs, Biomass Town projects are already underway in many municipalities, in line with the Comprehensive Biomass Nippon Strategy, and based on community-based or local circulation. As of the end of April 2008, 141 municipal governments have announced their Biomass Town projects. A biomass town is an area in which a total regional biomass utilization system is established through joint efforts by a variety of regional entities, efficiently connecting every biomass-related process from generation through to utilization, and in which biomass is, or is expected to be, steadily and appropriately used. It is hoped that these towns will contribute to regional revitalization (Figure4-3-17).

Figure 4-3-17 Biomass town vision

○ A biomass town is an area in which a total local biomass utilization system is established through joint efforts by a variety of local entities, efficiently connecting every biomass-related process, from generation to utilization, and in which biomass is, or is expected to be, steadily and appropriately used.

Source : Documents provided by the Central Environmental Council

As part of this strategy, the government will develop structures for local production for local consumption in the fields of food and energy, in accordance with regional characteristics (e.g., large cities vs. provincial towns) and through collaboration among the various entities concerned. One example is a program to certify food recycling loops under the Food Waste Recycling Law. The government will also foster the development of so-called local community businesses, continuously engaged in for-profit recycling activities such as the composting of kitchen garbage collected and disposed of by municipal governments or private enterprises and the production of feed or biofuel from waste oil. The effective use of biomass materials such as livestock manure and sewage sludge will also be promoted.

CRs derived from products and CRs containing exhaustive resources will be fully subject to measures under the recycling laws and the Law for the Promotion of Effective Utilities of Resources, with a view towards wider-area circulation. The wide-area certification and recycling certification programs under the Waste Management Law will also be appropriately used for these CRs. Through inter-industry collaborations, the multi-stage recycling of CRs will be fostered by further restricting the resource input into supply chains and by promoting the
Factors behind the reduction in the number of mobile handsets collected

*The survey was conducted among 2,000 people over the Internet in May 2007. The respondents were allowed to choose multiple answers. Source : TCA and CIAJ

The Eco-town program should be effective for such wide-area SMC blocks. This program was instituted in FY 1997 with the aim of promoting advanced community development projects, in harmony with nature, by using the zero-emissions concept (completely eliminating all kinds of wastes through the use of all industrial wastes as raw materials in other sectors) as the basic concept for communities trying to establish an eco-friendly economy and society, and by fostering this concept as the key to regional development. To date, 26 Eco-towns have been approved. They are expected to act as centers for wide-area regional circulation.

With regard to the medium- and long-distance transport of CRs, the government will work towards implementing a venous distribution network that has a low impact on the environment, by making the most of rail and marine transport. In particular, more efficient marine transport will be pursued through the promotion of recycling ports (Figure4-3-18).

As a major precondition for these initiatives, the government will ensure the correct use and disposal of CRs (e.g., correct waste disposal) and the conservation of the living environment. Considering the potential presence of regions where the amount of CRs, the availability of facilities to handle them, and demand for recycled products are not in balance, the government will also foster regional alliances based on appropriate information.
# Figure 4-3-18 Subsidy program to support circulative resource handling (other facilities expenses) [established in FY 2005]

FY 2006 : Outlaid as part of 800 million yen government expenditures

FY 2007 : Outlaid as part of 1 billion yen government expenditures

• Eligible entities: Any legal person which a local government invests in or finances (e.g., third-sector companies)

• Rate of assistance by subsidies : One third of the total project costs in any region

• Eligible projects

Projects which construct facilities to warehouse or store circulative resources in order to facilitate the efficient handling of CRs at ports designated as recycling ports.

Source : Documents provided by the Central Environmental Council

## (2) Advances in technologies and systems

The establishment of SMC blocks, as mentioned above, calls for the development of suitable technologies to underpin them. By advancing the development of 3R-related technologies and systems, the government will promote efforts to achieve the 3Rs across the entire product life cycle and the entire supply chain, which will then contribute to the formation of SMC blocks. This requires effectively forging ahead with the R&D and commercialization of 3R technologies and systems, as well as the development and commercial application of 3R-oriented business models, with product life cycles and supply chains also taken into consideration.

During the manufacturing phase, it is important to decide priorities based on the toxicity of the materials to be used and the rarity of the metals and other substances present, and to further the advancement of those technologies and systems needed to design and manufacture DfE (Design for Environment) products in accordance with the functionality and properties of each product.

In the recycling phase where end-of-life or used products are subject to cyclical use or appropriate disposal, it must be ensured that product/component reuse, material recycling, raw material recycling, energy recovery and use, and correct disposal are all conducted step by step.

As well as focusing on each individual stage, including the reuse, recycling, energy recovery/use, and disposal stages, it is essential that technologies and systems be improved in
order to reduce the impact on the environment associated with the cyclical use and disposal of materials. Strategically advancing technologies and systems to make the most of regenerable biomass materials is, therefore, just as important.

Furthermore, by integrating technologies that can evaluate the effects of the above 3R technologies and systems with other individual technologies, systems and social systems, the government will strategically promote the development of design technologies to implement a 3R-oriented production and consumption system (Table 4-3-2).
## 1 Formulating an East Asia Sound Material-Cycle Society Vision

As explained in Chapter 1, the world is facing worsening waste management problems, a shortage of resources and energy, and an associated increase in the transboundary movement of CRs (Figure4-4-1). These all emphasize the need to create an international sound material-cycle (SMC) society as soon as possible.

Figure 4-4-1 International resource circulation

Waste plastic material flows between Japan, China and Hong Kong in 2007 (only showing flows of at least 5,000 tons)

Source : National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan

Japan’s Fundamental Law for Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society defines a SMC Society as one in which natural resource consumption is curbed and the burden on the environment is reduced, and which can be created by ensuring that (i) products are prevented from becoming waste, (ii) any wastes generated are used appropriately as resources whenever possible, and (iii) wastes with no uses at all are disposed of responsibly. An international SMC Society can be considered as a SMC Society established at the global level. The basic principles involved in the creation
of an international SMC are :

1) Creating a domestic SMC Society in each individual country first,

2) Enhancing efforts to prevent illegal waste imports and exports, and then

3) Facilitating imports/exports of CRs.

These principles were agreed among Asian countries at the Second Asia 3R Conference in 2008.

Creating a SMC Society in East Asia in line with these basic principles, with the properties of CRs also taken into consideration, is not only beneficial to East Asian countries but also meaningful in the context of sustainable development across the region. In addition, an East Asian SMC Society designed to allow optimal movements of CRs can also contribute to combating global warming and solving resource and energy issues. To achieve results such as these, Japan should share its experience with other countries and effectively and efficiently promote relevant efforts by combining initiatives to improve East Asian countries' capability to responsibly use and process CRs with initiatives to ensure the appropriate transboundary movement of CRs.

If this approach fails, the closely interrelated societies and economies of the East Asian region could face crises such as the expansion of environmental pollution and the exhaustion of resources. East Asian countries therefore share a common destiny and need to work in cooperation in order to realize a scenario for the responsible use and disposal of CRs in line with a common vision to establish a SMC Society.

Japan therefore plans to formulate an East Asia Sound Material-Cycle Society Vision by 2012, stipulating the basic principles and targets for the development of an East Asian SMC, as set forth in the Fundamental Plan for Establishing a SMC Society.

To achieve this goal, Japan is implementing several measures designed to improve East Asian countries' internal capability to responsibly use and process CRs. These measures include (i) support for the formulation of national 3R plans and strategies, (ii) policy dialogue, (iii) establishment of 3R-related information center and research networks, (iv) technology cooperation on the 3Rs and waste management and assistance for the development of associated infrastructure, and (v) international dissemination of 3R and waste management technologies. Japan is also working to ensure the appropriate transboundary movement of CRs by (i) strengthening the enforcement structure for Japanese regulations regarding illegal imports and exports, and clarifying which items are subject to regulation, and (ii) supporting joint initiatives with Asian countries to foster information exchange and improve the relevant authorities' enforcement capacity. The details of these initiatives are described in the following sections.

## 2 Establishing a SMC Society in Asia and provision of cooperation tailored to the needs

It is essential that Japan contribute to the improvement of Asian countries' capability for CR use and processing so that they can implement the 3Rs and responsible waste management as a step
was conducted between director-general level officials from Japan and the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection (formerly the State Environmental Protection Administration) in March 2007 in Beijing (the first time) and in March 2008 in Tokyo (the second time). The two counties discussed the importance of bilateral cooperation on measures to counter hazardous waste and waste import and export controls. Japan also conducted talks at a similar level with China's National Development and Reform Commission in the Second Japan-China Policy Dialogue on the 3Rs in June 2007 in Beijing. The two sides discussed cooperation on the creation of SMC cities based on Eco-town projects in Japan.

Japan also promotes dialogue with China and Korea through the annual Tripartite Environment Ministers Meetings between China, Japan and Korea and the exchange of opinions on SMC Society establishment. At the ninth such meeting, held in Toyama in December 2007, the three countries agreed that sharing a single vision is essential to promoting the establishment of a SMC Society in each East Asian country and across this region, and all participating countries increased their understanding of Japan's proposal to formulate an East Asia Sound Material-Cycle Society Vision. China and Korea, along with Singapore, with which Japan has been conducting a separate dialogue, are all expected to join Japan in playing a leading role in establishing a SMC Society across East Asia. The Ministry of the Environment will continue strengthening the cooperative relationship with these countries (Figure4-4-2).

Figure 4-4-2 3R-related bilateral cooperation with Asian countries

In order to establish a framework for policy dialogue across the Asian region, the Ministry of the Environment hosted the Asia 3Rs Conference in October 2006 in Tokyo, bringing together director-general level officials from 19 Asian countries and related international organizations to discuss the comprehensive promotion of the 3Rs and measures to manage kitchen garbage, e-waste and medical waste. Another example of policy dialogue is the Environment Congress
supporting the establishment of a legal framework to promote the 3Rs and waste management at the national level and helping to formulate and implement a fundamental policy and plan for implementing legislation. Assistance to local governments includes helping them raise public awareness and develop a mechanism to promote the reduction of waste generation and sorted collection in cooperation with the public. For the private sector, support is provided for the study and formulation of policies such as green purchasing and the eco-label system in order to foster efforts by individual businesses and promote the growth of the recycling industry.

Japan also supports a variety of programs that invite engineers and government officials from developing countries to learn about waste management and the 3Rs. Some of the many training courses provided by JICA are the SMC Establishment course, a regional training program for environment officials from Asian countries to share information on related legislation, administration and technologies, and the 3Rs and Recycling of Waste course, a group training program for engineers engaged in the disposal and recycling of industrial waste.

In addition, financial assistance is also provided in the form of grants and loans for improving infrastructure, including waste management equipment and disposal facilities (Figure4-4-3).

Figure 4-4-3 Support provided by JICA in 3R-related fields

## (5) International promotion of 3R and waste disposal technologies

Disseminating Japan’s 3R and waste disposal technologies internationally can constitute the central part of Japan’s international cooperation for establishing an international SMC Society. Japan should step up 3R and waste management measures, some of which can even contribute to the prevention of global warming.

Companies in Japan have developed world-leading technologies in the fields of eco-friendly design and production, product reuse and recycling, and the recovery and use of energy from
waste. These technologies can make a major contribution to the establishment of an international SMC Society, if they are disseminated through the promotion of the 3Rs across the entire life cycle or supply chain of the products moving across national boundaries.

In light of this, the government will take actions to allow such technologies to be adopted, where appropriate, by countries in Asia and elsewhere. With due consideration to the protection of intellectual property rights, the government will foster bilateral and multilateral policy dialogue and information exchange in order to assess each country's technology needs, while proactively providing and disseminating information on 3R and waste disposal technologies.

Here are some examples of such efforts with regard to night soil disposal. At a session on “johkasou” systems during the Third World Water Forum, held in March 2003 in Kyoto, lectures were presented describing Japanese johkasou, including their history, technologies, maintenance and institutional systems. This was followed by an exchange of opinions. At this forum, the Portfolio of Water Actions was compiled by collating information on water-related initiatives and specific actions taken to solve world water problems, from around the world. One of the Japanese water actions listed in this report was the “transfer of low-cost waste-water treatment technologies that allow installation to be carried out in a short period of time.”

Information on Japan’s johkasou technologies has been effectively publicized at events such as the Asia-Pacific Water Summit, held in Oita Prefecture in December 2007 ahead of the start of International Sanitation Year 2008, the Asia Water Environment Partnership (WEPA)’s workshop in Jakarta on johkasou in March 2004, and the 12th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-12) held in New York in April 2004.

Furthermore, at the Japan-China Policy Dialogue in June 2007, the two countries agreed to implement joint projects to create SMC cities through cooperation between Kitakyushu City, which conducts an Eco-town project in Japan, and Qingdao City, and between Hyogo Prefecture and Guangdong Province. In September 2007, Kitakyushu and Qingdao started a joint survey and other preparations for further cooperation.

## (6) Measures taken to address specific issues (using sanitation improvement as an example)

Japan’s experience, technologies and systems can be of great help in establishing responsible waste disposal systems in Asian countries. However, these systems may not always be appropriate because the situation varies from one developing country to another, including differences in each country’s needs and the properties of the waste generated there. For example, since sanitation is closely related to the sanitary use of water, the form of support provided needs to take account of each country’s water system and usage, which are often very different from that in Japan.

One report shows that, as of 2004, 2.6 billion people (41% of the total world population of 6.4 billion) had no access to improved sanitation $ ^{1} $ . There are many areas where less than half the pop-