rience. Such activities have laid the groundwork for the establishment of an East Asia SMC Society.

In addition, the Asia 3R Conference was held in Tokyo in October 2006. This was the first conference that brought together policymakers from Asian countries to discuss waste management and 3R promotion. The participants agreed on the importance of promoting the 3Rs. The conference convened for the second time in March 2008 in order to share updates on the recent progress of each country's 3R policies and exchange opinions on effective measures for promotion, directed towards future expansion. The results of the conference have provided valuable input to etc, G8 Environment Ministers Meetings, held in Kobe in May 2008.

Japan has made up Kobe 3R Action Plan as a chair at G8 Environment Ministers Meetings. This is very significant because it is going to promote each country set some targets such as Resource Productivity matched to particular each circumstance.

## Section2 Japan’s efforts directed towards establishing a SMC Society

## (1) The outline of the Fundamental Plan for Establishing of a SMC Society

The Fundamental Plan for Establishing a SMC Society approved by the Cabinet in March 2003 (hereinafter referred to as “the First Fundamental Plan”) was modified, and the revision (hereinafter referred to as “the Second Fundamental Plan”) was approved by the Cabinet in March 2008.

A major event related to Japan’s environmental policy since the formulation of the First Fundamental Plan was the establishment of the Third Basic Environment Plan (approved by the Cabinet on April 7, 2006) and the 21st Century Environment Nation Strategy (approved by the Cabinet on June 1, 2007). The previous three reviews of the First Fundamental Plan’s progress had highlighted the need for a more accurate assessment of material flows; a greater effort to raise public awareness; the promotion of Formulation of a New Fundamental Plan for Establishing a SMC Society.” This document spelled out priority considerations to be addressed when developing specific measures needed for the formation of a SMC Society.

The guidelines suggested four issues on which further discussion should take place and specific measures should be set forth: (i) integrated efforts toward a SMC Society, a low-carbon society and a society in harmony with nature, to assist the creation of a sustainable society; (ii) formulation of the quantitative vision for a SMC Society, including the redefinition of target levels and introduction of new supplementary indicators, as needed; (iii) establishment of SMC blocks, in which resource cycles of optimal size are formed in accordance with the region’s characteristics and the properties of the CRs available, and the waging of a national campaign to promote the 3Rs involving increased efforts to reduce and reuse waste; (iv) dis-

SMC-based community development; and stronger measures to incorporate international perspectives in order to address the situation in which international movements of materials are increasing and waste generation and demand for resources are expanding, worldwide.

This was also the time when Japan was expected to take the initiative in rolling out 3R activities across the international community, with the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit scheduled for the following year.

In light of these developments, the Central Environment Council released, on August 24, 2007, a document titled “Detailed Guidelines for the

Figure 4-1-7 Deployment of Integrated Efforts toward A Sustainable Society

Promotion of Comprehensive Efforts toward an SMC Society and a Low-Carbon Society

Thorough heat recovery through introduction of waste power generation and the like

Examination of how sustainable waste power generation should be and promotion of the use of low- and medium-temperature heat from industrial process at business facilities and the like

Efficient utilization of biomass materials as Circulative Resources (CRs)

Construction of venous distribution network with low environmental loads

Source: Ministry of the Environment