2008. In addition, Japan is supporting pollution prevention projects in rivers and lakes with dioxins levels detected to be exceeding standards. In addition, support is being provided for pollution prevention enterprises for harbors and rivers for which dioxins exceeding the standards have been detected in the bottom sediment.

## (3) Measures against asbestos

Issues concerning asbestos are life-threatening. As buildings that were built in the 1970s—when mass amounts of asbestos was imported to Japan—each their dismantling period, it is important to implement pre-emptive measures to prevent injuries from occurring.

In order to accurately and efficiently determine the actual use of asbestos building materials, investigators are being trained based on the system for investigators of structures containing asbestos building materials, which was created in 2013.

Also, based on the “Building Standards Law,” the removal of sprayed asbestos when renovating a building is required, auxiliary system of comprehensive grants for social capital development is in place to promote the asbestos removal in existing buildings and follow ups are being done for the situation of the removal and anti-scattering of asbestos in the existing facilities under the jurisdiction of national ministries and agencies.

Furthermore, Japan is promoting the dissemination of information in efforts such as compiling data bases on referential cost estimates for removal work of spray-applied asbestos insulation, documents useful for identifying building materials containing asbestos (Visually identifiable building materials containing asbestos) and information on such materials, as well as pamphlets for measures related to asbestos in buildings.

## 6 Environmental measures in construction

The gas emissions measures (NOx, PM) for construction machinery that are not driven on public roads, the registration, certification and approval are being handled based on the “Act on Regulation, Etc. of Emissions from Non-road Special Motor Vehicles”. Things like the low interest loan system is in place to provide assistance for the purchasing of construction machinery that have been adapted to be environment-friendly by meeting the latest emission standards and having reduced noise.

## Section 7 Observing, monitoring, and forecasting changes in the global environment

## 1 Observing and monitoring the global environment

## (1) Observing and monitoring climate change

In order to grasp the status of greenhouse gases (GHGs), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) is observing $ CO_{2} $ trends in the atmosphere at three stations in Japan. $ CO_{2} $ concentrations in the marine atmosphere, as well as those in the sea surface water are being observed in the northwest Pacific by research vessel. GHGs in the upper troposphere in the northwest Pacific is also being observed. Furthermore, JMA is not only monitoring climate changes, but also observing solar and infrared radiation at domestic five stations in order to reduce an uncertainty of global warming projections.

In addition, JMA observes sea level rise accompanied by global warming, and publishes information on the long-term change in sea levels around Japanese coasts.

In addition, in order to improve the accuracy of seasonal weather forecasting and monitoring of climate change, JMA produced the Japanese 55-year reanalysis (JRA-55), a historical global atmospheric data with homogeneity in space and time.

Moreover, “Climate Change Monitoring Reports” and “Report on Climate Change and Extreme Weather” (in Japanese) are compiled based on results from observation, and future projection of climate changes, extreme weather events and global warming is disclosed to the public. Serving as the World Data Center for Greenhouse Gases (WDCGG) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), JMA also archives and provides observation data on greenhouse gases around the world.