## (2) Promotion of traffic flow Measures

## (i) Countermeasures for Air Pollution

The volume of particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from automobiles is increasing because of the increasing frequency of stop-and-go traffic and the reduced travel speed. For this reason, we are advancing the shift through traffic in urban areas to bypasses as a way to improve the roadside environment.

The Correlation Between Driving Speed and the Emission of Particulate Matter and Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) from Vehicles

## (ii) Countermeasures for noise pollution

Japan is proceeding with the lamination of low-noise pavement, installation of noise barriers, and maintenance of environmental roadside facilities. Based on the “Law for the Improvement of Areas along Trunk Roads”, in addition to preventative measures for issues caused by traffic noise, financial assistance is being provided for buffer buildings and noise insulation work for housing in construction projects in areas alongside roads.

## 2 Environmental measures for airports and surrounding areas

In Japan, we have been steadily implementing various measures to deal with aircraft noise through improvements in materials made possible by the introduction of low-noise aircraft, restrictions on departures and arrivals imposed via regulations governing night-time flights, improvements in flight methods based on noise-abatement operations, upgraded airport structures, and measures concerning the peripheral environment, including sound-insulation work and the provision of compensation for relocation. In recent years, the growing popularity of low-noise aircraft accounts for a reduced impact that aircraft noise is having on areas surrounding airports even as the number of departures and arrivals by aircraft is rising.

We will need to strive to accommodate the growth of areas surrounding airports and the desire to conserve the local environment by continuing to take comprehensive measures to deal with aircraft noise while gaining the understanding and cooperation of local residents in accordance with changes in such conditions as the demand for air travel.

## 3 Countermeasures for Railway Noise

In terms of the noise control for Shinkansen bullet trains, countermeasures for noise are being taken, such as the installation of sound barriers, the raising of track level, etc. For the construction of new railways for Shinkansen bullet trains, for regions where the measures mentioned are difficult to implement, Japan is providing financial aid for sound insulation work in already existence housing.

As for noise control measures for existing lines, each railway company is instructed to lower noise levels below a fixed value when constructing new railways and renovating already existing railways, more than previously in large-scale improvement projects, based on the “Guidelines for Noise Abatement Measures in the Construction of New Lines and Large-scale Improvement of Conventional Railways.”

## Countermeasures for urban heat islands

Heat island effect refers to the phenomenon where a metropolitan area is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas. The global annual mean temperature has risen at a rate of around $ 0.7^{\circ} $ C per century. At the same time, annual mean temperature averaged for locations in Japan that are likely to be only minimally affected by urbanization is expected to rise at a rate of about $ 1.5^{\circ} $ C per century. In contrast, annual mean temperatures in major metropolitan areas will rise by