INTERVIEW: Japan to Devise Steps against Plastic Pollution by 2019

October 5, 2018

Tokyo- New Environment Minister Yoshiaki Harada has expressed plans to devise measures to fight pollution from plastic waste that will also involve developing countries before next year's Group of 20 summit in Japan.

"I'm feeling the seriousness of the situation. It's a new problem that emerged two or three years ago," Harada told media organizations including Jiji Press on Thursday. He took up the post in Tuesday's cabinet reshuffle.

"Japan must take an initiative at the G-20 meeting" in the western city of Osaka, Harada said, adding the problem would never be solved unless developing countries, not only advanced nations, take action.

"To strike an agreement on effective countermeasures involving developing countries at the G-20, we will revise our basic policies under the flotsam disposal promotion law within this fiscal year and decide specific measures," he said.

Regarding coal-fired power generation, Harada said, "We'll consider how its future should be shaped while watching international trends." He recognized its importance as a power source while noting that carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired plants more than double those from natural gas-fired plants.

Asked how to cooperate with businesses over environmental issues, Harada said promoting environmental measures will be a plus for economic growth.

"There was a time when taking safety measures (for consumers) was a disadvantage because such action pushed up costs and hurt competitiveness," Harada said. "Now companies cannot make light of safety to achieve growth."

"We'll aim to take environmental policy measures to help businesses improve their brand images and competitiveness and to support industrial promotion," he said.

On the future of nuclear power generation, Harada, who doubles as minister for nuclear emergency preparedness, said that ensuring safety must come first, indicating the ministry's determination to fully prepare measures to deal with disasters at nuclear stations.

Asked about Minamata disease, caused by mercury poisoning, Harada said the ministry will sincerely work on the issue, calling it "the origin" of environmental problems.

The disease was caused by industrial wastewater containing methylmercury.

The government recognized it as a pollution-related disease in 1968. Lawsuits are going on to seek damages and official recognition of patients as Minamata disease sufferers. Jiji Press