 Establishment of Laws and Regulations Based on International Chemical Management Surveys
（国際的な協調を考慮した化学物質管理に関する法律の整備） |
 Act on the Evaluation of Chemical Substances and Regulation of Their Manufacture, etc.
（化学物質審査規制法）
To prevent the adverse impact on humans and ecosystems of environmental pollution caused by the release of chemical substances into the atmosphere, the government of Japan has established a series of laws regulating the manufacture, import, use and disposal of harmful chemical substances. In addition, the government has set up a system to evaluate the toxicity levels of newly manufactured and imported chemical substances before they are allowed to enter the domestic market.
Act on Confirmation, etc. of Release Amounts of Specific Chemical Substances in the Environment and Promotion of Improvements to the Management Thereof
( Law concerning Pollutant Release and Transfer Register / PRTR)
（化学物質排出把握管理促進法）
With a view to promoting the enhanced self management of chemical substances by business operators and to prevent damage to the natural environment, the government of Japan requires that all related business operators are fully acquainted with the relevant laws and regulations, and submit detailed reports regarding the disposal of chemical substances into the environment and the types and amounts of transferred chemical substances. The government of Japan then collates the submitted data and makes the results of its findings publicly available. In addition, business operators who deal in certain specified chemical substances are required to submit reports on the properties of the substances and how these substances were handled.
Ozone Layer Protection Law
（オゾン層保護法）
Cooperating with international efforts to protect the ozone layer, and based on the relevant international framework (The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer), the government of Japan is promoting the control of production and prevention of emissions of substances which deplete the ozone layer.
Fluorocarbons Recovery and Destruction Law : Pamphlet p11-12, Exhibition panel p7, Brochure p49-p50
（フロン回収・破壊法）
To prevent the depletion of the ozone layer and global warming due to the emission of fluorocarbons, the government of Japan requires business operators who use refrigeration and freezer devices in their business operations to recover all fluorocarbons produced in these devices and dispose of these fluorocarbons in an appropriate manner.
Act on Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and control of Specific Chemicals
（化学兵器の禁止及び特定物質の規制等に関する法律）
Pursuant to the international treaty regarding the prohibition of chemical weapons (Chemical Weapons Convention), the government of Japan prohibits the manufacture of all chemical weapons. In addition, regulations on the manufacture and use of specific materials that may be used in chemical weapons have been established, and these include investigations of any premises handling these materials.
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Active participation in international efforts regarding the management of chemical substances
（化学物質管理に関する国際的な取組への積極的な参画） |
Chemical substances migrate on a global scale, and as there are limits on the controls individual countries can put in place, it is vital that the international community exerts its utmost efforts toward the effective management of chemical substances. Accordingly, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is actively participating in a program allotted to OECD member countries to examine the toxicity levels of chemical substances that are manufactured in large quantities (annual production of chemical substances in excess of 1,000 tonnes per country), and in joint research projects on endocrine disrupter chemicals. Relevant Japanese government ministries are also working closely together to ensure implementation of a number of international treaties that Japan has concluded. These treaties include the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), which seeks to protect human health and the environment from chemical substances that remain intact in the environment for long periods, and the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade. |
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Garnering expert scientific opinion regarding the risks of chemical substances
（化学物質のリスクに関する科学的な知見の整備） |
It is essential that the appropriate management of chemical substances be based on expert scientific opinion regarding the toxicity and risk levels of chemical substances. Accordingly, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is garnering and evaluating expert scientific opinion regarding the toxicity and risks of chemical substances through surveys and research programs that study the dispersion of chemical substances into the natural environment, and the accumulative and carcinogenic properties when ingested by the bodies of humans and other living organisms.
In addition, a new program for the comprehensive evaluation and management of chemical substances has been established to further ascertain the toxicity and risk levels of chemical substances. This program includes the setting up of a system that predicts the dispersive properties and accumulative biological properties of chemical substances from the process of manufacture through to their release into the natural environment, and a model to predict the concentration levels of chemical substances released into the atmosphere and into rivers and other waterways. The program seeks to organize the expert scientific opinion regarding the toxicity and risk levels of chemical substances, and the evaluation of risks into an easy-to-understand format, and publish its findings on a publicly accessible website. |
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