The State Council of the People’s Republic of China has put together a new set of measures against air pollution, coming in the form of a three-year action plan toward...
Regulatory Agencies
Japan’s Environment Ministry Promotes Recycling for Used Disposable Diapers
The Ministry of the Environment (MOE) is promoting the recycling of disposable diapers. This comes as the Japanese government has added new initiatives to support this as part of an...
Japan’s Environment Ministry to Help Developing Countries Process CFC Substitutes
Japan’s Ministry of the Environment will help developing countries to build infrastructure for collecting and disposing of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a substitute for chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). A 2016 amendment to the Montreal...
METI Positions Renewables as Major Power Source in New Basic Energy Plan
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) recently put together a draft for Japan’s next Basic Energy Plan. Within the document, METI has laid out policies aimed at boosting...
China Announces Total Ban on Imports of Plastic Waste
The Chinese government is setting out toward a complete ban on imports of plastic waste. A recent decision has been made to add industrial plastic waste to a list of...
METI: Japanese Health Care Market to Reach Scale of 33 Trillion Yen by 2025
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) recently made its first forecast for the size of Japan’s domestic health care industry in 2025. Having analyzed the industry by looking...
Agricultural Spraying Drones: Barriers to Single-Operator Use Remain
There are growing calls to ease restrictions on the use of drones in crop spraying to promote greater efficiency. Currently, permission must be obtained under Japan’s Civil Aeronautics Act before...
Cabinet Office Settles on Outline for New Bio-Innovation Strategy
The Japanese Cabinet Office’s Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (CSTI) recently put together an overview for its strategy in bio-innovation. The council hopes to bring the baseline of Japan’s...
Japan Eyes Positive List System for Food Packaging With Potential Regulation Revisions
Moves in Japan to switch to a global standard for food utensils, containers and packaging have been progressing. A public comment period for a draft of amendments to the Food...
METI Plans Policies to Promote Offshore Wind Power
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has compiled a set of policies to encourage the establishment and spread of offshore wind power systems. In order to bring Japan’s...
METI Launches Study Group on Boosting Oil Industry Competitiveness
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) recently held the first meeting of a panel of experts convened to study the competitiveness of the oil industry. Two central topics...
METI Considers New Labeling System for Bioplastics
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is looking into the establishment of a new labeling system for bioplastics. The system under consideration is aimed at products with low-CO2...
METI to Encourage Companies to Invest in Energy Efficiency
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has begun a review of the energy efficiency standards for plants and other facilities. The government has set the target of a...
Chinese Environmental Regulations Continue to Impact the Chemical Industry
It will soon be a year since China began countrywide environmental inspections of chemical factories, held regularly since the end of last Chinese New Year. Conducted by special investigative teams...
JETRO Survey: 40% of Japanese Companies in China Receive Instruction From Regulators
A survey by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) has found that roughly 40 percent of Japanese companies with business places in China have received instructions from the authorities on...
Chinese Cities, Provinces Draw up Rates Under New Environmental Protection Tax Law
With the Chinese government seeking to prevent atmospheric and water pollution through its Environmental Protection Tax Law from Jan. 1, 2018, the country’s provinces and cities have been drawing up...
China Sets Framework for New Safety Law on Hazardous Chemicals
China’s government has set a general framework for a new top-level law on hazardous chemical safety regulations. With this new law, the government aims to strengthen management systems, allowing digital...
Japanese Government to Work Toward New Biofuel Targets
Japan’s policy to increase the adoption of biofuels is at a crossroads, with the country’s current bioethanol utilization target for oil refiners – established in the Act on Sophisticated Methods...
China’s Hubei Province Moves to Ban New Chemical, Heavy Industry Plants in Yangtze Basin
China’s Hubei Province is getting serious in its efforts to improve the environment in the Yangtze River basin, which is the source of the region’s drinking water. Hubei’s Economic and...
Northern China Gets Tough on Air Pollution
China has fully ramped up its air pollution countermeasures in the country’s northern region. Hit with new regulations effective as of Oct. 1, the Jingjinji Metropolitan Region of Beijing, Tianjin...
