Chapter 7: Conserving and Creating a Beautiful, Healthy Environment
Overview
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism advances decarbonization across a wide range of fields, including urban development, roads and transport, logistics, housing and buildings, water supply and sewerage, and construction, as part of its measures against global warming. It also addresses the use of renewable energy and hydrogen, adaptation to climate change, use of circular resources, and conservation of biodiversity and the water environment. The chapter presents policies and implementation status by field, covering the strengthening of water supply and sewerage infrastructure, improvement of the marine and living environments, and observation and forecasting of the global environment.
Key points
- To address global warming, Japan sets a goal of net zero by 2050 and greenhouse gas reduction targets, and advances decarbonization in the land, infrastructure, transport, and tourism sectors.
- Energy conservation, the shift away from fossil fuels, and the introduction of renewable energy are being promoted in roads and transport, logistics, housing and buildings, water supply and sewerage, construction, and other fields.
- Japan is promoting the use of circular resources, biodiversity conservation, environmental improvements in rivers, coastal areas, and ports, and the maintenance and recovery of the water cycle.
- Weather, oceans, and the global environment are observed, monitored, and forecast, and the results are used for policy and adaptation measures.
Overview
Chapter 7, “Conserving and Creating a Beautiful, Healthy Environment,” covers measures against global warming, a circular society, the natural environment, the water cycle, the marine environment, the living environment, and observation, monitoring, and forecasting of the global environment. In each field, measures combine policies, plans, support, facility development, and cooperation among stakeholders.
Climate change measures promote both greenhouse gas emission reductions and adaptation measures to prepare for climate change impacts. Efforts are pursued comprehensively and systematically under the government’s Climate Change Adaptation Plan.
Impact
In the sewer pipe collapse in Yashio City, Saitama Prefecture, on January 28, 2025, one truck was caught in the accident and its driver died. Approximately 1.2 million people were asked to refrain from using the sewerage system.
Red tides and blue tides occur in enclosed coastal waters, causing damage to fisheries and other impacts. The chapter also describes environmental degradation caused by drifting debris and oil, as well as effects on vessel navigation.
Details
Measures against global warming include urban development GX, promoting vehicles with superior environmental performance, preparing plans under the Basic Policy for Road Decarbonization, encouraging public transport use, and improving logistics efficiency. In rail, shipping, aviation, and ports, measures include energy conservation and fuel conversion; in housing and buildings, compliance with energy efficiency standards and renovation support; and in water supply, sewerage, and construction, energy conservation, energy generation, and the use of low-carbon materials.
Use of renewable energy and other resources includes offshore wind power, unused hydropower from dams and rivers, sewage biomass, solar power generation in infrastructure spaces, and the development and introduction of hydrogen-fueled vehicles and vessels. Climate change adaptation measures are implemented in line with the government plan based on the Climate Change Adaptation Act.
Efforts to build a circular society promote the recycling of construction materials, use of sewage sludge as fertilizer, circular resource logistics using ports, development of offshore waste disposal sites, proper recycling of vehicles and vessels, green procurement for public works and other projects, and the use of timber in buildings.
In the natural environment field, measures promote the conservation and restoration of habitats, nature-oriented river development, invasive species control, improvements to coastal and port environments, and absorption measures using urban areas and blue carbon ecosystems. Water cycle measures address watershed management, water quality purification, a stable supply of water resources, rainwater use, and the appropriate conservation and use of groundwater.
For water supply, measures promote wider-area cooperation, optimization of facility locations, public-private partnerships, asset management, and water quality measures. For sewerage, measures cover the development of wastewater treatment facilities, inspection and renewal of pipelines, wider-area cooperation in operations, sound management, and public-private partnerships.
Measures for the living environment address vehicle exhaust emissions and noise, airport and railway noise, the heat island effect, sick building syndrome, dioxins, asbestos, and construction machinery exhaust emissions. Observation and forecasting of the global environment cover greenhouse gases, extreme weather, oceans, and the ozone layer, and advance climate change forecasting and geodetic observation.