Japan's EPA Endangered

Japan - Earlier this year, Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, under the guise of streamlining government, proposed placing Japan's Environment Agency (EA) under the control of the Ministry of Construction. In April, Japan's Administrative Reform Council (ARC) went even further and called for the EA's elimination. The ARC, chaired by Hashimoto, includes six academics, some politicians and the heads of Toyota Motors, Mitsubishi Heavy Industry and the Yomiuri newspaper empire.

The ARC concluded that the EA could be eliminated since much of its work was duplicated by other agencies. But the EA is the only independent agency dealing holistically with environmental issues and is praised as one of the most open and responsive agencies in Japan's traditionally secretive government.

A compromise proposal to place the EA within the Ministry of Health and Welfare or the Science and Technology Agency was strongly opposed by environmentalists who noted that the former mishandled HIV-infected blood supplies and the latter was responsible for attempting to cover up accidents at the Monju fast-breeder reactor.

The EA has responded to the proposal by demanding that its role and powers be strengthened and elevated to a Ministry of Environment.

According to Sakuma Tomoko of Peoples Forum 2001, the ARC's proposal could have "negative effects" on the Climate Change Convention set for Kyoto in December. If Japan were to eliminate or downsize its EA, this would send a chilling message to other governments throughout Asia and the world.

Japan is the only member of the G-7 counties that lacks a strong and independent environmental agency. Tomoko is worried by reports that "similar moves [to abolish environmental protection agencies] are observed in the UK and France, as well, and could be a part or effect of globalization."

Japanese nongovernmental organizations have called on sympathetic organizations around the world to rally to the defense of the Environmental Agency. The ARC's recommendation was due to be finalized in September and will be sent to the Parliament for passage early in 1998.

What You Can Do: Send comments to Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, 2-3-1 Nagatacho, Chiyodaku, Tokyo 100, Japan, fax (011) 81-3-5511-8855; Embassy of Japan, 2520 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008, fax (202) 265-9482.