“Environmental Impact Assessment Law” was enforced in June 1999, which introduced some new principles into the assessment procedures. “Screening” in small-scale projects (Class-II Projects): to evaluate whether the Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) should be conducted or not before conducting assessment, the determination should be made on an individual project basis; Preparation of a “scoping” document which compiles the items to be assessed and techniques used for conducting the surveys relevant to a given assessment, the items should be contained in the EIAs, and the document should be adviced by the prefectural governors, mayors and the public during the course of the preparation; The concept of the “environmental preservation measures” (mitigation and follow-up) is newly introduced; The item “ecosystem” is newly included into the items of environmental factors to be assessed.
