Abstract
In accord with the adoption of the Minamata Convention on Mercury at a Diplomatic Conference (Conference of Plenipotentiaries) held in Kumamoto, Japan in October 2013, Japan promulgated the Act on Preventing Environmental Pollution of Mercury in June 2015. Japan also took other necessary steps toward national implementation of the Convention. This paper describes how Japan’s focus will mainly be on upstream control of mercury-added products, which is equal in importance to downstream regulations on mercury wastes. These upstream control measures would include regulations on production, the import and export of specified mercury-added products, etc., and a ban on certain production processes where mercury or mercury compounds are being used. There is also a plan for publication of labeling guidelines for industries handling mercury-added products.
