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The objective of this paper is to organize Japanʼs metallic mineral resource policy. Firstly, the concerns in the current metallic mineral markets are summarized and then the policy trends are organized based on how each policy corresponds to the concerns. The main objective of the policies remains the same: to secure the stable supply of these resources. However, in response to the recent social demand that such raw material procurement should not be a disincentive to sustainability, the specifics of supply risk have changed to address this issue as a policy matter. In addition, the importance of mineral resource policy for the society was demonstrated by looking for points of contact with valuation studies such as LCA and MFA.

This paper introduces importance of decarbonization and ESG matters for Rio Tinto, a global mining company producing iron ore, aluminium, copper, lithium and other minerals, and the actions Rio Tinto takes with focuses on decarbonization and such initiatives as START in our aluminium business.

Mineral resources play a significant role in industrial growth and decarbonized society. On the other hand, their use is one of the most debatable impact categories in life cycle impact assessment and presents different challenges. This paper aims to review recent development and provide future works for assessing the impacts of mineral resource use. First, I described the problems and impact mechanisms associated with mineral resource use as a basis for the impact assessment. Then, exiting methods and models for assessing the impacts of mineral resource use were classified into six method categories and reviewed. Finally, I provided several future works mainly for developing the methods of assessing the impacts of mineral resource use.

Natural resource extraction activities induce large-scale “land disturbance” through complicated supply chains. Natural resources are extracted from the lithosphere, flow into the technosphere, and diffuse into the ecosphere. Mining and other natural resource extraction activities can be regarded as actions on the lithosphere, namely, the stock of natural capital. Therefore, the degree of land disturbance can be quantitatively evaluated by measuring the scale of mining activities. In this paper, we consider indicators of land disturbance as a manner to quantify resource mining activities and focus on the “total material requirement, TMR,” which takes into account hidden flows in terms of units of weight. First, the differences between the TMR and the other similar indicators are reviewed. Then, some research using top-down and bottom-up approaches was introduced. Finally, the “resource paradox problem,” as a concept obtained through these studies, will be introduced.

In the international situation, where implementation and monitoring are being promoted to achieve the Sustainability Development Goals, "Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production" is particularly important for the use of mineral resources, and decision-making based on fair and objective Life Cycle Assessment （LCA） is essential. This paper summarizes the current status of satellite remote sensing, which is an effective technology for widespread area and long-term environmental monitoring and explains how satellite remote sensing can be used to estimate the land use change intensity, which has been used in environmental LCA.

Deep-sea mineral resources, such as manganese nodules, seafloor massive sulfides, cobalt-rich manganese crusts, and rare-earth element-rich deep-sea mud have been interested in as potential resources for metals near future. The R&D background and the historical approaches are introduced. In case of manganese nodules, three pilot mining tests at actual sites were taken place in the end of 1970s. At the time, pioneer environmental monitoring works were conducted simultaneously. In the first and second decade of 21st century, seafloor massive sulfide mining was focused as immediate target for commercial mining. Currently all the deep-sea mining is considered to have higher possibilities for commercial mining, though some problems including environmental protection must be solved. Not only many states but also many venture companies are coming into the R&D arena. Japan needs to find out original approaches to realize the domestic deep-sea metal mining.

Dietary change is challenging todayʼs climatic issue by generating substantial greenhouse gas emissions from food supply-chain, also sometimes associated with negative impacts on individual body health. Therefore, obtaining a both body- and environmental-friendly eating habit is crucial for keeping balance between planetary capacity and individual health. To achieve this, it is important to simultaneously analyze the nutrition intake and environmental impacts of ongoing dietary change. However, few studies have linked such food consumption and environmental impacts at the household level or yet linked them with social class feature. To bridge this knowledge gap, this study used a representative household survey to quantify nutrient intake and carbon footprint released by five household income classes from 200 food consumption data. The main findings are as follows: 1) The higher the annual quintile income classes are observed with the higher protein intake. 2) There was no significant difference on protein intake from fish, while protein intake from meat was more than two times higher of the highest to the lowest income class. 3) Higher income classes are found to generate greater environmental impacts from meat consumption.

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