In realizing environmental policy integration, the coordination process between existing policy objectives and newly added environmental objectives in a policy area is important. In this study, I focused on the revision of Japan's River Act conducted in 1997 as a case where environmental objectives were added in policy areas other than environmental policy. With reference to the literature on policy paradigm shift, the policy process of environmental policy integration was analyzed using public documents newly obtained by request for information disclosure. As a result, this study found that (1) there were two different policy ideas on the river environment, and (2) paradigmatic policy change did not occur, since the ideas promoted by the dominant actors were more consistent with the existing policy paradigm for the main purposes of flood control and water utilization.

In this paper, theoretical rationales of extended producer responsibility （EPR） policies were discussed through a review of major literature. We classified extended producer responsibilities into six categories and examined the rationale for each type of responsibilities from the view point of efficiency. We also considered the relationship between extended producer responsibility and the polluter pays principle （PPP）, equity and a segmented society. As a result, we found various reasons for each type of responsibility and indicated that they were complementary to each other. Although it was possible to build an EPR policy based on one appropriate type of producer’s responsibilities under certain conditions, EPR policies were considered to be more effective when established based on both financial and physical responsibilities. It was also considered important to combine them appropriately with informative responsibility.

Economics of waste management and recycling was an early research interest of Professor Kazuhiro Ueta. This paper briefly summarizes his Economics of Recycling for Solid Waste Management [in Japanese] (Tokyo: Yuhikaku, 1992), which includes his studies, and discusses the progress in the past 25 years and future prospects in the field. Required future studies include (1) problems in solid waste management in developing countries and policies to address them, (2) policy instruments for waste management and recycling using theories of behavioral economics, and (3) evaluation of designed policies using field experimental methods in economics. This paper shows Professor Ueta's foresights and provides suggestions for future tasks in the field.

This paper discusses current status and issues for deposit-refund systems in environmental economics and policy studies, focusing on each actor’s incentives, based on the work and the retirement symposium of Professor Kazuhiro Ueta. The effects of deposit-refund systems on consumers have been studied empirically in a variety of approaches on the purchase and return phase. Policy mix of deposit-refund systems with other related policy instruments such as drinking container taxes is useful to incentivize the system management actors to collect more. Government needs to monitor the system management actors to avoid the occurrence of illegal activities.