The deposit-refund system is often suggested as a means for ensuring appropriate collection of used products, which is said to have potential to decrease the environmental burden. However, examining the introduction of deposit-refund systems on the basis of surveys regarding the return of used products is neither adequate nor in accordance with economic theory, For example, in the case of recyclable takeout lunch containers used by many Japanese university cooperatives, economic examination of deposit-refund systems is found to be insufficient. By considering the responses to questionnaires given to users of these products, this study indicates methods and directions for economic examination of the introduction of deposit-refund systems.

Although many CGE models have already been developed for analyzing climate policy in Japan, most of them only investigate national level impacts. However, impacts of emissions regulations are likely to vary considerably by region because there are large regional differences in household expenditure pattern and industry structure. To investigate regional impacts of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions regulations in Japan, we construct a new multi-regional CGE model with 9 regions in Japan and estimate regional GHG emissions. We analyze the impact of a 1.0% reduction of GHG on regional GDP, welfare, and production. Our simulation shows that regions with a higher share of energy-intensive industries and thermal power generation incur a larger loss in GDP.

Experimental methods are increasingiy used in the fieid of environmental economics, and experimental economics is becoming a must-have tool for environmental economists, This paper gives an overview of recent experiments in environmental economics concerning the following topics: environmental valuation, environmental policy, and close relatives such as social dilemma.