The purpose of this paper is to discuss waste reduction with unit pricing program of 3, 230 municipalities in Japan including towns and villages that have not yet been analyzed in previous studies. We sent out questionnaires for price of bags to all municipalities that have introduced unit pricing program in 1997, and analyzed the impact of increase of the price of bags on waste reduction. The result was 0.119 % reduction of waste per price rise of 1 %. We analyzed the elasticity of waste reduction to the price of bags and concluded that the elasticity is non-flexible when income is low, frequencies of collection are many, and sort of separated collection are few. We computed the elasticity for the whole 3, 230 municipalities and tried to predict the impact of introducing the unit pricing program in municipalities that have not yet adopted it. The success of the program can be improved by increasing sorts of separated collection.

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Due to the enforcement of the Pollution Release and Transfer Registers, information disclosure and risk communication have become much more important for the environmental risk management of hazardous chemicals. However, differences in recognition between sectors cause mutual misconception and distrust. To clarify the differences in recognition and needs for managing chemicals and information sources on chemical risks, we analyzed questionnaires to citizens, government officials, chemical industry experts and chemists. As a result, all sectors recognized the importance of information disclosure, and administrations and companies are supposed to disclose risk information. Citizens obtained much information from mass media compared with other sectors utilizing books and the Internet. Therefore, information should be provided taking this difference into account. Furthermore, all sectors recognized the necessity of strict risk reduction. Specifically, citizens wanted administrations to take regulatory action for hazardous chemicals. In contrast, chemical industry experts were negative on regulation, and preferred voluntary action.

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This study aims to explain how the differences in political system in the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the European Union affect the policymaking regarding international negotiation on climate change. The Netherlands' position on ambitious emission reduction targets was elevated by the country's election system that stimulates politicians' individual eagerness to be leaders, and the country's policy making process that involves various domestic actors. Germany's leadership position has been lowered in the hierarchy of leadership in climate change negotiation over the past decade. Such change has been influenced by decline of public awareness towards climate change and German political system that reflects such a shift of public awareness. The United Kingdom had not been much supportive of a strong EU position towards emission reduction targets and rather played a role of mediator between the EU and the United States. The United Kingdom's election system that hampers growth of Green Party, and its policy making process that mainly involves related departments within the government have affected its position. As the EU becomes more integrated in the future, it will not be any individual country such as the Netherlands and Germany but the EU as a whole, or the European Commission, that is more likely to take the leadership role within Europe and at international negotiations on climate change.

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It is our goal to establish an environmental management system (EMS) which can be constructed easily in not only big businesses but also small-size offices. Therefore, in this research, the first purpose is the construction of a simplified EMS in alignment with ISO 14001 in small-size offices that cannot acquire ISO 14001 certification. The second purpose is the creation of an environmental performance evaluation and a method for its continual improvement. In 11 offices, a simplified EMS was constructed in order to know the present condition of the environmental burden of these offices. There was a tendency for smaller offices to show a high rate of achievement in their efforts to reduce their environmental burden. Of these, four offices were able to revise the simplified EMS through continual improvement. Consequently, the amount of copy paper and garbage was reduced. The purpose of reducing the environmental burden was attained and the quality of the simplified EMS was supported.

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Trace element concentrations (Li, Na, Mg, K, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, Se, Rb, Sr, Ag, Cd, Cs, Ba, Tl, Pb, Bi and U) in the liver and muscle of 18 gray starlings died by mortality in Tochigi Prefecture in July of 2000 were determined. Body weights of samples were lower than those of individuals died by local mortality happened in Nagano Prefecture in 1997. Low accumulation of V Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, Se, Sr, Ag, Cd and Pb were observed in the liver of gray starling when compared with raptor species suspected to Pb poisoning and normal sea birds. However, relatively higher concentrations of V Ag, Cs, TI and Pb were found in the liver and muscle of gray starling died by unusual death in comparison with other 7 species of passerine with normal condition. Fifteen elements including above metals with high level in gray starling formed many unique significant correlations. These relationships might suggest unusual conditions of samples.

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Implementation of environmental regulation might induce R&D activity and the subsequent technological innovation that could reduce the cost of environmental protection. This paper examines whether environmental regulation had the impact on firm's R&D expenditure in Japan. Limited data availability have allowed only a few empirical studies on the topic. This study, using the firm-level data on the capital cost of pollution control as a proxy, investigated the impact of regulation on R&D activity by Pulp and Paper industry in 1970 s. We find significant and positive impact by environmental regulation, suggesting policy induced cost reduction.

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Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity dealt with uncertain and unknown risk and adopted precautionary approach. The Bill of the "Act on Ensuring Biological Diversity by Regulating the Utilization of Living Modified Organisms" provides that he who utilizes LMOs is required to be confirmed by the Government. The utilization of LMOs is divided into two types, the utilization in closed room, second-class use, and the other utilization, first-class use. The competent minister shall make a decision on the impact of the utilization of LMOs after hearing from experts and citizens. Risk benefit analysis is not adopted in the confirmation process. Monitoring in the case of release of LMOs into the environment will be provided under code of first-class utilization. It seems that the issue how to secure the prevention of environmental damages caused by LMOs left behind as a future problem.

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