Basic Environment Plan, 2018.

This is the first Basic Environment Plan prepared after the adoption of the SDGs and the Paris Agreement. Recognizing this, the Plan should appropriately respond to these new international developments as well as to changing domestic situations. In doing so, it is important to utilize the concepts of SDGs by addressing multiple issues in an integrated manner. It is particularly important to recognize that the basic approach adopted in this Plan is different from that adopted previously. In the previous plans, priorities were set separately in each of the environmental fields with a focus upon directly addressing specific environmental issues. This Plan, on the other hand, sets up six interdisciplinary cross-cutting strategies, such as specific measures to solve several different issues in a complementary manner. By doing so, this Plan aims to adopt and embody the basic approach of the "Integrated Improvements on Environment, Economy and Society (II2ES)" proposed in the Third Basic Environment Plan (pag. 1).
The environmental policy approaches that satisfy specific policy objectives are outlined below: Direct regulation specifies certain goals and compliance matters to be achieved by society as a whole; Regulatory frameworks approach to achieve regulatory objectives by presenting goals, with mandatory actions and procedures to achieve them; Economic approach to achieve policy objectives by providing economic incentives to stakeholders; Voluntary approach to reduce food waste; Information approach to promote the disclosure and provision of information on the environmental load of business activities; Procedural approach to incorporate procedures and criteria for environmental considerations into the decision-making processes; Action approach to meet policy objectives through direct implementation of necessary actions by public entities (pags. 20 and 21). To reduce food waste, we will promote coordinated efforts among business entities, consumers, and local and national governments. This includes revision of commercial habits to make the entire food chain more efficient, which is difficult for individual companies to achieve, as well as promoting the introduction of high accuracy prediction of supply and demand in the production and distribution process (pag. 53).
In order to ensure sustainable production and consumption patterns, this Plan will aim for socioeconomic system innovation, as well as improved resource productivity and carbon productivity (economic growth can be achieved while reducing natural resource inputs and greenhouse gas emissions) (pag. 30). In order to contribute to the creation of a resilient and sustainable society that can deal with climate change, adaptation measures should be taken, based on the "National Plan for Adaptation to the Impacts of Climate Change " (Cabinet decision on November 27, 2015), which include strengthening of an information base regarding climate change adaptation, and promotion of adaptation measures in agriculture and disaster prevention sectors of each region (pag. 46). Technology is required to contribute not only to sustainability efforts in Japan but also the world, including achieving the 2° C target of the Paris Agreement and adapting to the effects of climate change. Such technologies could also contribute to regional revitalization, and help to minimize impacts of disasters (pag. 59).