Japan
Capital:
Tokyo
Land Area:
364,485km²
Inland Water Area:
13,430km²
Length of Coastline:
29,020km
In Japan, the Basic Act on Ocean Policy was established on 20 April 2007 and enacted on 20 July 2007. This act served as an overarching and cross-cutting policy framework for oceans and coastal areas. Based on the act, the Headquarters for Ocean Policy, which is comprised of a multi-ministry body headed by the Director-General, was established in the Cabinet. The Secretariat of Headquarters for Ocean Policy consists of staff from 8 related ministries. In March 2008, the Basic Plan on Ocean Policy was established in line with the Act. The Plan stipulates 12 major measures that the government should take comprehensively and systematically with regard to the sea. One of the 12 major measures is the comprehensive management of the coastal zones, with includes three major areas of focus:
- Management of coastal zones carried out in an integrated manner with land areas;
- Coordination of activities in the coastal zones; and
Establishment of a coordination system concerning coastal zone management.
All the projects related to the Basic Act on Ocean Act have been collated by the headquarters for the promotion of integrated information management among all concerned ministries. The budget for the various measures under the Basic Plan on Ocean Policy for the 2009 fiscal year amounts to 2.17 trillion Japanese Yen.
In 2013 the Basic Plan on Ocean Policy was revised. On 15 May 2018, the Third Basic Plan on Ocean Policy was adopted by the Cabinet. Key principles for ICM underlined in the Act and the Plan are to promote: ICM by considering local characteristics and assisting local governments; ICM in tandem with terrestrial management; ICM in enclosed coastal sea and; coordinating the use of coastal areas. Since 1958, Japan has also adopted a series of environmental legislation to tackle its worsening water pollution problems. The country introduced numerical targets for reducing the pollutant effluent in designated watershed and coastal areas, with those targets revised every five years since 1984. Significant reductions were achieved in Tokyo Bay, Ise Bay and Setonaikai adjacent to the megapolis of Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. Other sustainable efforts by Japan include coastal spatial planning, adopting local plans on ocean policy and implementing local initiatives for ICM.
Focal Points:
Mr. Toru OHNO
Vice Director-General, Policy Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT)
Mr. Masashi KAWABE (Operational Focal Point)
Director for International Ocean Affairs, Ocean Policy Division
Policy Bureau, MLIT
Mr. Nobuyuki MORI
Coordinator for International Ocean Affairs, Ocean Policy Division
Policy Bureau, MLIT
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Integrated River Basin Management Project Newsletter - Edition 6
"Threads of Resilience” marks the sixth edition of the Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) Project's newsletter, spotlighting inspiring narratives of women and advancements in project implementation.
This issue features threads of resilience in the stories of women from the Sasmuan Pampanga Coastal Wetlands of the Pasac-Guagua Watershed in the Philippines, alongside the impactful work of women leaders driving environmental change across Southeast Asia. It also highlights the need to conserve key project sites, including the Ciliwung River in Indonesia.
Key project activities and milestones from the first quarter of 2025 include the ongoing formulation of a framework and solutions template for pilot project development in the seven priority river basins, Lao PDR's approval of the 2025 Work Plan and State of the River Basin Report for the Nam Tha River Basin, and stakeholder validation workshops for the State of River Basin Reports for the Imus-Ylang Ylang and Rio Grande Rivers, as well as the Pasac-Guagua Watershed.
These interconnected efforts are key components of a strengthening web of partnerships and collaboration within the ASEAN region.
2025 MEP Program Planning Workshop
The planning workshop for the 2025 Marine Environment Protector (MEP) Program was conducted on 18-19 March 2025 at Parañaque, Philippines and brought together representatives from MEP partner organizations across six Philippine sites.
Representatives from the four existing MEP program sites presented their 2024 accomplishments and shared lessons learned from implementation. The workshop also served as an introduction for new MEP partners from Bulan and Calbayog who will begin implementation in 2025.
The participants discussed various campaigns and identified effective practices that could be applied across different sites. Together, they drafted comprehensive work plans and timelines aligned with the 2025 implementation guidelines established by the Regional Project Management Unit (RPMU).
The two-day workshop successfully established target outputs for 2025 implementation and developed strategies to effectively impact local communities in their respective sites. Participants focused on ensuring engagement and full support of their respective local government units for proposed marine plastic waste management initiatives.
Proceedings of the 1st Blue Carbon Technical Working Group Meeting
The First Blue Carbon Technical Working Group meeting was held on February 25, 2025, online via video conference (Zoom). The meeting was chaired by the Technical Session Chair and Co-Chair of the East Asian Seas (EAS) Partnership Council (PC) and participated by PEMSEA country partner designated representatives from China and the Philippines; non-country partner representatives from the National Marine Hazard Mitigation Service (NMHMS), Ocean Policy Research Institute of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (OPRI-SPF), Conservation International (CI), Korean Maritime Institute (KMI); PNLC members, Xiamen University, University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI); and other collaborators, such as the China Green Carbon Foundation and OceanPixel.