What comes to mind when you hear about “plastic pollution?” Negotiations have now commenced on the formulation of treaties to discuss countermeasures on the international level. While many efforts are necessary, the Ministry of the Environment of Japan, for example, is working on the international harmonization of monitoring methods and data preparation in relation to plastics in the environment, with a view to elucidating the actual state of pollution.

What comes to mind when you hear about “marine plastics pollution?” You may think of plastic bags floating like jellyfish in the sea, fishing nets entangling living creatures, and plastic bottles scattered on the coast. “The OCEAN –The Origin of Life” Special Exhibition held by the National Museum of Nature and Science in 2023 featured displays of packaging containers found in the stomachs of whales and tires (synthetic polymer products) that had sunk to the bottom of the ocean.
There may also be people who have heard about the microplastics problem.　These plastics, which are released into the environment in various forms, are concerned about an adverse impact on human bodies, the environment, and the social economy. At the research level and particularly in relation to oceans, studies began to point to such adverse effects from around the 1970s, but they only became widely known by the general public around 2015. It was also discussed as an important theme at the G7 Summit 2015 held in Schloss Elmau, Germany, and the 2016 World Economic Forum. Subsequently, various countries made progress on legislation, and the Osaka Blue Ocean Vision was shared at the G20 Osaka Summit in 2019.* Later, at the 2022 session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), it was decided that an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) would be established for the purpose of formulating an international legally binding instrument to address plastic pollution on a global scale, including in the marine environment. In preparing the draft resolution, there were differences in opinions between countries that wished to establish a direction for international regulations at an early stage, and countries that adopted a skeptical stance. However, the compromise proposed by Japan was reflected in the process and an agreement was reached. The INC commenced its work in November 2022, and plans to convene five sessions with the aim of completing its work by 2024.
At the third session held in November 2023, the zero draft text prepared by the INC Chair and Secretariat was released to facilitate concrete discussions on the text of the instrument. Several options were presented based on opinions from various countries, on matters ranging from the purposes and principles of the instrument to the concrete measures that each country should adopt under the instrument. Precisely because plastics are now a daily necessity, there are varying views on whether uniform measures should be imposed on all countries across the globe, whether measures tailored to the circumstances of each country should be prioritized, and whether regulatory or economic measures are more appropriate. Japan considers the following points especially pertinent toward ensuring that the instrument is effective: that, as the plastic value-chain is spread out widely across the world, and that as inadequate waste management in developing countries has been pointed to as the major cause of spills, as many countries as possible should participate; also, there should be formulation of country-specific plans on measures extending across the life cycle, and a regular reporting and evaluation cycle must be established for these plans. In particular, the Asian region is said to account for about half of the total amount of plastic waste released into the environment. With Japan serving as a representative of the region (currently represented by Hiroshi Ono, Ministry of the Environment) along with Jordan within the INC, we aim to ensure that this important region engages in discussions on the formulation of this instrument.

While countermeasures are being debated, there are no internationally agreed upon figures for the amount of plastic waste released into the environment. For example, a 2018 report by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) estimated that approximately 8.28 million tons of plastic were released into the ocean in 2015, while the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) put it at more than double the amount in its 2022 report, which estimated the amount of plastic released into the environment, including rivers and other water systems and soil, to be 22 million tons. These numbers are estimates prepared based on various statistical data such as the amount of plastic produced and the amount of waste, but various studies are also being conducted to find out the amount of plastic that is actually present in the environment.
For example, the Ministry of the Environment has been conducting surveys in Japan to determine the amount and composition of marine debris, including plastics. It has formulated guidelines based on that know-how, and since FY2020, has been compiling survey data and information collected by local governments in each region. The Ministry also conducts surveys on microplastics off and on coasts, as well as in rivers that serve as outflow routes from the land to the ocean. It is also advancing efforts to understand the actual state of pollution and considering countermeasures, based on various data sources and by providing support for the survey and research projects implemented by many research institutions. There are concerns that these micro particles may be absorbed into the bodies of living organisms, or that chemical substances such as additives and the particles themselves may have adverse effects. Therefore, the Ministry is also providing support for such research and reviewing aquatic organism risk assessment methods, investigating biological effects from the perspectives of both harmfulness and exposure in the environment.

With regard to efforts to understand the actual situation, various initiatives are ongoing to realize the international harmonization of monitoring methods, in order to secure and grasp the comparability of research data on a global scale.
For example, concerning microplastics on the surface of the ocean in particular, the Ministry commenced work on drawing up international guidelines in 2016. After comparing and examining existing survey methods with national and international researchers engaged in ocean and plastic monitoring in each country, it established hamonized methods in 2019 regarding the types of collection nets and equipment that should be used, the speed of vessels during towing, and sample storage and analysis methods. To apply this knowledge, the Ministry also participates in a committee currently developing International Standards on sampling and analysis methods for microplastics in drinking water and environmental water. In addition, it has begun compiling data based on the same guidelines and developing a database mapping system that everyone can access. However, most of the plastic that is released into the environment (approximately 90% according to the aforementioned OECD Report, for example), is said to be large-sized litters. To understand the actual state of plastic pollution, it is also necessary to get a grasp of the actual conditions concerning the release of such waste. In response to calls by the international community to harmonize methods, an international workshop was convened in August 2023, bringing together researchers engaged in surveys in various fields of study, such as the ocean surface, coasts, the seafloor, rivers, land, and biota, to discuss the international harmonization of data pertaining to marine litter. (Photo) Monitoring activities and surveys that are currently being conducted were introduced, and discussions were held on the latest trends and issues related to satellites and other technologies. With ongoing efforts to compile information on microplastics into databases in Japan, the U.S. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)), and Europe (EMODnet), there were also discussions concerning network system technologies aimed at connecting existing databases to obtain data that covers wider areas and the common data item lists (metadata) that enable such technologies. There were also discussions on the feasibility of extending similar initiatives to the coasts, seabed, and other areas. The Global Partnership on Plastic Pollution and Marine Litter (GPML), an information platform established in 2018 under UNEP, has commenced reviews on the international sharing of various data related to plastic pollution, and there are plans to also apply the outcomes of this workshop within GPML. Although what I have covered today are only some of the initiatives aimed at ending plastic pollution, the Ministry aims to continue working actively with many researchers to assess the state of pollution, which is vital for putting in place effective pollution countermeasures. (End)

*Please refer to Hideo Suzuki, “From Osaka to the World—Achievements in Ocean Affairs at Japan’s first G20 Summit—,” Ocean Newsletter No. 466 (January 5, 2020).
https://www.spf.org/opri/newsletter/466_1.html