TCoPS - 35

Hokkaido, Japan, 2020 © alamy
government policies to tackle
plastic. At the G20 Osaka Summit
held in June 2019, Japan proposed
the " Osaka Blue Ocean Vision " , which
aims to reduce additional pollution
by marine plastic litter to zero by
2050.247
Japan's decision to support
the development of an international
treaty on marine plastic pollution
provides a new platform to accelerate
the delivery of this ambition ahead of
the targeted date. The next important
step for the Japanese government is to
co-sponsor the draft resolution which
would allow to start the negotiation
of a new treaty at the 5th
session of the
UN Environment Assembly. Japan's
support will be crucial to achieving a
successful outcome at the meeting in
February 2022. The treaty has potential
to also increase the effectiveness of
Japan's current plastic action. Pursuing
the establishment of an EPR scheme
will help shift some of the burden from
municipalities to companies, providing
the financial incentive to switch to
other materials or pursue innovative
delivery models. This can help to
reduce Japan's plastic consumption
and therefore waste production.
Coordination can reduce leakage from
neighbouring countries, diminishing
the risk of it travelling through
water streams into Japanese waters
and causing detrimental impacts.
Therefore, the treaty will help increase
the effectiveness of government action
to tackle the plastic crisis, reducing the
negative impacts on the tourism and
fisheries and aquaculture industries.
Importantly, public support for a global
treaty is high among the Japanese
population; 61% of Japanese citizens
believe that Japan should be taking
a leadership role in promoting a
new international treaty to tackle
the escalating problem of plastic
pollution.248
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TCoPS

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