Health & Chemicals

Information Exchange on Chemicals Management among Japan, China and Korea

Background of the information exchange on chemicals management

In December 2006, 8th Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting (TEMM8) was held at Beijing, China. One of the topics in this meeting was cooperation among Japan, China and Korea on chemicals management. Three ministers agreed to proceed information exchange regarding policies and regulations on chemicals management at TEMM8 Joint Communiqué.

[TEMM8 Joint Communiqué]

12. ...The Ministers also concurred that three countries will make full use of the existent TEMM source such as TEMM website to help promote information exchange on policies and regulations on chemicals management in order to ensure the protection of human health and the environment in an efficient way. To this end, the Ministers suggested taking chance of international meetings to start information exchange at working level.

As a result, three countries held a working-level meeting at the end of this March at Hayama, Japan. In this meeting we discussed how to proceed information exchange on chemicals management and agreed that three countries would exchange a list of laws, regulations and related documents of each country and put these lists on each government's website.

Japan's list is shown below. It includes CSCL (Chemical Substances Control Law), Law for PRTR (Pollutant Release and Transfer Register) and Promotion of Chemical Management, Law for the Control of Household products Containing Harmful Substances, and Poisonous and Deleterious Substances Control Law, and their outline, interpretation and related documents. So far most of them are only in Japanese, but some of them will be translated in English.

Tripartite Policy Dialogue on Chemicals Management in China, Japan and Korea

Tripartite Policy Dialogue on Chemicals Management in China, Japan and Korea which was organized by Japan Ministry of the Environment, was held from November 7th to 9th, 2007 in Tokyo, Japan. The workshop segment of the Dialogue was held on the first two days with participation of more than 30 experts from government, academia and industry in China, Japan, Korea, and the United States (only as observers). In the workshop, participants actively discussed and recognized such common understandings that the three countries should take actions to facilitate the harmonious implementation of GHS (Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals).

On the last day, a government officials meeting was held between the three countries. In the meeting the officials agreed upon several principles and forms of future co-operation in chemicals management, and that future policy dialogue should be held in the three countries on an annual basis in a rotating manner. The next meeting will be held in Korea.

The outcome from this policy dialogue was reported to the 9th Tripartite Environmental Ministers Meeting (TEMM9) held in Toyama, Japan in December 2007. At the Joint Communiqué, the three Ministers welcomed the progress of information exchange on chemicals management among Japan, China and Korea.

[TEMM9 Joint Communiqué]

8. ...Also, the Ministers welcomed the progress of information exchange on chemicals management as well as the outcome of the Tripartite Policy Dialogue on Chemicals Management among China, Japan and Korea held in Tokyo in November 2007. They recommended exploring of areas of further co-operation and harmonization in chemicals management through this dialogue, including responses to the Globally Harmonized System for Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS), and information sharing on chemicals used in products.

List of laws and regulations, and relevant documents on chemicals management

[Japan]
Japan's list of laws and regulations on chemicals management [PDF 41KB]
Japan's list of relevant documents on chemicals management [PDF 27KB]
[China]
China's list provided by State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) [PDF 112KB]
Environmental Management on Chemicals in China [PDF 79KB] is the presentation material by Chinese government at International Symposium on Chemicals Management in the Context of Global Trends Latest Trends of Chemicals Management in North America, Europe and Asia, which was held in March 2007 at Yokohama, Japan.
[Korea]
Korea's list provided by Korean Ministry of Environment [PDF 115KB]
Chemicals Management Policy in Korea [PDF 517KB] is the presentation material by Korean government at International Symposium on Chemicals Management in the Context of Global Trends Latest Trends of Chemicals Management in North America, Europe and Asia, which was held in March 2007 at Yokohama, Japan.

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