The Ministry of the Environment (MOE) is committed to achieving the "Ministry of the Environment RE100" Initiative to meet 100% of its own power supply with renewable energy by the year 2030.

Introduction

In recent years, climate disasters such as torrential rains, typhoons and heat waves have intensified, and the risks of disastrous heavy rains and heat waves are expected to increase even further in the future along with the changing climate. Moreover, as post-coronavirus socio- economic activities resume, we must not return to past economic systems, but rather maintain a balance

between initiatives that address the COVID-19 crisis and the climate crisis. To do so, we must reform our socio-economic system to be more resilient by actively promoting the transition to a decarbonized society, the achievement of SDGs and the expansion of ESG finance. In other words, the redesign of our socio- economic system is essential. Switching to renewable energies is crucial to achieve a decarbonized society, and the utilization of regional resources is also connected to the redesign of Japan's socio-economic system.

MOE will encourage demand-side initiatives led by local governments and businesses, along with continuing to work with other relevant ministries toward implementing renewable energy as Japan's main source of power. MOE began the "Ministry of the Environment RE100" Initiative aimed at achieving 100% of the MOE's electricity supply with renewable energy by 2030. As part of this Initiative, the "Action Plan to Achieve the Ministry of the Environment RE100" (the Action Plan) was formulated in 2019. The Action Plan set milestones for MOE to achieve RE100 and three fundamental actions for FY2020.

Keynote speech

Special Representative MIZUTORI pointed out that responses to climate change, which wields major impacts on our world, are not being carried out with the same level of urgency as responses to COVID-19. She asserted that if we do not respond to and prepare for climate change with a sense of urgency based on lessons learned from COVID-19, all aspects of our lives and livelihoods will no longer be sustainable. She also stressed the importance of raising momentum in Japan to simultaneously address the three pillars of climate change measures, DRR, and the realization of the SDGs.

Three fundamental actions for FY2020

(1) Procure 100% renewable energy for the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden (Shinjuku Gyoen)

(2) Launch initiatives aimed at procuring 100% renewable energy for MOE's all regional environmental offices.

(3) Test a joint procurement of cheaper electricity in the facilities* under MOE's direct control with large electricity consumption, including National Institute for Minamata Disease

(*Facilities which can make contract for electricity on their own.)

Based on the Action Plan, multiple facilities under the MOE jurisdiction switched to 100% renewable energy in April 2020. As of December 2020, nine facilities are powered by 100% renewable energy. Furthermore, in addition to these nine facilities, six energy- intensive facilities are powered by joint procurement of 30% renewable energy.

Main Procurement Methods Implemented by MOE in 2020

The following is an explanation of the main procurement methods adopted by MOE during FY2020.

Regarding the procurement of renewable energy, especially for public institutions, it is important to increase the ratio of renewable energy while keeping the costs as low as possible. Accordingly, MOE is working to lower the cost of renewable energy and to put forward innovative contracting methods.

To start, as part of a trial in FY2019, Shinjuku Gyoen switched 30% of its energy supply to renewable energy and raised this ratio to 100% in FY2020. As a result of a general public bidding, Shinjuku Gyoen was able to switch to 100% renewable energy without any additional cost per unit of power compared to the previous fiscal year.

Furthermore, to procure renewable energy at a low cost, six large-scale energy-intensive facilities, including the National Institute for Minamata Disease, were selected to trial to switch 30% of their energy supply to renewable energy. Joint procurement differs from conventional procurement (where bidding and contracts are conducted separately for each facility) as it involves the consolidation of multiple facilities in one contract. Thus, a cost advantage is made possible by increasing the scale of the power contract.

Additionally, the switch to renewable energy was implemented in four small-scale facilities (Yoshino Ranger Station, Tosashimizu Ranger Office, Ise-Shima National Park Yokoyama Visitor Center, and Ise- Shima National Park Office) through a reverse auction service which lowers procurement costs. The lowest cost was obtained by contracting the lowest offer out of multiple electricity suppliers bidding through this reverse auction format.

As such, MOE has been able to achieve the procurement of renewable energy while cutting costs as much as possible. In June 2020, MOE released the "What Public Institutions Can Do in the Age of Climate Change: the 100% Renewable Energy Challenge," a practical guide for public institutions on renewable energy procurement sharing best practices acquired by MOE including efforts described above. This guide has been made available to other ministries and local governments.

Future Initiatives

In FY2021, MOE plans to take on the challenge of switching to 100% renewable energy at its six energy-intensive facilities, where trials were conducted on jointly procuring 30% of renewable energy in FY2020.

Moreover, in addition to the procurement of renewable energy for itself, MOE aims to stimulate demand for renewable energy and facilitate its mainstreaming by sharing best practices gained through its initiatives with other ministries and local governments.

In the aim to prevent environmental pollution due to the large volume of chemical substances being produced daily, the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) and the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) are working together to assess the toxicity of chemical substances for aquatic organisms and communicate fndings internationally. This article introduces the latest trends in technological development taking place in Japan on new methods of toxicity assessment.

Contributions to the OECD Test Guidelines Program

The OECD Guidelines for the Testing of Chemicals are broadly utilized in OECD member countries as an internationally standardized testing method to assess the safety of chemical substances. The importance of identifying the impacts of chemical substances over the long term and across generations, including endocrine disruptors, is recognized as a key factor of preserving human health and conserving wildlife. Accordingly, the US and Japan has proposed the Medaka Extended One Generation Test (MEOGRT), which makes it possible to assess the toxicity of chemical substances for the next generation in a short time period. This new technology was approved in 2015 as Test Guideline (TG) No. 240. Furthermore, despite concerns over the risks presented by chemical substances with low water solubility, including persistent organic pollutants (POPs), to a wide range of species including benthic organisms, compared to other aquatic organisms, there are astonishingly few testing methods to assess this risk. In an effort to address this issue, Japan is developing a new testing method using a gammaridean amphipod. In doing so, Japan is serving as a global leader in this field's discussions and collaborating with countries in Europe and North America on proposals for new guidelines.

Development of the KAshinho Tool for Ecotoxicity (KATE)

In recent years, methods of in silico analysis have been developed for predictive calculation of ecological impacts using computers from the viewpoint of reducing the number of animals used in animal experiments. To date, the most widely used ecotoxicity predictive system globally is the ECOSAR (Ecological Structure Activity Relationships) of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), which uses Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship (QSAR) based on substructure classification. Several obstacles were encountered by ECOSAR, such as inadequate statistical values to show fit, lack of transparency due to the use of confidential corporate data and reliability of reference material data due to the combined use of research paper data.

Accordingly, MOE jointly with NIES developed the KATE that further categorizes the same substructure classification as ECOSAR. The trial version was released in 2008. Subsequently, models were updated especially in terms of the addition of chronic toxicity in addition to acute toxicity and reference material data added as the tool was revised. It has now been released as the KATE 2020, and a technical guidance document is now being prepared to ensure the transparency of the internal QSAR model. The KATE has been well received internationally for having highly reliable data as reference material and as a model with highly reliable predictive assessment results. It was included in the OECD QSAR Toolbox in 2019, and is being widely used.

Toward further international contributions

In the backdrop of both increasingly diversifying chemical substances and attitudes toward animal welfare, global trends in toxicity assessment have become increasingly dynamic in recent years. MOE and NIES intend to utilize their best practices on the toxicity assessment methods which have been fostered in Japan for many years, as well as the latest predictive methods using computers, to further our efforts to disseminate results to the international community in order to actively develop technologies protecting humans and the environment from pollution due to chemical substances.

Marine plastic pollution has become increasingly serious and demands actions on a global-scale. Japan has led the world in contributing to international responses within frameworks such as UNEA and G20 and through compilation of scientific knowledge.

Overview of Marine Plastic Pollution

Marine plastic litter discharged into the oceans causes a range of problems such as the deterioration of marine environments including impacts on ecosystems, harmful effects on seascapes, obstacles to marine traffic, and impacts on fisheries and tourism. Further, concerns have risen over the impacts of microplastics of less than five millimeters on ecosystems due to their accidental ingestion by marine organisms and the absorption of chemical substances contained in microplastics into the food chain.

To tackle marine plastic pollution, the world must come together with shared objectives to steadily implement effective actions, particularly including South-East Asian nations, where the volume of plastic waste discharged into the oceans is estimated to be comparatively larger. Moreover, it is crucial to compile global scientific knowledge on marine plastic litter.

International Trends

At the G20 Osaka Summit in June 2019, Japan put forward the Osaka Blue Ocean Vision (the Vision) aiming to reduce additional pollution by marine plastic litter to zero by 2050. The number of countries and regions sharing the Vision has now expanded to 86 (as of December 4, 2020). In relevant ministerial meetings, Japan also took the lead in the formulation of the G20 Implementation Framework for Actions on Marine Plastic Litter to realize the Vison. Based on this implementation framework, Japan provided support for an initiative led by Saudi Arabia, the G20 host country for 2020, to compile the second "G20 Report on Actions against Marine Plastic Litter" based on best practices reported by each country (https://g20mpl.org/).

In November 2020, the fourth meeting of UNEP's ad hoc open- ended expert group on marine litter and microplastics (AHEG4) was held virtually, chaired by Mr. IINO Satoru, Deputy Director of Environmental Management Bureau of the Ministry of the Environment (MOE). Discussions at AHEG4 included improvements to the existing framework and analysis of the effectiveness of response options. The meeting outcomes were compiled into a report and Chair's Summary. Going forward, these ooutcomes will be reported to the 5th Session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA5) and serve as a reference in future international discussions

(https://environmentassembly.unenvironment.org/expert-group-on-marine-litter).

Compilation of scientific knowledge

Comparing data on microplastics in the ocean was previously hindered by the variety of survey methods adopted according to differing survey objectives. Japan has declared its intention to lead the world in harmonizing data collection in the G7 and G20 frameworks. Accordingly, MOE released the first version of the "Guidelines for Harmonizing Ocean Surface Microplastic Monitoring Methods" in May 2019, and subsequently revised the guidelines in June 2020 to be applied in areas of the ocean with large amounts of floating plastics such as small boats, fish eggs and plankton-sized plastic particles, with particular consideration given to developing countries. These guidelines now enable the comparison of monitoring data
(http://www.env.go.jp/en/water/marine_litter/guidelines/guidelines.pdf).

In addition, MOE organized the G20 Workshop on harmonized monitoring and data compilation of marine plastic litter in September 2020, and proposed the development of a global monitoring data sharing system for marine litter.

Conclusion

As described in JEQ23, MOE is also working on domestic measures. As a country that advocates the Vision, we will further promote measures to tackle marine plastic pollution in Japan and abroad.