The 8th Tripartite Policy Dialogue on Air Pollution (TPDAP) among Japan, Korea, and China

(September 24, 2021, Tokyo) The Ministry of the Environment, Japan (MOEJ), virtually held, on September 16, 2021, the 8th Tripartite Policy Dialogue on Air Pollution (TPDAP) among Japan, Republic of Korea and the People's Republic of China. The three countries presented their recent policies on air pollution and their effects, and discussed plans for the next year. MOEJ has annually held the Policy Dialogue on Air Pollution with Korea and China, based on the agreement of the 15th Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting (TEMM15) in 2013.

Main participants:

NAGASAKA Yuichi, Director, Air Environment Division, Environmental Management Bureau, MOEJ commented:

Japan, Korea, and China have been holding this policy dialogue since 2014. The dialogue stems from their common understanding that the three countries share the same air across the East Asian region and should work closely together to improve ambient air quality. Japan welcomes the fact that today's policy dialogue has reaffirmed the essential role of continuous cooperation to further improve air quality. Japan hopes that the outcomes of this policy dialogue will stimulate further efforts in each country.

Information sharing and opinion exchange on policies:

- Japan

Japan explained the current situation and countermeasures regarding PM2.5 and atmospheric concentrations of photochemical oxidants in Tokyo. Japan also introduced current research identifying the emission sources of metallic elements in the particulate matter (PM). Japan also delivered a presentation on future ambient air policies and the possible impact of carbon neutrality by 2050 on air quality scenarios.

- Korea

Korea announced that NO2, CO, SO2, PM10, and PM2.5 concentration levels have been declining, while ozone concentration has been increasing. Korea also explained that they have been researching regional ozone measures based on research on NOx and VOC reductions and ozone concentration. They also presented their efforts on automobile policy (tightening emission standards to promote the replacement of old diesel vehicles) in view to mitigate climate change.

- China

China announced improvements in the country's air quality due to policy developments. In order to combat exhaust gas pollution, the government has ranked business operators into four categories to distinguish the level of requirement for emergency emission control measures for high ozone concentrations. In addition, China explained that the government has limited the use of coal to reduce PM2.5 and ozone pollution. Finally, China provided an overview of air pollution countermeasures from the 14th Five-Year Plan announced this year.

Discussion of 2022 activity plan:

Japan, Korea and China, in line with their concept as the "3 + X", agreed to share outcomes from the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET) and the North-East Asia Clean Air Partnership (NEACAP), to promote a sustainable development beyond the three countries across the region. The three countries also agreed to continue to share information on ozone and PM2.5.

Next policy dialogue:

The three countries has agreed that the next policy dialogue will be held in Japan, in 2022.

Contact information:

NAGASAKA Yuichi, Director

KAWAI Minako, Section Chief

MATSUURA Ko, Section Chief

Air Environment Division, Environmental Management Bureau, MOEJ

Phone: +81-3-3581-3351

For Japanese