Law relating to Protection of the Environment in Antarctica_Chapter III

Chapter III RESTRICTIONS ON ACTS IN ANTARCTICA

Section 1. Restrictions on Mineral Resource Activities

Article 13: Nobody shall engage in Mineral Resource Activities in Antarctica. This, however, does not apply to scientific research the results of which are to be made public.

Section 2. Restrictions for the Conservation of Fauna and Flora

Article 14

1. Nobody shall introduce Antarctica any carcasses of a species belonging to the Class Mammalia or the Class Aves (including their parts but excepting products processed therefrom) other than those that have received inspection as set forth in an ordinance of the Prime Minister's Office or otherwise determined by an ordinance of the Prime Minister's office.

2. No person m Antarctica shall engage m any of the acts listed below:

i.

to capture, injure or kill Antarctic Mammals or Antarctic Birds, or to collect or damage the eggs of Antarctic Birds (except as part of an act related to a Specified Activity or an act constituting an Antarctic Activity included in a certified Antarctic Activity Plan (including any act that has received permission or similar administrative treatment pursuant to the provisions of a Related Law or Regulation of a State Party; in the next item and in item (iii) of this Article referred to as a "Certified Act"));

2.

to introduce Antarctica any living organism (including virus) in circumstances other than those listed below (excepting cases where introducing such an organism is included in the Certified Act):

a.: where introducing yeasts and other fungi or plants for consumption as food, or
2.: where, other than the cases under (a) above, an ordinance of the Prime Minister's Office has determined that the Impact on the Antarctic Environment is minor; or

3.

to act in such a way as to have an impact on the living or growing conditions or environment of habitats of animals or plants in Antarctica (excepting acts related to a Specified Activity or a Certified Act).

3. Any person who has introduced an animal or plant (including their parts and products processed therefrom) into Antarctica shall endeavor to keep them under carefully controlled conditions so that it does not interfere with the conservation of the Antarctic fauna and flora.

Section 3. Proper Disposal and Management of Wastes

Article 15 (Reducing Production of Waste): All persons shall endeavor to reduce production of waste in Antarctica and to remove from Antarctica waste that has been produced.

Article 16 (Restrictions on Waste Disposal)

No person shall burn, bury, discharge, abandon, or otherwise dispose of waste in Antarctica except by the methods stipulated in the items below:

i.: combustible solid waste (other than those designated by a Cabinet order) may be incinerated on land, provided the method of incineration satisfies the standards set by an ordinance of the Prime Minister's Office;
2.: liquid waste produced in Antarctica (including human waste but excluding waste designated by a Cabinet order; hereinafter in this Article referred to as "Liquid Waste") may be buried in the area designated by an ordinance of the Prime Minister's Office that is covered by an ice-sheet and is far away from the coastline or the edge of an ice shelf in the inland direction, provided the method of burial satisfies the standards set by an ordinance of the Prime Minister's Office;
3.: Liquid Waste generated in the course of daily living and other Liquid Waste designated by a Cabinet order may be disposed of from the land into the sea, provided the method of disposal meets the standards set by an ordinance of the Prime Minister's Office;
4.: a ship may discharge into the sea any by-products from the disposal of Liquid Waste designated by item (iii) (limited to by-products stipulated by an ordinance of the Prime Minister's Office), provided it is done in accordance with the provisions of the Law Relating to the Prevention of Marine Pollution and Maritime Disaster (Law No. 136 of 1970);
5.: where it is acknowledged by the provisions of an ordinance of the Prime Minister's Office that the removal of certain waste would result in a greater environmental impact on Antarctica than abandoning it there, the said waste shall be abandoned; and
6.: Liquid Waste may be disposed of on the land or discharge into the sea if it has been determined by an ordinance of the Prime Minister's Office that the said disposal or discharge is unavoidable and causes only a minor impact on the Antarctic Environment.

Article 17 (Proper Storage of Waste): All persons shall endeavor to store waste at proper places or facilities in a proper manner so that it does not disperse, flow out, or permeate into the soil before it is removed from Antarctica or disposed of in a manner described in the preceding Article.

Article 18 (Prohibition against the Introduction of Polychlorinated Biphenyls): Article 18 No person shall introduce Antarctica polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or other materials designated by a Cabinet order as being hard to be removed or having a serious impact on the Antarctic Environment when they are disposed of after becoming waste, except when an ordinance of the Prime Minister's Office decides that such impact on Antarctica is minor.

Section 4. Restrictions for the Protection of Antarctic Specially Protected Areas and Antarctic Historic Sites and Monuments

Article 19 (Restrictions on Entry into Antarctic Specially Protected Areas): No person shall enter an Antarctic Specially Protected Area except for the purposes of engaging in a Specified Activity, for the purposes of conducting Antarctic Activities contained in a certified Antarctic Activity Plan, or with permission or similar administrative treatment for entry pursuant to the provisions of a Related Law or Regulation of a State Party.

Article 20 (Prohibition regarding Antarctic Historic Sites and Monuments): No person shall remove, damage, or destroy any of Antarctic Historic Sites and Monuments.