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Statement by Mr. Shunichi Suzuki,
the Environment Minister of Japan


Sub-group Meeting on "Water Pollution Prevention and Ecosystem Conservation"
At the Ministerial Conference on the occasion of the Third World Water Forum


22 March 2003


Statement by Mr. Shunichi Suzuki, the Environment Minister of Japan

Sub-group Meeting on "Water Pollution Prevention and Ecosystem Conservation"
At the Ministerial Conference
on the occasion of the Third World Water Forum

Kyoto International Conference Hall
22 March 2003

(Draft)

  1. Mr. Chair, distinguished ministers, representatives of international organizations, and participants of the Third World Water Forum: As the Environment Minister of the host country of this International Ministerial Conference, I would like to extend you all a warm welcome to Japan. I would like to also express my sincere appreciation to Dr. Philippe Roch, State Secretary of the Swiss Agency for the Environment, Forests and Landscape, for chairing this sub-group meeting on "Water Pollution Prevention and Ecosystem Conservation."
     
  2. Mr. Chair, Japan, located east of the Asian continent and in the Asian monsoon belt, has an average annual rainfall of 1,700 millimeters-around twice the world average. With annual household water consumption of 17 billion cubic meters, our daily water use per capita is around 320 liters. One could say that up to now this country has been blessed with relatively abundant water resources.
     
  3. We have an ancient expression in Japan to describe areas of natural beauty-sanshi-suimei-no-chi-which means "places where the mountains are beautiful and the water is clear." This phrase shows how highly Japanese people have always valued and sought clear clean water in their lives. For more than a thousand years starting in the eighth century, Japan located its capitals here in the basin of Lake Biwa and the Yodo River. These capitals were blessed with abundant water, and indeed, were often called "cities of water." I believe that here lies the birthplace of the profound culture of Japan.
     
  4. In the course of reconstruction of the country following World War II, however, the our rivers and lakes-particularly, the large urban rivers and bays into which they flow, such as Tokyo Bay and Osaka Bay-became severely polluted by large amounts of industrial and untreated household effluent, as a result of this country' s rapid industrialization and urbanization. Our fishing industry has suffered greatly from "red tides." Even more tragically, many people suffered from organic mercury pollution in Minamata Bay, and it is regrettable that the "Minamata Disease" has become synonymous with pollution-related diseases all over the world.
     
  5. In light of these bitter experiences, our country undertook a drastic restructuring of its pollution control measures from the late 1960s until the beginning of the 1970s. The government established the Environment Agency-which has now become the Ministry of the Environment-and implemented some of the world' s strictest pollution controls. Local authorities took the front line in the fight against pollution, by starting to inspect factories and businesses, and issued orders to improve wastewater quality. National and local governments have also worked closely to strengthen water quality monitoring, develop facilities for household wastewater treatment, and clean up rivers and other water bodies.
     
  6. As a result of these efforts, pollution by health-threatening toxic substances has been reduced enough to satisfy environmental standards in almost all water bodies in Japan. Nevertheless, eutrophication in lakes, inland seas, and inner bays, and water pollution in urban rivers all require greater efforts. Furthermore, the issue of contamination by trace chemicals demands new efforts to conserve drinking water sources and ecosystems.
     
  7. Another important task remains if we are to restore and conserve our complex ecosystems, which are closely linked with the water environment-the promotion of integrated policies that protect the natural environment and conserve aquatic environments. I believe that an important challenge for the near future will be to restore and preserve water cycles in an environmentally-sound manner.
     
  8. Mr. Chair, the reduction of the water pollution load alone is not enough to protect our precious freshwater resources. In terms of maintaining biodiversity, it is also important to preserve those ecosystems that link forests, wetlands, and rivers. This is because these river basin ecosystems, through their important roles in purifying and recharging water sources, are the basic foundations of our freshwater resources. Conversely, it can be said that freshwater resources themselves constitute the most important element in river basin ecosystems. Thus, the protection of our freshwater resources and the conservation of the ecosystems within them are inseparably related, and in order to create a sound water environment, integrated methods must be used, in what is called the "ecosystem approach."
     
  9. Forests cover nearly 70 percent of the total land area in Japan. For hundreds of years, various efforts have been made to conserve these forests, including bans on logging in certain areas-in the recognition that forests, as a major component of the natural environment, play a variety of important roles, including the conservation of water resources. About 150 years ago, logging increased dramatically to meet the growing demand for timber that accompanied the rapid pace of modernization of the country. As a consequence, about 10 percent of the national land became degraded. In response, the government made efforts to conserve the remaining forests through "protection forest system", and at the same time promoted the rehabilitation and afforestation of degraded lands. As a result, there is little degraded land left in the country today. Regarding the global situation, forest loss and degradation continues today, especially in tropical areas, and forests fires and illegal logging are urgent issues that need to be tackled by the international community. I believe strongly that in order to achieve sound hydrological cycles, it will be extremely important to overcome such issues and promote sustainable forest management worldwide.
     
  10. My hometown is in Iwate Prefecture, in northeastern Japan. The oyster farming industry is flourishing along the coast there, and in recent years, people in the oyster business have been getting involved in tree-planting activities in river basins further inland. They hope that the trees planted will help to keep the rivers clean and enable the right amount of nutrients to flow to the sea to nourish the oysters. This is one example of the ecosystem approach.
     
  11. Such activities are also beginning to appear around the whole country, with the aim of recharging urban groundwater and improving river flow volumes. These initiatives, too, are effective in helping restore healthy water cycles.
     
  12. Linking up with international frameworks for wetland conservation, and the fullest possible use of those frameworks, can provide effective ways to promote global efforts toward ecosystem conservation. Japan actively supports and cooperates with other countries, particularly those in Asia, for the conservation and wise use of wetlands, as a part of implementation under the Ramsar Convention of Wetlands. At the national level, Japan has so far designated 13 sites as wetlands of international importance under the Convention, and Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture, one of the venues of this World Water Forum, is one of them. Lake Biwa is inhabited by endemic species of fish and forms an important and unique habitat for swans and other migratory birds. The lake also serves as the water source for the 14 million people living in the Kinki district of western Japan. When we talk about the conservation and wise use of ecosystems around Lake Biwa, we should make a direct link to the sustainable management of Lake Biwa' s water resources.
     
  13. Besides efforts to conserve ecosystems, Japan has also initiated projects to restore degraded ecosystems. For example, in the Kushiro Marshland, another wetland designated under the Ramsar Convention, human development of the surrounding area and increased water pollution are drying out the wetland and changing its vegetation, making some parts of the wetland habitat disappear. Today, however, the project is underway to restore the wetlands by returning the straight-flowing rivers to their original meandering courses and by rehabilitating riverside forests. It is hoped that restoration of the Kushiro Marshland will expand the habitat for migratory birds. In addition, Japan' s Law for the Promotion of Nature Restoration, enacted last autumn, is intended to encourage cooperative nature restoration initiatives among national and local governments, local citizens' groups, and experts. It is hoped this law will help accelerate nature restoration efforts throughout the country.
     
  14. Mr. Chair, the conservation of water environments and ecosystems requires not only governmental efforts, but also the involvement of all other sectors, including private enterprise, NGOs, and the public. To realize our goals, first of all, every one of us must recognize the value of our water and ecosystems, and governance from the grassroots level needs to be strengthened in a way that encourages voluntary initiatives. In particular, environmental education is very important for the children of today, who will lead the world in the next generation.
     
  15. For the past 20 years, river water surveys have been carried out in Japan using aquatic creatures as indicators of water quality. In 2001, around 87,000 people participated in such surveys, mostly elementary and junior high school students. These surveys help us to determine the quality of water in this country, while participants benefit from direct, hands-on experience of water environments, which provides them excellent learning opportunities. The Japanese government intends to continue supporting such citizen-based water quality surveys and would be happy to share its experience and know-how with other countries that are interested.
     
  16. Mr. Chair, all of us at the Third World Water Forum and this international ministerial conference must commit ourselves put into action the things that have been discussed at various international conferences on water issues. As the organizer of this Ministerial Conference, the Japanese government has called for the creation of a "Portfolio of Water Actions," and to this end our country is committing itself to the implementation of 16 concrete actions on the theme of "water pollution prevention and ecosystem conservation."
     
  17. These 16 actions include international cooperation with developing countries, the creation of networks for sharing experience and knowledge, and the promotion of international research projects to contribute to policy making in the areas of water pollution prevention and ecosystem conservation.
     
  18. By implementing these projects in the spirit of "ownership" and "partnership"-the basic principles of this ministerial conference-we are committed to contribute to efforts of the international community to address water-related issues.
     
  19. As a representative of the host country, nothing would give me greater pleasure than to see all of the ministers and heads of international organizations participating in this sub-group meeting exchange frank and candid opinions, under the chairmanship of Dr. Philippe Roch of Switzerland, who has spent many years promoting the "ecosystem approach." This meeting presents us all an opportunity to take a precious step forward to resolve water issues in the twenty-first century.

    I thank you very much for your attention.



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