Home > Statistics > Handbook > Chapter 14 Environment and Life
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A scene from the "Nihombashi Bridge cleanup" in Chuo-ku, Tokyo. In 2011, Nihombashi Bridge entered the 100th year of its existence after it was rebuilt as the stone bridge that stands today. Not only recognized as Japan's Important Cultural Property, the bridge is now a symbol of Edo and of Japan.
The list of environmental issues is wide-ranging, from waste management to global warming. Japan is, while pursuing regional development at home, taking the initiative in efforts to prevent global warming and conserve the natural environment to help achieve sustainable growth of the entire world.
In fiscal 2009, Japan's total emission of greenhouse gases, which are a major cause of global warming, amounted to 1.21 billion tons (calculated after their conversion into carbon dioxide), representing a decrease of 5.6 percent from the previous fiscal year. Carbon dioxide accounted for 95 percent of these greenhouse gases, with an emission volume of 1.15 billion tons. A breakdown of carbon dioxide emissions by sector revealed that emissions from the industrial sector accounted for 34 percent of the total, followed in order by emissions from the transport sector, the commercial sector (office buildings, etc.), the residential sector, and the energy sector (electric power plants, etc.).
The state of waste management in Japan had remained grave due to the shrinking remaining capacity of final disposal sites and increased illegal dumping. This led to the Basic Act for Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society (brought into force in January 2001), which defines basic principles for the creation of a sound material-cycle society. This law has established a legal framework to address issues such as waste disposal and automobile and electrical appliance recycling. Other ongoing efforts include promotion of the "3Rs" (reduce, reuse and recycle) in waste management, and research and development for the use of waste as a source of energy, with a view to generating a synergy between efforts to manage waste and tackle global warming.
Of various types of waste generated as a result of business activities, 20 of them, including sludge, waste oil, and soot and particulates, are designated as "industrial waste." The fiscal 2008 nationwide industrial waste generation totaled 403.66 million tons. Sludge, animal waste and debris, which account for approximately 80 percent of the total industrial waste, are now increasingly recycled into construction materials, organic fertilizers, and other materials. Thanks to this development, the volume of final disposal (to be put into landfills) fell from 89.73 million tons in fiscal 1990 to 16.70 million tons in fiscal 2008.
Meanwhile, a total of 48.11 million tons of "nonindustrial waste" (household waste and also shop, office and restaurant waste) was generated in fiscal 2008. This translates to 1,033 grams per person per day. In terms of nonindustrial waste disposal in fiscal 2008, the total volume processed was 45.14 million tons. The total volume of recycled waste was 9.78 million tons, with the recycling rate at 20.3 percent.
According to the Housing and Land Survey conducted in October 2008, the total number of dwellings (in case of apartment buildings, counting the number of component apartments) in Japan was 57.59 million, up by 3.70 million (6.9 percent) from 2003. The number of households was 49.97 million, representing the excess in number of dwellings over households by 7.61 million.
In 2008, the number of occupied dwellings (where people usually live) amounted to 49.60 million, accounting for 86.1 percent of the total number of dwellings. Of these, the number of dwellings used exclusively for living totaled 48.28 million, accounting for 97.3 percent of the occupied dwellings.
A breakdown of occupied dwellings by class of ownership showed that owned houses totaled 30.32 million, accounting for 61.1 percent of the total, which represented a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the figure of 61.2 percent in 2003. Rented houses, on the other hand, numbered 17.77 million, accounting for 35.8 percent of the total.
Occupied dwellings by building type showed that 27.45 million or 55.3 percent were detached houses, and 20.68 million or 41.7 percent were apartments. The proportion of apartments has consistently increased in recent years.
In terms of construction materials, 25.42 million or 92.6 percent of the detached houses were wood-frame houses (including fire-resistant ones). On the other hand, 15.04 million or 72.7 percent of the component apartments were steel-framed concrete structures.
A study of housing with accessibility equipment for the elderly and physically challenged persons showed that the number of housing units "with equipment for the elderly, etc." was 24.15 million, or 48.7 percent of all housing, up 8.9 percentage points from 18.66 million (39.8 percent) in 2003. Housing "equipped with handrails" accounted for 37.3 percent of all housing, and housing with a "step-free interior" made up 20.0 percent. Figures increased from 2003 in all categories of equipment surveyed.
In 1970, the annual number of fatalities from traffic accidents hit a record high of 16,765, leading to the enactment of the Traffic Safety Measures Basic Law in the same year. Based on this law, the government has since promoted traffic safety measures in a comprehensive and systematic manner. As a result, the number of traffic accident fatalities declined to 4,914 in 2009, being about one third of that of 1970.
In 2009, traffic deaths per 100,000 population were 3.9 persons, while the number of persons killed per 10,000 motor vehicles was 0.6 persons.
In 2010, the reported number of penal code offenses (excluding cases related to traffic accidents) was 1.59 million, a decrease of 117,188 (6.9 percent) compared to the previous year. The proportion of thefts was the highest, accounting for approximately 77 percent, or 1.21 million cases (down 6.6 percent from the previous year).
The number of persons arrested for penal code offenses was 322,620 in 2010, a decrease of 10,268 (3.1 percent) compared to the previous year, marking a six-consecutive-year decline.
The ratio of arrests to reported number of offenses marked a post-World War II low at 19.8 percent in 2001. Since 2002, however, it has shown signs of recovery, accounting for 31.4 percent in 2010.
Various kinds of computers and computer networks are currently playing an essential role as a social foundation. In line with this, crimes utilizing computer networks are becoming increasingly diversified. The number of arrests for cybercrime in 2010, involving the abuse of computer technology and telecommunications technology, was 6,933, up 3.6 percent from the previous year. This represented about an eightfold increase from the 913 cases registered in 2000.
The police organization consists of the National Public Safety Commission and the National Police Agency, both of which are state organizations, as well as the Prefectural Public Safety Commission and prefectural police, both of which are organizations under the authority of individual prefectures. As of April 2010, the prefectural police operated police headquarters, police schools, 1,184 police stations, 6,232 police boxes (Koban) and 6,847 police substations in 47 prefectures.
Local police officers at their respective police boxes/substations are engaged in standing guard over their communities, patrolling, and dealing with criminal cases and accidents to prevent crimes and catch criminals.
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