NOx Law (Japan)
Encyclopedia
Amendment Act on Reduction of Total Amount of Nitrogen Dioxide and Particulate Matters Originating from Automobiles in Designated Areas (introduced on 3 June 1992, amended on 19 June 2001) is environmental legislation in Japan
.
of nitrogen dioxide
(NOx
) and particulate matters(PMs) allowed by truck
s, bus
es, and diesel
passenger vehicles. Complying with this standard has become a requirement to pass the Motor-vehicle inspection (Japan)
which is necessary to register cars.
The Act is based on the 1992 law that aimed the reduction of nitrogen dioxide emissions from diesel vehicles. Further research revealed that particulate matters pose serious cancer
risk to the human body. The Act was amended in 2001 to include PMs and enlarged the geographical areas under the regulation.
) that prohibit non-complying cars to use the roads in their jurisdictions
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Background
The Act sets the maximum emissionsMotor vehicle emissions
Motor vehicle emissions are composed of the by-products that comes out of the exhaust systems or other emissions such as gasoline evaporation...
of nitrogen dioxide
Nitrogen dioxide
Nitrogen dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula it is one of several nitrogen oxides. is an intermediate in the industrial synthesis of nitric acid, millions of tons of which are produced each year. This reddish-brown toxic gas has a characteristic sharp, biting odor and is a prominent...
(NOx
NOx
NOx is a generic term for the mono-nitrogen oxides NO and NO2 . They are produced from the reaction of nitrogen and oxygen gases in the air during combustion, especially at high temperatures...
) and particulate matters(PMs) allowed by truck
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
s, bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es, and diesel
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
passenger vehicles. Complying with this standard has become a requirement to pass the Motor-vehicle inspection (Japan)
Motor-vehicle inspection (Japan)
, a contraction of , is the name of the vehicle inspection program in Japan for motor vehicles over 250 cc in engine displacement.- Reason for existence :...
which is necessary to register cars.
The Act is based on the 1992 law that aimed the reduction of nitrogen dioxide emissions from diesel vehicles. Further research revealed that particulate matters pose serious cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
risk to the human body. The Act was amended in 2001 to include PMs and enlarged the geographical areas under the regulation.
Affected area
- KantōKanto regionThe is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. Within its boundaries, slightly more than 40 percent of the land area is the Kantō Plain....
: most municipalities in SaitamaSaitama Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Saitama.This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which a large amount of residents commute each day.- History...
, ChibaChiba Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...
, TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, and Kanagawa - KansaiKansaiThe or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, and Shiga. Depending on who makes the distinction, Fukui, Tokushima and even Tottori Prefecture are also included...
: majority of municipalities in OsakaOsakais a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
and Hyogo - ChukyoChukyo Industrial AreaThe Chūkyō Industrial Area is another name for the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area and the surrounding prefectures, which have strong economic links to it. This industrial region includes the Aichi, Gifu, and Mie prefectures....
: majority of municipalities in Aichi and MieMie Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan which is part of the Kansai regions on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Tsu.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, Mie prefecture was known as Ise Province and Iga Province....
Criticism
Critics argued the law cannot stop dirty cars from coming into the regulated areas, as they would simply register the cars at municipalities that are not covered under the law. To patch this loophole, prefectural governments have set up bylaws (local ordinanceLocal ordinance
A local ordinance is a law usually found in a municipal code.-United States:In the United States, these laws are enforced locally in addition to state law and federal law.-Japan:...
) that prohibit non-complying cars to use the roads in their jurisdictions
Regulated by
- Ministry of the EnvironmentMinistry of the Environment (Japan)The ' of Japan was formed in 2001 from the sub-cabinet level Environmental Agency established in 1971. The minister is a member of the Cabinet and is chosen by the Prime Minister, usually from the Diet., the current is Goshi Hosono...
- Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and TransportMinistry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Japan)The , abbreviated MLIT, is a ministry of the Japanese government. It is responsible for one-third of all the laws and orders in Japan and the largest Japanese ministry in terms of employees, as well as the second-largest organ of the Japanese government after the Ministry of Defense...