Japanese rivers suffer from microplastic pollution

February 4 , 2020

On February 3, members of the Komeito Women’s Committee met with Hideyuki Nakayama, a professor at the Teikyo University of Science, to discuss microplastics and their environmental impact. Prof. Nakayama is an authority on the issue, and he was joined by Hiroko Nagai, who heads Spacefuu, a nonprofit organization (NPO) promoting reusable plastic tableware. Microplastics are those measured at less than 5 millimeters in size.

Prof. Nakayama explained that the average number of microplastic found in a cubic meter of water in Tokyo Bay was between eight to 47 versus up to 216 found in a cubic meter of water in the rivers of Yamanashi prefecture, where the discussion was held. The environmental expert is calling on the central and local governments to conduct surveys to create a national database in order to come up with viable solutions to the problem.

Ms. Nagai shared her NPO’s work to recycle and reuse plastic wrapping, cups, plates and other utensils. She believed that consumers, should they become the primary driver of meaningful change, will force producers to meet public demand. Consumer education should thus be a priority for policymakers, she said.

Also attending the discussion was Noriko Furuya, who heads party’s women’s committee, and Toshiko Takeya, the committee’s executive director, as well as women members of the Komeito Yamanashi prefectural organization. Furuya said that Komeito will be drawing on its network of national and local lawmakers to tackle the issue.

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