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May 16, 2011 - Mar 31, 2013

Research Project on the Effectiveness of Resource Security and Efficient Waste Recycling in Northeast Asia

Leader
  • Yuichiro Yoshida

The objective of this research project is twofold. The first is to investigate the impact of great east Japan disaster on the international reverse-logistics and waste-recycling networks in north-east Asia. The second is to benchmark productive efficiency of waste processing and recycling activities of municipal governments in Japan. Since the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, regulation on radiation levels have been heightened in many countries surrounding Japan. This resulted in mounting cases of shipped back metal-scrap exports. The current situation, if it persists, will ultimately alter the international supply chain of waste recycling in a way that it will consume the competitive advantage of Japanese exporters and firms in waste recycling industry. As a starting point to tackle this issue, we summarize explicit and implicit barriers of waste-recycling trade through interviewing exporters, importers, and regulators of both sides. In pursuing the second research objective, we will quantify the productive efficiency of Japanese municipal governments in processing solid waste. This will enable us to identify the best practice of waste recycling, and also to evaluate the effectiveness of the recent policy changes such as the amendment of Waste Disposal and Public Cleansing Law and implementation of so-called 3R policy. Our research, we believe will play an important role in designing and reconstructing a municipal waste-management system in disaster-hit areas.