Message from the Deputy Director

While nearly all households sort waste and discharge now, just over 20 years ago, the custom of sorting did not exist. Japan’s 3R Initiative, for example, was based on the concept of forming a sound material-cycle society for the 21st century. In 2004, 3R was introduced to the world through then-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s “3R Initiative” proposal. Currently, 3R is being promoted as a way to solve the solid waste problem that many countries face.
However, since individual countries develop waste management policies in accordance with their economic and social situations, 3R policies need to take this into account. The Waste Management Research Center investigates the backgrounds of the solid waste problems that individual countries in the Asia-Pacifi c region face and conducts research to create solid waste management techniques customized to the country’s situations. By staying abreast of the waste management techniques used in various countries worldwide, we can attempt to change Japan’s own solid waste management techniques for the better.
Thank you.

Takeshi Fujiwara
Deputy Director
Waste Management Research Center