JP Soil Contamination Countermeasures Act — Mandatory Soil Contamination Survey on Decommissioning of Specified Facilities Using Hazardous Substances or on Land Alteration

Japan's Soil Contamination Countermeasures Act requires landowners and managers to conduct a soil contamination survey and take appropriate action on contaminated soil, in order to prevent harm to human health from soil contamination at factories and business sites that handle specified hazardous substances (26 substances, including heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, pesticides, and PCBs). A notification and survey by an agency designated by the Minister of the Environment, assessing compliance with the designated standards (soil elution and content standards), is required either when a specified facility using hazardous substances regulated under the Water Pollution Control Act is decommissioned (Article 3) or when land of 3,000 square meters or more is altered (900 square meters or more for land where such a facility was located, Article 4). If a standard is exceeded, the land is designated as an area requiring countermeasures or an area requiring notification upon land alteration, and measures such as removing the contamination or containment with soil covering or an impermeable barrier become necessary.