Ministerial Council on the Circular Economy

On December 27, 2024, Prime Minister Ishiba attended the second meeting of the Ministerial Council on the Circular Economy at the Prime Minister’s Office.

At the meeting, the participants engaged in discussions on a draft package to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.

Following the discussion, the Prime Minister said:

“Amid increasing environmental and resource restrictions, the transition to a circular economy, where we fully utilize metal, plastic, and other waste as circulative resources to create added value and foster new growth, is an extremely important initiative for Japan, a country dependent on imports for a large number of resources. I ask each Minister to swiftly implement the policy package compiled today.

I also request you to speed up efforts to draw up and submit to the Diet legislation to expand the use of recycled materials, promote environmentally-friendly designs, and encourage the recycling of solar panels.

We will lead international rule-making efforts such as a corporate information disclosure scheme in the field of resource recycling, support the contribution to growing circular economy markets not only in the United States and Europe, but also in Asian countries, and encourage Japanese companies to enter these markets. The transition to a circular economy involves changes in people’s lifestyles as well as the transformation of every company across the supply chain from the design of products to the recycling of waste and the utilization of recycled materials. Hence, going forward, we will continue to push ahead with such efforts as a national strategy under the leadership of this Ministerial Council. That is all.”