THE STATUS OF MEASURES TO COMBAT MOTOR VEHICLE AIR POLLUTION AND OUTSTANDING ISSUES IN JAPAN

In the quarter century since fiscal 1970, air pollution generated by motor vehicles has not improved sufficiently, and the state is severe, particularly in major cities. This is caused directly by the increasing volume of motor vehicle traffic that is, in turn, a result of the fact that contemporary socio-economic systems and lifestyles depend largely on the use of the motor vehicle. Social cost of air pollution must be internalized to solve the air pollution problem and the total volume of motor vehicle emission must be reduced and controlled to meet environmental quality standards, not just regulated on a vehicle-by-vehicle basis. This will require a review of the prevailing vehicle-dependent socio-economic systems and lifestyles, and necessitate that we look at a set of drastic measures which strike at the fundamentals of our vehicle usage.