A Study on the Features of Evaluation Method in Environmental Impact Assessment of Japan

• Published in: Journal of The Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture Vol. 62; no. 5; pp. 741 - 744
• Main Author: SHOJI, Katsuhiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese; English
• Published: Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture 30.03.1999
• ISSN: 1340-8984; 1348-4559
• DOI: 10.5632/jila.62.741

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a significantly important measurement to obviate environmental degradation and to ensure sustainable development by fostering sound economic development with reduced load on environment. The study aims to clarify the features of evaluaiton metods of EIA of Japan, which is said to differ from those of other leading nations, and to clarify its history of introduction were conducted. The study was mainly conducted and researched by going through related literature. As a result, the evaluation method in Japan is distinguishable in two aspects; first, for the state of its evaluation guidelines, and second, for the latitude of the changes in terms of location and attribute of the proposed activity. In other words, absolute evaluation is being done by conservation goals which are considered as a form of evaluation guidelines, and according to the level of achievement of these conservation goals. And Introduction of the current evaluation method in Japan was partly due to the social call for difficulties to present alternative location plans and thus difficulties in making comparisons with alternatives, and also due to the need for a cohered system in order to carry out EIA in orderly and smooth manner. It was thus perceived suitable for this country to employ evaluation method that uses conservation goals as evaluation guidelines.