In Japan, it’s in the bag, and that’s the problem

Convenience may be hazardous
That convenience is bad news for the environment, said Yoshitaka Fukuoka, a professor of environmental science at Tokyo’s Rissho University.

Plastic bags waste valuable oil resources and the energy it takes to produce them contributes to global warming. Some can release harmful toxins when burned, and many end up in the sea and can kill sea turtles and other marine animals that mistake them for food.

Moreover, Fukuoka says the revised law — with only a system of warnings, with no legal liabilities — doesn’t go far enough.

“Stores must be forced to charge for bags. That’s the only way Japanese consumers can be persuaded to cut down on the plastic bags they use,” Fukuoka said.

Germany, for example, saw plastic bag use fall by 70 percent after the government introduced a small levy in 2002. Similar strategies have been successfully employed in Ireland, South Africa, Bangladesh, Australia, Shanghai and Taiwan.

‘A sense of responsibility’
The Environment Ministry, however, argues the revision is a step in the right direction.

“The law is about raising awareness and a sense of responsibility,” said Yoichi Horigome, an official at the ministry’s recycling policy bureau. “We expect retailers to be very cooperative.”

The ministry is also suggesting more traditional and ecological alternatives to plastic. It recently launched a campaign to revive the “furoshiki,” Japan’s traditional answer to the reusable bag, a piece of fabric for carrying things by simply wrapping them.

“Japanese weren’t always so wasteful,” Horigome said. “We once led more environmentally friendly lifestyles. I think we can draw on that.”

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