Overview of the structure and the challenges of Japanese wildlife law and policy

Japan has a variety of laws to conserve and manage wildlife and biodiversity. This article reviews Japanese laws from conservation of endangered species to the fish and game code, and indicates the issues and challenges they face. It then discusses the issues and challenges for management in the application of the laws. The Japanese statute for conservation of endangered species corresponds to the US Endangered Species Act in appearance, but is much more limited in application and scope. There is no legal channel, such as lawsuits, to assure citizens' and experts' input. With respect to general species, management of fish and animals are divided; the fish code's scope is limited to fishery purposes. Control of wildlife damage is the biggest emphasis in the wildlife code. Reform to bring principles of scientific management into pest control has begun, but conventional culling is still the norm. Japan' wildlife and fish management is distinctive in relying upon local resource users, instead of on a strong regulatory agency. This is a consequence of traditional communal management, and is apparent in coastal fisheries. The depopulation and exhaustion of rural communities, however, makes it difficult to rely on the community for management. In particular, wildlife management, which relies on aging hunters, is facing a turning point. To address these changes, agencies must be strengthened and lawmakers must enact a mechanism to assure sound science in wildlife policy, while working to revitalize rural communities.