Laws and Regulations Regarding Asbestos

About the Amendment of Laws Related to Asbestos

On June 5, 2020, in order to suppress the emission of asbestos in demolition and construction work, the "Law to Partially Amend the Air Pollution Control Act" (Law No. 39 of 2020, hereinafter referred to as the "Amendment Law") was promulgated.
The Amendment Law has been implemented sequentially from April 1, 2021.
For details, please check the Ministry of the Environment website.

• About the Revised Air Pollution Control Act(External Link)

(1) Expansion of Regulated Targets

Regulations will be established to expand to all asbestos-containing building materials, including asbestos-containing molded boards.

(2) Ensuring the Reliability of Preliminary Investigations

To prevent inadequate preliminary investigations such as overlooking asbestos-containing building materials, general contractors are required to report the investigation results to the prefecture, regardless of the presence of asbestos-containing building materials, for demolition work on buildings of a certain scale or larger. Additionally, the methods of investigation will be legally established.

(3) Establishment of Direct Penalties

To thoroughly prevent the dispersion of asbestos during the removal of asbestos-containing building materials, direct penalties will be established for those who carry out spraying and removal work without isolation.

(4) Prevention of Inappropriate Work

The prime contractor is required to report the results of the removal of asbestos-containing building materials to the client and to create and preserve records related to the work.

(5) Others

The establishment of responsibilities for the national and local governments to support the expansion of inspection targets by prefectures, and to ascertain the use of asbestos-containing building materials by owners of buildings, etc., in preparation for disasters, will be organized with the necessary regulations.

• Asbestos Dispersion Prevention Flyer (PDF 755.9KB)
• Asbestos Dispersion Prevention Leaflet (PDF 4.1MB)

Along with the amendment of the Air Pollution Control Act, the Asbestos Regulations (Asbestos Hazard Prevention Regulations) were also revised.
For details, please check the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare website and others.

• Regulations for the Prevention of Asbestos-Related Diseases and Related Laws(External Link)
• Asbestos Comprehensive Information Portal Site(External Link)

Notification regarding specific dust emission work (asbestos) under the Air Pollution Control Act and Environmental Protection Ordinance

This is a guide regarding the notification required for measures to prevent the dispersion of asbestos when demolishing, remodeling, or repairing buildings and structures.

• Application Information(External Link)