The House of Councilors on Friday approved a bill mandating the retrieval and destruction of ozone-depleting and greenhouse gases used in automobile air conditioners, industrial refrigerators and cooling systems.
The law will ban emissions of three man-made gases — chlorofluorocarbons, hydrofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons.
These gases are known to ravage the ozone layer and have been implicated in global warming. Violators of the new legislation will be subject to a prison term of up to one year and a fine of 500,000 yen.