Japan's shipments of plastic waste overseas in 2018 decreased 30 percent, figures from a research institute showed Thursday, due to restrictions China imposed on receiving such waste in late 2017.

The nation exported about 1.01 million tons of plastic waste in 2018, down from 1.43 million tons the previous year, according to the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, with shipments to China plunging to 100,000 tons last year from 1.02 million tons.

China, a major importer of plastic and other waste, imposed an import ban on nonindustrial plastic waste and restricted imports of industrial plastic waste in late December 2017 amid growing concerns over pollution and health problems.