The Cabinet has adopted the third Basic Environment Plan since the first one was approved in 1994. Based on a report by the Central Environment Council, the latest plan, a revision of the second plan (adopted in 2000), is titled "The Way to a New Rich Lifestyle in a Sustainable Society."
Its main theme is "Integrated Improvements of the Environment, the Economy and the Society." The new plan's vision has been widened from matters previously considered under the jurisdiction of the Environment Ministry to encompass a long-term, comprehensive environmental policy that will cover industry and agriculture, and all of society.
The plan says that since environmental, social and economic aspects are intertwined in a complex way these days, environmental factors must be incorporated into social and economic systems if a rich environment is to be handed down to our offspring. This approach is reasonable, but the question is whether it will be backed up by concrete policy programs.