Illegal Export of Medical Waste - October 2000
In 2000, a waste disposal company in Tochigi Prefecture was found to have illegally exported a large amount of medical waste to the Philippines, including used syringes, blood-stained gloves, and contaminated medical equipment. These wastes were not properly disposed of at Philippine ports, causing environmental and health concerns. More than 1,000 medical institutions in Tochigi Prefecture were involved in this incident, and the fraud was perpetrated by a contractor to whom they had outsourced the processing. In response to this situation, the Philippine government tightened regulations on medical waste imports and increased monitoring of imports from Japan. Also in Japan, the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare have been strengthening emitter responsibility and regulations, and the Tochigi Medical Association has made plans to build an intermediate treatment facility by 2002 to prevent a recurrence.
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