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4.261. Private providers entering into such arrangements must obtain a licence from the prefectural government. There are no legal provisions barring foreign firms to enter the waste and recycling market. Japan has full commitments for the relevant mode of delivery (mode 3) for waste management services under the GATS and in all its FTAs so far, be they positively or negatively listed.

4.262. Japan is one of Asia's largest producers and consumers of goods and services related to air and noise pollution abatement. The domestic market is characterized by intense competition among indigenous firms. Large Japanese suppliers account for about 80% of the air pollution abatement market.

Box 4.9 Noise pollution abatement services
(...)
Main Regulations: Air Pollution Control Law; Law Concerning Special Measures Against Dioxins; Pollution Release and Transfer Registry Law; Basic Environment Law; Noise Control and Vibration Control Law; Aircraft Noise Prevention Law;
Main objectives of the regulations: Protection of citizens.

4.264. The national Government and prefectures provide environmental investment incentives through tax support, low interest loans, subsidies, and grants.

4.265. Japan has a full commitment under mode 3 for air and noise pollution abatement services under the GATS and under all its FTAs so far, be they positively or negatively listed.

4.267. The main policy objective of remediation, and nature and land protection services is to protect the health of citizens by preventing pollution and by purifying the pollution that has already occurred (Box 4.10).

Box 4.10 Regulatory overview of remediation, and nature and landscape protection services
(...)
Main regulations: Soil Contamination Countermeasure Law; Basic Environmental Law; Ambient Environmental Quality Standards; Environmental Quality Standards for Soil;
Main objectives of the regulations: Protection of health of citizens by preventing pollution and the purification of pollution that has already occurred.

4.274. (...) Establishment of large-scale stores remain regulated by the 2000 "Act on the Measures by large-scale retail stores for the preservation of the living environment", which does not include an economic needs test but foresees procedures to establish and operate large-scale stores so as to protect the living environment (e.g. noise impact assessment - notably for parking - traffic impact assessment, etc). (...)

Regarding plurilateral negotiations in relation to the WTO, Japan has actively participated in plurilateral negotiations such as the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) and the Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA). As for TiSA, the leaders of the G7 declared at the G7 Ise-Shima Summit that they look forward to concluding negotiations on an ambitious, balanced and mutually beneficial agreement by the end of 2016. As for EGA, in the Leader's Communique of the G20 Hangzhou Summit 2016, the EGA members welcomed the landing zone achieved in the WTO EGA negotiations, and reaffirmed their aim to redouble efforts to bridge remaining gaps and conclude an ambitious, future-oriented EGA that seeks to eliminate tariffs on a broad range of environmental goods by the end of 2016. These negotiations will achieve significant progress towards multilateral trade liberalization.

Japan and the United States conducted negotiations on non-tariff measures (NTMs) and on motor vehicle trade in parallel to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations. The negotiation on NTMs included the areas of Insurance, Transparency/Trade Facilitation, Investment, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), Standards, Government Procurement, Competition Policy, Express Delivery and SPS. The negotiation on motor vehicle trade included (...) Green/New Technology Vehicles, (...)