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On 18 June 2010, the Government issued a new regulatory reform programme 149, whose main objectives are to review regulations concerning environment and energy, medical and elderly care services, and agriculture, including the Law Concerning the Measures by Large-Scale Retail Stores for Preservation of Living Environment, the Law Concerning Standardization and Proper Labelling of Agricultural and Forestry Products and the Act concerning the Rational Use of Energy

In the WTO, Japan has recently sought to curtail unilateral export restrictions by its trading partners, especially those concerning chemical fertilizers and natural resources

Some FTAs stipulate the inappropriateness of encouraging investment through a relaxation of environmental measures or by weakening or reducing protection afforded in domestic labour laws

Japan maintains certain export controls to, inter alia, preserve natural resources in accordance with international agreements (such as CITES)

Imports of, inter alia, animals or plants listed in the appendices of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), certain marine products, animals and plants, substances that deplete the ozone layer, specified hazardous wastes, and waste chemical weapons goods, may be prohibited or subject to import licensing, import approval or quantitative restrictions in order to preserve domestic plant and animal life and the environment

Organic Japan Agricultural Standards (JAS) standards were established in accordance with the Codex "Guidelines for Production, Processing, Labelling and Marketing of Organically Produced Foods, while on 27 August 2009, mandatory technical regulations for organic plants were revised with some substances were added to or deleted from the list of substances permitted for the production of organic plants

A total of 54 technical regulations are in force based on the JAS Law, including cross-category quality labelling standards for, inter alia, genetically modified foods, and standards for organic plants and organic processed foods (made of plants), while mandatory labelling for genetically modified (GM) foods is regulated under the Food Sanitation Law and the JAS Law safety with assessments on genetically modified (GM) foods conducted by the Food Safety Commission in accordance with Codex guidelines

The focus of tax incentives is on achieving various policy objectives, including investment to address environmental concerns and promote R&D, consumption and environment-friendly investment, such as investment in energy-saving and new-energy facilities, and reduction of the tax burden on the purchase of environment-friendly automobiles

The Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) aims to promote innovation by investing in what is deemed as promising projects in areas of environment, energy, infrastructure, and others

Under the Trademark Act, certain trade marks, including those recognized in the domestic market as indicating common names (e.g. names commonly designating products of biodiversity), raw materials, or quality of goods, are not eligible for trade mark registration