The Environmental Dispute Coordination Commission is an administrative committee established as an external agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and has the following main duties:
The chairperson and six commissioners are qualified legal professionals and experts in various fields, and the Prime Minister appoints them with the consent of the Diet (for a term of office of five years).
The law ensures neutrality and independence so that the court-based procedures can coordinate the interests that stand relative to each other.
Depending on the dispute, a person with academic knowledge in the relevant field may be appointed as an expert member to conduct a specialized investigation.
A secretariat is set up to assist the affairs of the Commission, and staff members, including experienced judges, are assigned (under personnel exchanges with courts).
| Position | Name | Career | Term of office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairperson | NAGANO Atsuo |
Former President of Nagoya High Court | From July 1,2022 To June 30,2027 |
| Commissioner | KITAMADO Takako |
Medical Doctor（Former Medical supervisor of Himeji City） | From July 2,2024 To June 30,2027 |
| Commissioner | NAKAMURA Yasushi |
Former Judge at Tokyo High Court (Division Director) | From July 1,2025 To June 30,2030 |
| Commissioner | WAKO Toshihiko |
Former Senior Advisor, of Fujitsu Limited, Former Vice-Minister for Policy Coordination of Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications |
From July 1, 2021 To June 30,2026 |
| Commissioner (Part-time) |
OTAKI Atsuko |
Lawyer (Former Professor, The Legal Training and Research Institute of Japan) | From July 1,2025 To June 30,2030 |
| Commissioner (Part-time) |
OHASHI Yoichi |
Professor, Law School, Gakushuin University | From July 1, 2021 To June 30,2026 |
| Commissioner (Part-time) |
KATO Kazumi |
Fellow, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)Former President, AIST | From July 1, 2022 To June 30, 2027 |
(as of July 1, 2025)
The Commission aims to resolve environmental disputes promptly and appropriately based on the Act on the Settlement of Environmental Pollution Disputes (enacted in 1970).
Based on the Act on Adjustment Procedures for Utilization of Lands for Mining and Other Industries (enacted in 1950), the Commission coordinates the mining, quarrying, or gravel gathering industries with the general public interest or other industries, including agriculture and forestry.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Dec. 1950 | Promulgation of the Act for Establishment of the Land Coordination Commission (Act No. 292 of 1950) |
| Jan. 1951 | Inauguration of the Land Coordination Commission (the external agency of the Former Prime Minister’s Office) |
| Jun. | Establishment of the Inquiry System through the promulgation of the Expropriation of Land Act (Act No. 219 of 1951) |
| Aug. 1967 | Promulgation of the Basic Act for Environmental Pollution Control (Act No. 132 of 1967) |
| Jun. 1970 | Promulgation of the Act on the Settlement of Environmental Pollution Disputes (Act No. 108 of 1970) |
| Nov. | Establishment of the Central Public Pollution Investigation Commission (Former Prime Minister’s Office) |
| Jun. 1972 | Promulgation of the Act for Establishment of the Environmental Dispute Coordination Commission (Act No. 52 of 1972) |
| Jul. | Establishment of the Environmental Dispute Coordination Commission (the external agency of the Former Prime Minister’s Office) (Integration of the Land Coordination Commission and the Central Public Pollution Investigation Commission) The Act title was amended to the Act on Adjustment Procedures for Utilization of Lands for Mining and Other Industries through the partial amendment to the Act for Establishment of the Land Coordination Commission |
| Sep. | Introduction of the Adjudication System through the partial amendment to the Act on the Settlement of Environmental Pollution Disputes |
| Nov. 1974 | Introduction of the Ex Officio Mediation System through the partial amendment to the Act on the Settlement of Environmental Pollution Disputes |
| Nov. 1993 | Promulgation of the Basic Environment Act (Act No. 91 of 1993) |
| Jan. 2001 | The Commission became the external agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications through the reorganization of central government ministries |
| May. 2009 | Amendment of the Regulations on Environmental Pollution Dispute Settlement Procedures (Commission’s Regulation No. 3 of 1972) to reduce the burden of the parties residing away from Tokyo and easing of the requirements for holding hearings at locations of damage |
| April. 2024 | Amendment of the Regulation for Enforcement of the Act on Procedures for Land Use Coordination Related to Mining and Other Industries. (the Land Coordination Commission's Regulation No. 2 of 1951) and the Regulations on Environmental Pollution Dispute Settlement Procedure to introduce web hearings and other measures for the purpose of reducing the burden of the parties. |
