Environmental Law Experts to Publish Book Highlighting 20 Years of Field Knowledge, Warning of a "Silent Compliance Crisis" in Japanese Manufacturing

Environmental Business Agency Co., Ltd. (eba), a pioneer in environmental law compliance support, will release "Environmental Law Update," a specialized book systemizing environmental compliance practices for manufacturing sites, on May 22, 2026, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of its "Environmental Law Support" service.

This book compiles the knowledge of experts who have provided on-site support for 20 years, addressing the structural issue of "unknowingly harboring risks" that many companies face amidst increasingly complex and advanced environmental regulations.

The business environment for Japanese manufacturing is becoming more severe due to factors like the weak yen, high resource prices, labor shortages, and rising tensions in the Middle East. Meanwhile, as environmental laws become more complex in response to carbon neutrality and the circular economy, the risk of legal violations due to being "unaware" or "uninformed" is quietly spreading on-site as companies fail to keep up with the pace of legislative amendments. From its 20-year perspective of working with manufacturing sites, eba is sounding an alarm about this "silent compliance crisis" and is widely sharing its accumulated know-how to raise the entire industry's standards.

1. The "Invisible Risk" Spreading in Japanese Manufacturing

The regulatory landscape for companies is changing significantly, with the creation of new systems related to carbon neutrality and the circular economy, as well as frequent revisions to existing environmental laws.

eba's environmental compliance support database, "Environmental Law Support," initially covered 38 environmental laws when it started in 2005, but has now expanded to 57.

Furthermore, these 57 laws have undergone an average of 58 amendments per year (laws, cabinet orders, and ministerial ordinances alone) over the past 20 years. In recent years, frequent revisions to the "Act on Promotion of Global Warming Countermeasures," "Industrial Safety and Health Act," and "Act on the Promotion of Effective Utilization of Resources" have been particularly noticeable.

Meanwhile, the following challenges are becoming apparent on Japanese manufacturing floors: - The complexity of legal information makes it difficult to understand what needs to be done and to what extent. - Reliance on individual knowledge and an aging workforce make it difficult to pass on expertise. - Amidst rising costs and labor shortages, companies cannot allocate sufficient resources to legal compliance.

As a result, legal violations due to being "unaware" or "uninformed" are quietly spreading. According to a white paper from the Ministry of the Environment, although the number of cases prosecuted for environmental law violations has recently trended downwards, it remains at a high level, exceeding 5,000 cases annually.

2. Legal Compliance is "Competitiveness," Not a "Cost"

Responding to environmental laws is a critical management issue that affects a company's credibility. With environmental considerations now required throughout the supply chain, legal compliance is synonymous with corporate competitiveness. However, the reality is that access to accurate and reliable information is limited, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Since its founding in 2005, eba has supported a total of 202 manufacturing companies through its "Environmental Law Support" database. Based on this 20-year expertise, the book presents a "practical model" for environmental law compliance by: - Organizing related laws for each type of equipment and facility. - Visualizing necessary procedures and actions. - Providing flowcharts to guide decision-making for practitioners.

The reason eba is publishing its know-how as a book is its strong sense of crisis regarding the declining environmental compliance capabilities of Japanese manufacturing sites. While environmental regulations are expected to become even stricter, the human resources to support them are decreasing. If this situation continues, the sites that support Japanese manufacturing will remain exposed to invisible risks. This publication is an effort to share practical solutions widely, not only with large corporations but also with SMEs, including small local factories.

3. From CEO Atsuko Suzuki: Eliminating "I Didn't Know" at Even One More Company

Many environmental law violations stem from a lack of awareness. At worksites, the increasing complexity of laws and labor shortages are happening simultaneously, creating a situation where anyone can be at risk. This book is the first systematic compilation of the knowledge we have accumulated on-site over 20 years. I hope it helps to eliminate cases of "I didn't know" at as many sites as possible.

4. The Book is a Starting Point; Continuous Action is Essential

While this book outlines the overall picture and practical methods for environmental law compliance, continuous action is essential as laws are updated daily.