During the past decades, Japan has been a leading consumer country of Asbestos, but very few people have known the fact. The misconception planted in the society has concealed the magnitude of this issue, while numerous hidden victims have been produced. Confirming the process of the Asbestos ban in Japan is needed under these situations.

On 28 June 2002, Dr. Chikara Sakaguchi, Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare, declared the new policy that all Asbestos-containing products should be prohibited except products considered to be unavoidable for industrial and public safety.
In December 2002, the government formed “the Technical Committee on Substitution for Asbestos”, a closed committee, to review the possibility of Asbestos-containing products replacement at category level. The report of the committee released in April 2003 indicated the direction for the partial ban instead of the total ban.
The notification was sent to WTO members in May 2003 and no official comments were submitted for it. Just before the procedure, the hearings for Canada were performed behind the curtain. The public comments ware invited, but the consultation document provided for it was very poor, consisting of only a few lines of outline.
On 16 Oct. 2003, the Enforcement Order of Industrial Safety and Health Law was amended. The manufacture, import, use and transfer of the ten kinds of products, including slates and friction materials, containing Asbestos more than 1% in gravity were prohibited.

Although the amended Order is enforced on 1 Oct. 2004, the import or the export of chrysotile fiber is legal after the enforcement. Any Asbestos-containing products except for the ten prohibited products as well as those ten Asbestos products containing Asbestos at or below 1% in gravity can be produced or used in Japan. Besides, all Asbestos-containing products which were produced or imported before 1 Oct. 2004 were not applied to the amended Order, so they can be sold legally after the enforcement.