The "Amendment to the Soil Contamination Countermeasures Act" was enacted on May 12, 2017, and was promulgated on May 19, 2017. This Amendment: (i) requires an owner of land, or other individual, that is subject to a suspended contamination investigation (due to the operation of a factory on the land, for example) to conduct an investigation in certain circumstances; (ii) establishes a system to issue orders for the submission or change of plans, considering that there is no measure currently in existence that allows for the correction of orders to remove pollution; and (iii) streamlines the regulations relating to the risks, including mitigating notification obligations in the event of change in the land's characteristics if there is no concern of a health hazard. This amendment will come into force no later than two years from the date of promulgation on a date to be specified by a Cabinet Order.
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