ABOUT JEAN
General Incorporated Association JEAN
In recent years, litter (“marine litter”) has been generated from human activity and industrial sites, flowed into the sea via rivers and waterways and become an international environmental issue by drifting ashore in other countries.
There are many problems with marine litter such as harm to wildlife (mistakenly eating litter as feed or an animal’s body becoming entangled in litter), damage to tourism (bad reputation or deterioration of scenery), harm to fishing industry (destruction of fishing grounds or litter getting mixed into marine products), and hindrance to marine navigation of ships.
With the aim of rendering services for preservation of the marine environment, since 1990, JEAN has engaged in resolving the marine litter problem. Our primary activities and projects are as follows:
Outline of Organization
| Name of Organization | JEAN(General Incorporated Association) |
|---|---|
| Establishment | November 19, 2008 (As a voluntary group: January 1991) |
| Representative | Representative Directors: Shigeru FUJIEDA |
| Address | 3-4-12-202 Minami-cho, Kokubunnji Tokyo 185-0021 |
| Number of staff | 6 persons, including part-time staff |
| Purpose | This association intends to conduct activities such as gathering and conveying information, conducting investigative research, and implementing awareness raising/educational programs regarding the problem of marine litter. It applies the results from such activities domestically and to neighboring nations toward solving the problem of marine litter, with the purpose of contributing to the preservation of the marine environment, which is the shared heritage of human beings. |
| Activities and Projects | (1) Collecting and conveying information concerning the marine litter problem. (2) Investigative research on the marine litter problem. (3) Education and international cooperation for the marine litter problem. (4) Policy proposal through items 1 to 3 listed above. (5) Activities and projects which are supplemental or related to items 1 to 4 listed above. (6) Other activities and projects to accomplish our objectives. |
Brief History of JEAN Activities
| 1990 | Commencement of the Cleanup Activity with Volunteers *Carried out Japan’s first “International Coastal Cleanup (ICC)” (litter survey and cleanup by citizens), in response to an invitation for participation from the U.S. marine conservation organization, Ocean Conservancy. (80 sites; participation of 800 volunteers) |
|---|---|
| 1991 | Start of the private organization, "Cleanup Office Japan" Started coordinating spring and autumn cleanup campaigns *260 sites with participation of 10,400 volunteers in the spring and autumn campaigns. From 1991 onward, carried out the two campaigns every year. |
| 1992 | The Cleanup Activity was authorized as on official Earth Year event by the Environmental Agency (now the Ministry of Environment). Started riverbank cleanups in addition to coasts.(In 1993, Tamagawa ClearnAid was held; Arakawa Clean Aid was carried out in 1994, and since then, it has been continued by a local citizen organization concerning the river basin environment.) |
| 1994 | Hosted expert consultations on different themes (10 meetings from 1994 to 1997) |
| 1995 | Attended International Coastal Cleanup Coordinator Conference for the first time. *Attended the conference as the national coordinator of Japan, had information exchange and interchange. |
| 1997 | In the incident of Nakhodka oil spill accident, dispatched information and helped at the accident site. Started cooperative and collaborative researchers. |
| 2001 | Cleanup Campaign was authorized as an official project of the United Nations Environmental Plan (UNEP). |
| 2002 | Staring cooperative research and activities with Korean researchers and non-governmental organization. |
| 2003 | Hosted "Island Litter Summit" to study with concerned parties and local governmental bodies, measures for locations where damage is severe. *Subsequently, the name of the meeting changed to "Marine Litter Summit" and has beer held once a year. |
| 2004 | Held "Act Forum for Clean Seashore" jointly with the River Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) |
| 2005 | Hosted an informal gathering of parties concerned for discussions on the problem of marine litter. *This gathering was held to provide an opportunity make progress in creating measures as a nation. Since we consider the moves of our government are indispensable for solving the problem, the informal gathering included persons of responsibility from relevant government offices, and others related to the marine litter issue such as researchers and individuals from NGOs and the business sector. |
| 2006 | Jointly hosted "International Coastal Cleanup and Workshop" organized by the United Nations Northwestern Pacific Action Plan (NOWPAP). |
| 2007 | Held the symposium, "To Retrieve the Clean Seashore" and the " Symposium to Commence `Marine Litter Platform Japan". |
| 2008 | In order to enhance the activities, established "Limited Liability Intermediate Corporation JEAN." Started undertaking investigation/survey work on marine litter. |
| 2009 | The “Law for the Promotion of Marine Litter Disposal” was enacted in July as a result of lobbying activities since 2006 to develop laws regarding the marine litter problem. Changed the organization name to "(in Japanese) General Incorporated Association JEAN" as a result of abrogation of the Intermediate Corporation Law. |
| 2010 | Consolidated activities under General Incorporated Association JEAN. (Liquidated the private organization "JEAN/Cleanup Office Japan" in order to form a better organization.) |
