Abstract
This study aims to review the environmental impact assessment systems of Japanese local governments, to compare its outcome with the systems of Korean local governments, and to suggest the development direction for the environmental impact assessment systems of Korean local governments based on the result. The study results showed that, first, due to distinction in the political systems of Japan and Korea, while Japan has bottom-up environmental impact assessment systems, Korea has topdown environment impact assessment systems. Second, although introduction of national systems on planning was put on hold as a future initiative, local governments including Tokyo and Saitama are experimenting evaluation procedures tailored to local features by legislating them as regulations. On the other hand, while 'prior environmental review system' was in effect as a national system, nothing was practiced at all by local governments. Third, in a total of 47 Japanese local governments, about 45 projects and 44 assessment items were added to local government environmental impact assessment only and designated as target projects and assessment items. Fourth, in both national and local environment impact assessment systems in Japan, screening procedures to determine assessment by separating into Type 1 projects and Type 2 projects and scoping procedures to discuss assessment items in advance were introduced and in effect. This Japanese EIA system may serve as a good reference to the Korean national and local government EIA systems.
