3. Ramsar implementation in Japan
Japan ratified the Ramsar Convention in October 1980, with
Kushiro-shitugen becoming Japan’s first Ramsar site. There are currently
37 Ramsar sites designated in Japan covering a total of
130,027 ha (Ramsar Convention Secretariat, 2008). However, in
2002, the Japan Ministry of Environment identified 500 wetland
sites (based on the criteria in Table 2) considered suitable for designation
under the Ramsar Convention, and it remains an aspiration
to designate all 500.