Local governments.In general, local
governments in Japan operate, maintain
and manage domestic, industrial, and
sewerage water utilities and related
facilities 5 . As of the end of FY2003, local
governments managed 1,936 larger water
utilities and 8,360 small-scaled water
utilities. As a result, the proportion of the
total population with access to improved
water sources reached 96.9% in 2003. Local
government agencies also continuously
monitor public water quality and supervise
private entities to ensure that wastewater
effluent standards are being met.