Japan has a population of 127 million people (2002) and because of the highly mountainous and volcanic nature of the country, only 10% of the land is suitable for residential purposes. The shortage of land in accessible areas limits the availability of suitable landfill sites and is the driving force behind Japan's waste management policy. Policies are based on waste reduction and recycling to minimise the amount of material that ultimately is destined for landfill, and the main route for waste disposal is incineration either with or without energy recovery. The main statutory control for waste management is set out in the waste Disposal Law 1970, which has had numerous subsequent amendments. Under the Law, waste is classified as either 'industrial' waste or 'general' (municipal) waste. The management of industrial waste, generated by business and industry, is the responsibility of the producer and is controlled by the 47 'Prefectures' which are the first tier of local government. The Prefectures authorise proposals for the construction or modification of industrial waste treatment and disposal facilities. Industrial waste production is estimated at 400 million tonnes per year (2000) and is dominated by waste from the iron and steel industry, animal waste, sludge, mining and construction industries. Approximately 50% of the industrial waste undergoes intermediate treatment, recycling is also a major route for the generated waste and the remainder is landfilled. Whilst the responsibility for treatment and disposal of industrial waste is the responsibility of the producer, increasingly the waste is treated by the municipalities.