On July 13, 2026, the “Let’s Connect! National Network Speaking Out for PFAS Regulation” submitted 61,089 signatures calling for a revision of PFAS drinking water standards and health surveys for pregnant women and new mothers to the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), and the Children and Families Agency. In conjunction with the submission of the signatures, the group also held a total of two hours of discussions with representatives from each ministry.

However, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW), which is responsible for public health, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), which oversees water supply services, refused to accept the signatures or hold any discussions, because it was “outside their jurisdiction.”

Over 60,000 signatures from across the country in 4 months

The National Network consists of eight women living in Hokkaido, Tokyo, Shizuoka, Osaka, Hyogo, Okayama, and Okinawa. PFAS contamination has occurred in each of their respective areas, and they launched a petition to coincide with International Women’s Day on March 8.

The demands are the following three points:

・Reduce the tap water standard of 50 ng/L to a level close to zero. To start with, align it with the U.S. standard of 4 ng/L or less.

 

・Conduct surveys and research on the health effects of PFAS, focusing on areas with high levels of PFAS contamination, particularly among pregnant women and new mothers, and provide compensation for any resulting health damage.

 

・Establish safety standards as soon as possible not only for tap water but for all water sources, soil, and agricultural and fishery products, and provide free public testing. Protect the safety of those engaged in agriculture and fisheries, and provide compensation for damages.

In just over four months, 61,089 signatures were collected. On July 13, the National Network submitted the signatures to the Ministry of the Environment, the MAFF, and the Children and Families Agency. This was followed by a roundtable discussion with the attendees. The participants from the ministries were as follows.

Ministry of the Environment

Keiko Yoshikawa, Director of the Environmental Management Division, Environment Management Bureau

Toshihiro Higashi, Director of the Water Supply and Sanitation Management Offices, Environmental Management Bureau

Genichiro Tsukada, Director of the Chemical Safety Division, Chemicals Evaluation Office, Environmental Health Department

Shiro Kawahara, Deputy Director, Environmental Risk Assessment Office, Environmental Health Department

 

Children and Families Agency

Masato Nishikawa, Director (in charge of Maternal and Child Health Promotion), Maternal and Child Health Division, Growth Bureau

 

Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Tomotaro Yoshida, Assistant Director, Food Safety and Policy Division, Food Safety and Consumer Affairs Bureau

Shinnosuke Miki, Assistant Director, Food Safety Science Office, Food Safety Policy Division, Food Safety and Consumer Affairs Bureau

 

Consumer Affairs Agency (Attended the discussion only)

Daisuke Aoki, Deputy Director, Food Safety Standards and Evaluation Division

Junpei Goto, Deputy Director, Food Safety Standards and Evaluation Division

Ministry of the Environment Director: “It came as quite a shock in the water supply industry”

During the discussion, the officials responded to the requests raised. However, they showed absolutely no sense of urgency. Regarding the water quality standards—which more than 60,000 citizens are calling for a revision of— Yoshikawa, Director of the Environmental Management Division at the Ministry of the Environment, began her remarks by saying the following:

“50 ng/L is actually an extremely low concentration. Normally, tap water quality standards are measured in milligrams. That’s a million-fold difference compared to nanograms. Given that we’re discussing matters at that level, the sudden appearance of this ‘nanogram’ unit came as quite a shock—even to those in the water supply industry—but we’re still working to ensure we respond appropriately.”

However, this explanation is misleading. Because both PFOA and PFOS can cause health effects even in trace amounts, standards have been established for low concentrations. It is not a matter of “it’s safe because the level is low”; rather, “it is dangerous even at low levels.” The U.S. standard is set at 4 ng/L, compared to Japan’s 50 ng/L. The fact that the units differ from those used for other substances is completely irrelevant.

Yoshida, Assistant Director of the Food Safety Policy Division at the MAFF, stated that based on the results of a survey of agricultural products harvested in areas with high PFAS concentrations, the levels were “sufficiently low.” However, he cited only four items surveyed in fiscal year 2024 as examples. Members of the National Network pointed out that “the number of items is far too small.”

One shouldn’t underestimate the amount one consumes through food.

In 2021, a research team from Kyoto University conducted a survey of agricultural crops in Settsu City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan’s largest PFOA contaminated region. They tested more than 10 types of vegetables—including eggplant, potatoes, and daikon radish—grown in fields located just a few meters from the source of the contamination, the Daikin Yodogawa Plant. High concentrations of PFOA were found in all of them. For instance, consuming 140 grams of eggplant and 100 grams of taro would result in the ingestion of a total of 50.5 ng of PFOA.

A blood test conducted in 2023 on 1,192 people in Osaka Prefecture found that those who ate vegetables grown around the Daikin Yodogawa Plant had higher concentrations of PFOA in their blood. Subsequently, a follow-up study showed that people who stopped consuming such vegetables experienced a decrease in their blood PFOA levels, while those who continued to eat them maintained their blood concentration levels.

The discussion with the four government agencies lasted a total of two hours. Regarding each request, the agencies limited their responses to stating that “we first need to gather more information.”

“I was very shocked” by the refusal to accept the signatures

The original plan was to submit the signatures to the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), the Children and Families Agency, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW), and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). The National Network had been collecting signatures with the intention of submitting them to these five ministries and agencies.

However, the MHLW and the MLIT refused to accept the signatures. They cited the fact that they lacked the authority as government agencies to address the requested items and that the matter was “outside their jurisdiction.”

The MHLW is responsible for the health of the public, including children and pregnant women.

The MLIT, together with the Ministry of the Environment, has jurisdiction over water supply.

Both of them play a key role in the PFAS contamination issue. The National Network pressed the officials, saying, “There is no way your ministry isn’t completely unrelated,” but they were rejected.

Yuriko Nagaoka of the National Network, also a member of Osaka PFAS Contamination and Health Awareness Group, reflecting on the more than 60,000 people who signed the petition, stated the following.

“Unfortunately, we had promised everyone that I would submit the signatures to the MHLW and the MLIT, and that’s why we’d been collecting them. However, since these matters apparently fall outside their jurisdiction, they were unable to accept them. I’m very shocked by this.”

Naomi Machida from the group, Beautiful Water of Ginowan, another member of the National Network, says:

“I thought maybe I didn’t ask enough direct questions to the MHLW and the MLIT. Starting next time, we intend to conduct the questioning in a way that holds each ministry accountable, and to demand a commitment to resolving these issues responsibly.”

The National Network will continue to collect signatures. In addition to the MHLW and the MLIT, it plans to submit the signatures to the Cabinet Office and the Food Safety Commission, which are deeply involved in establishing PFAS standards.

Online petition: Click here

Petition form: Download here

[Inquiries Regarding the Women’s Network and Petition]

NO! PFAS Women’s Network, Let’s Connect! National Network Speaking Out for PFAS Regulation

Representative of the Organizing Committee: Yuriko Nagaoka (Osaka)

Phone: 090-8376-1215

Email: osakapfas.nagaoka@gmail.com

(Originally published in Japanese on January 22 2026. Translation by Mana Shibata.)

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