The world is currently facing two global crises, the climate crisis alongside the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic ramifications. Transitioning to a circular economy can be the solution to both, which aims to decouple our economic activity from consuming finite resources and design out waste, underpinned by using renewable energy. Thus this report, on the basis of over 40 interviews with stakeholders from the Japanese and EU private and public sectors, alongside desk-based research, presents a snapshot of Japan’s circularity. It gives an overview of Japan’s current awareness of circularity and its circular economy policy framework, which centres around the concept of a Sound Material-Cycle Society, its Circular Economy Vision 2020, alongside a table of key circularity indicators comparing the EU and Japan.

Report written as part of the MINERVA Market&Policy Intelligence programme.