The national government enacts the laws and regulations needed to
		preserve the water quality and carry out sewerage works.Also, it
		designs basic frameworks of sewerage works in Japan and makes
		long-term and middle-term plans for sewerage systems. MLIT is a key.
		and fundamental organization for national wide budget for sewerage
		works, watershed management, planning for new tasks of sewerage
		systems, establishments of technical standards, policy and project
		evaluation, publicity and public involvement, and international
		cooperation. Research and investigation for policy making are
		conducted in National Institute for Land Infrastructure Management
		(NILIM).
		The construction, operation, and renewal of sewerage facilities are
		conducted by local governments, namely prefectures and
		municipalities. These public bodies construct sewerage systems
		mainly by subsidies from central government, local bonds, and
		municipal general expenditures. Costs for operating and
		maintenance of sewerage systems including those for principal and
		interest of local bonds are covered mainly by sewerage system user
		charges and amounts paid as general expenditures.
		The Japan Sewage Works Agency (JS) provides technical supports
		to local governments for planning, design and construction of
		fundamental sewerage systems such as wastewater treatment
		plants, pumping stations and trunk sewers based on local
		governments' requests. The agency also conducts technical
		support on operation and maintenance of wastewater
		treatment plants for municipalities, training of local
		government staff involved in sewerage, and research and
		technology development on sewerage systems.