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Although the Japanese government has had pollution regulations on the books since the early 1960s, transaction-driven environmental site assessments are a relatively new development. Back in 1967, rapid economic growth in Japan compelled lawmakers to pass the first legislation to control smoke and soot pollution, followed by similar laws for other types of air and water pollution in 1968 and 1970, respectively. It was not until 2002 when regulators' focus shifted to environmental assessments and remediation with passage of the Soil Contamination Countermeasures Law. Today, Japan is in a new phase of technological innovation with an eye fixed on sustainable development. These trends are driving growth in the environmental due diligence market as well as brownfields redevelopment.