Car pollution policy at crossroads//The Daily Yomiuri.

Car pollution policy at crossroads Tadashi Matsui and Jun Sato Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers Yomiuri Measures against auto-exhaust pollution have reached a turning point with Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara's announcement that he would impose restrictions on diesel-powered vehicles entering Tokyo and a Kobe District Court ruling, handed down Jan. 31 in the Amagasaki pollution case, recognizing that diesel exhaust particles (DEPs) are harmful to human health. The United States and European countries consider DEPs a major health hazard and have long since adopted measures to curb such emissions. Japan's measures, however, remain on the drawing board in that the Environment Agency has been reluctant to respond to the latest research findings. In negotiations with the EPA after the Amagasaki ruling, plaintiffs criticized the agency for its lack of action, and they repeatedly demanded to know what the government had done since it embarked on a full-fledged mission more than 10 years ago to cope …