The status of Blue Flag in Japan

The first two BF beaches in Asia were created in Japan in 2016, which has now increased to a total of six beaches. However, the history of BF is still brief. Therefore, this chapter aims to clarify the following two main questions: What effects do the stakeholders of each beach expect from BF? And are social effects produced by BF? Through a literature review and other research, we studied the history of beach bathing, characteristics of coastal area use, management, awards, and tourism policies related to beaches. In addition, we used an interview survey with persons involved in domestic BF organizations to understand the motivation of the area, the creation of the system and process of obtaining, and activities before and after obtaining the BF certification, and investigated and analyzed them. As a result, it was found that the continuous implementation of “Beach Environment Management” and “Human Resource Development” activities by BF stakeholders involving the surrounding residents will lead to community development that takes advantage of the sea. Moreover, from the status of the new domestic system related to BF certification, which started in 2022, we discuss the future outlook of BF beaches in Japan.