Environmental problems and policies in postwar Japan reviewed

After a brief discussion on the possible trade-off between development and environment, a summary review of Japan’s experience in the postwar period in environmental problems and policies is undertaken separately with the focus on several institutional sectors, such as the business world, trade unions, academia, citizens’ groups, the mass media, legislature and administration, and the judiciary. Among the several types of environmental disruption, the mercury poisoning in Minamata is especially highlighted, not only for its importance but also because each of the institutional sectors dealt with revealed a characteristic response to this tragic phenomenon. The last section of the essay concerns itself with Japan’s involvement in the international activities related to the environment. In particular, the pronouncement of The Environmental Right in the Tokyo Resolution drafted by the international symposium in 1970 is considered to have marked an epoch in the positive philosophy of environmental protection.