Japan: Basics and Pollution Issues Flashcards
(30 cards)
Economic development has been aggressive despite what?
Relatively little space
Approx 70% of people live where?
Pacific belt from Tokyo to Northern Kyushu Island
Japan has had to peruse sustainable development. Why?
A heavy concentration of people in a small land area made the pursuit of energy, environmental and economic practices challenging. Especially as pollution issues worsened.
2 reasons why Japan has enacted some of the most stringent pollution regulations in the world?
- Restricted space
2. Limited resources.
What happened at the beginning of the Edo period (early 1600s) ?
Japan entered a period of self-isolation - it shut itself off from contact with the rest of the world.
How long did Japan remain self-isolated?
about 200 years (Imura and Schreurs, 2005).
How did Japan survive during this time?
Japan ➡ period of peace and stability.
The population was largely engaged in subsistence agricultural based work.
The country was largely divided and controlled by feudal landlords.
The relationship between man and nature flourished. Japan during this period was referred to as the model for sustainable development (Ishikawa, 1994).
What happened in the mid 19th Century?
The west confronted Japan demanding it open its market. The west had military support.
In 1853 Japan abandoned its policy of isolation ➡ civil war until 1867. The Meiji emperor was restored and a new government was formed.
The Meiji restoration occurred in 1868.
Japan enters a period of modernisation.
What happened to Japan’s economy post the Meiji restoration of 1868?
Japan enters a period of economic growth.
Follows western development as example. European methods adopted to promote economic growth (Imura and Schreurs, 2005)
Japan’s industrial revolution was a very real occurrence.
What happened to air and water pollution during this time?
It became a serious problem (Imura and Schereurs, 2005)
Pollution became a serious issues into the late 1800s as new factories, mines and smelting factories emerged. A classic example of pollution occurred where and when?
ASHIO COPPER MINE (Hitachi and Sumitomo become operational in the region)
along the Watarsee River - 100km north of Tokyo.
Post - Meiji restoration mine modernised ➡ becomes copper defining centre.
1877 - large scale production started. Farmers notice negative impacts. Can’t provide scientific evidence.
Caused: large quantities of waste water dumped into the Watarsee River ➡ damage of fish stocks and polluted water irrigating rice crops downstream.
Farmers complained - DIET member Tanaka Shozo took up cause. By 1901 situation awful - government intervened.
ASHIO was owned by who?
Originally by the Tokugawa and had the largest output possible in the 1600s.
Mine closed 1800 but re-opened 1870s under private ownership.
PRIVATE OWNERSHIP = FURUKAWA owned (Shoji and Sugai, 1992).
Becomes the biggest mine in Japan (26% total production output) and for FURUKAWA mines (68% total production output)
ASHIO and flooding (Notehelfer, 1975)
Heavy rainfall was an issue in the YANAKA village region.
Flooding was minimised by forest land but this was extensively deforested to supply the mines demand for timbre.
Village flood defences greatly reduced.
1890s - several incidents whereby heavy rainfall washed waste material deposited in slag heaps downstream causing considerable negative environmental impacts on top of the depletion of fish stocks.
Eventually in the late 1890s the government decided that FURUKAWA corporation had to install a safe containment area - led to the removal of YANAKA village
What followed in the years following ASHIO?
Several environmental laws introduced but ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT championed.
Little done to address the issues of pollution.
Factory and a range of forestry laws and amendments introduced but rise of Japanese military to power (1929) = halt in growth of legislation.
Did the FURUKAWA corporation take responsibility for the poisoning incident?
No. As early as 1897 FURUKAWA made clear that it would accept no responsibility for poisoning post the introduction of poison controls.
Any further contamination it said would be as a result from deficiencies during the Tokugawa control of the mine.
What was the governments involvement in ASHIO?
Government ⬆ concerned about social movements. Made difficult their task of promoting economic development. Concern ⬆ also for social tensions spreading to other mines.
March 1887 - farmers protest in Tokyo - an obstacle to governments economic development plans. Mines ordered to contain waste material. The government refused to lend funds so smaller mines closed and were brought out by larger ones - e.g. Akazawa bought by Hitachi. Ui Jun, 1992
Relocated YANAKA village to build containment areas - villagers received little compensation (Shoji and Sugai, 1992). Farmers also compensated through tax relief. This made little difference to national government as taxes were paid to the municipal government - less money there meant less going into the expansion of local services. Farmers paid for their own compensation.
Hitachi developed technology to mitigate some of the impact but its impact was weak. There wasn’t the technology available yet to deal with pollutants. Ui, 1992
The FURUKAWA mine closed when?
It was finally agreed the mine would…
February 1973
Finally in 1974 FURUKAWA were ordered to pay 1.55 billion yen and restore land the quality of poisoned farm land. This was the first time payment had been made to farmers beyond token donations.
Negotiations concluded behind closed doors - no media pressure to promote interests of anti-pollution protesters. (Shoji and Sugai, 1992)
The war years did what?
Japan in similar industrial state as the West BUT infrastructure less developed.
Post-war - Japan’s Industry badly damaged + urban infrastructure also (Imura and Schreurs, 2005)
Japan occupied by allies until 1952 - impact on country’s industrial, environmental, economic and political regime.
How did the government get involved in the post war years?
Strong governmental leadership was required to restore Japan’s industrial trajectory.
The MINISTRY OF INDUSTRIAL TRADE AND INDUSTRY had significant role in a schemes to restore infrastructure and strengthen the economy.
How? 1⃣ Financial assistance. 2⃣ Guidance
Both primarily to private enterprises.
Governmental involvement stems back to the beginning of the Meiji era but moved to the fore in the post-war era
(Imura and Schreurs, 2005)
Did governmental involvement work?
Yes.
Economy flourished over the 1950s ➡
By 1960s GDP = ⬆ 10% per year growth
Industry continued to expand - ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES WORSENED.
What were the primary energy sources during this period?
1950s: COAL
1960s OIL
What happened in 1973 that caused Japan to re-think its energy situation?
1973 OIL CRISIS followed by another later in that decade.
What were the issues with the use of fossil fuels?
Released pollutants: Sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide etc….(Imura and Schreurs, 2005)
Initially: black smoke viewed as a sign of strength - a strong and developing economy. However - pollution began to reach record levels = harm too human health.
What was the most devastating form of pollution?
Air pollution (Yoshida, 2000)
