The Roots of Japan’s International Environmental Policies

Wong, Anny

doi:10.4324/9781315790954

“…Ironically, foreign activism did obstruct policy changes as well as activism in Japan. Japanese MPs gained some political capital by “supporting Japan’s right to whale” because it “had evolved into a defense of national pride and culture” (Wong, 2001, p. 120). In fact, none of the national MPs were against whaling, at least explicitly.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The politicocultural approach also helps understand whaling-related politics in Japan. For example, several studies have applied interest-based approaches that highlight the impact of the whaling industry’s lobbying, with extensive public relations efforts that have arguably manipulated public opinion regarding whaling (Ishii, 2011; Wong, 2001). However, they are not convincing because the Japanese whaling industry was so small when antiwhaling activism started that the scale of the industry’s influence can be questioned.…”

Section: Theoretical Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, these efforts did not seem to work, as “foreign groups are generally ignorant of and uninterested in the objectives and work of the Japanese activists,” and the former treated the latter “as subordinates and free help in executing their mission in Japan” (comments by a Japanese activist in Wong, 2001, p. 124). Consequently, “Japanese activists were quite vulnerable to misinterpretations or allegations of being lackeys of the West” (Wong, 2001, p. 123). In the 1990s, Greenpeace Japan responded to many claims via phone and mail, demanding that foreign values should not be forced onto the Japanese (Sakuma, 2011).…”

Section: Framing With Ni: the Role Of International Activismmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Antiwhaling Groups in Japan: Their Historical Lack of Development and Relationship With National Identity

Nomura

¹

2019

The Journal of Environment & Development

1

0

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This article reviews the history of antiwhaling groups in Japan from a politicocultural perspective, examining how the connection between whaling and national identity has significantly constrained their development. It is interesting to note that this connection, or “framing,” in terms of social movement theory, was not an invention of the prowhaling camp. It was rather induced and facilitated by Western activists’ protests, which have been unwelcome in Japanese political culture, making the antiwhaling cause come across as “foreign.” In fact, Japanese antiwhaling groups have attempted to counter-frame this by distinguishing themselves from Western activists, emphasizing moderate strategies, limiting their opposition to large-scale modern whaling, and allowing small-scale coastal whaling with a view to detaching the issue from national claims. However, they have not been successful due to prominent foreign protests. This study also suggests the key role of national identity in the success or failure of environmental activism.

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“…The Brundtland Report in 1987 and all the concern and movement culminating in the Rio Summit, marked a first mainstream wave of discussion around the world about the environment. Japan viewed in this a big opportunity to establish itself as global leader in environmental global affairs, based on developmental success, pollution control and advanced technology (Wong, 2001). Out of the first wave, I will look for the first interpretation of Japan experience, based in four reports that make explicit mention of the 2 Views are contested in this regard, and there are some more optimistic views, for instance Hirata (2002).…”

Section: The 'Four' Inside the First Wave Of Environmental Actionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Milestone in Global Recent Push for Environmental Protection and the Japanese Experience of the “Big Four” Pollution Diseases through the Lens of International Aid

Salgado

¹

2020

konfrontasi2

0

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This paper explains a brief examination of a milestone in global recent push for environmental protection, the world-renown ‘four’ big pollution diseases of Japan, and their use inside country’s development assistance. This branch of foreign policy was selected because of its exceptional potential to disseminate country’s voice, ideal niche for experience to be heralded, and opportunity to actually prevent similar catastrophes in other countries, thanks to its access to resources and political leverage. Experience is an overtly accepted source of lessons but, as a social phenomenon, it is not static. This essay is an examination of the use of the ‘four’ big pollution diseases experience inside Japanese initiatives on international aid, looking for the changes in understanding such tragic events. Attention is placed on the elements introduced and the nuances of meaning among them. The period reviewed, from the late 80’s to 2005, indicates a positive movement of the official view towards a comprehensive recognition of the history, not without voids and pending challenges.

show abstract

“…The Brundtland Report in 1987 and all the concern and movement culminating in the Rio Summit, marked a first mainstream wave of discussion around the world about the environment. Japan viewed in this a big opportunity to establish itself as global leader in environmental global affairs, based on developmental success, pollution control and advanced technology (Wong, 2001). Out of the first wave, I will look for the first interpretation of Japan experience, based in four reports that make explicit mention of the 'four'.…”

Section: The 'Four' Inside the First Wave Of Environmental Actionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Milestone in Global Recent Push for Environmental Protection and the Japanese Experience of the “Big Four” Pollution Diseases through the Lens of International Aid

Salgado

¹

2020

konfrontasi2

1

0

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper explains a brief examination of a milestone in global recent push for environmental protection, the world-renown ‘four’ big pollution diseases of Japan, and their use inside country’s development assistance. This branch of foreign policy was selected because of its exceptional potential to disseminate country’s voice, ideal niche for experience to be heralded, and opportunity to actually prevent similar catastrophes in other countries, thanks to its access to resources and political leverage. Experience is an overtly accepted source of lessons but, as a social phenomenon, it is not static. This essay is an examination of the use of the ‘four’ big pollution diseases experience inside Japanese initiatives on international aid, looking for the changes in understanding such tragic events. Attention is placed on the elements introduced and the nuances of meaning among them. The period reviewed, from the late 80’s to 2005, indicates a positive movement of the official view towards a comprehensive recognition of the history, not without voids and pending challenges.

show abstract

The Roots of Japan’s International Environmental Policies

Cited by 5 publications

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Antiwhaling Groups in Japan: Their Historical Lack of Development and Relationship With National Identity

Antiwhaling Groups in Japan: Their Historical Lack of Development and Relationship With National Identity

A Milestone in Global Recent Push for Environmental Protection and the Japanese Experience of the “Big Four” Pollution Diseases through the Lens of International Aid

A Milestone in Global Recent Push for Environmental Protection and the Japanese Experience of the “Big Four” Pollution Diseases through the Lens of International Aid

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