How Green is Japan?

Caught between the rapid industrialization policies pursued after the end of WWII, the peculiarity of resources and the pressures towards creating sustainable green policies, Japan functions as a well oiled engine with many different speeds. A well documented inquiry into the 'environmental technologies, innovation policies and the pursuit of green growth', this book covers a large area of domains, from new technologies to urban planning and development.

'Japan views climate change in the context of a nation that lives with remarkable levels of incertainty and vulnerability - including access to energy and exposure to environmental shifts, but starting with a long and tragic history of natural disasters that long ago affirmed the supremacy of the environment over human beings'. The green policies in this country are a complex web made of different directions, including national policies, private sector initiatives, academic researches and societal commitment. The policy instruments do receive political endorsement through various regulations adopted by institutions, financial support from the business sector and the academic background provided by the scholars in the field. 'The Japanese experience demonstrates that the appropriate application of subsidies, governmental investment, and local strategies can produce substantial environmental savings'. However the circle is not complete and accidents as the case of the Fukushima nuclear plant keep outlining the need of a dramatic upgrade and as for now, the pursuit of prosperity still prevails over the environmental concerns. 

The book offers an interesting evaluation of various policies and decisions and although it has a relatively limited focus on the political aspects of the environmental programs - including the actual commitment from various parties to green policies -, it dedicates a generous space to the content of the policies and its day by day implementation.

A recommended lecture to those interested in comparative studies of various green policies, as well as in the Japan society and its approach to environmental challenges nowadays.

Rating: 4 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review