Dear Language Enthusiast,
Welcome to the Japanese Monthly,
the Internet newsletter from Transparent Language. In
this issue, we focus on one of today’s most important
issues: the environment. As we move into the new
millennium, the impact of modern society on the
environment is a key concern in Japan, as in countries
around the world. Examining how the people of Japan
view and address this critical issue offers
fascinating insights into the culture, and its
connection to Japan's unique environment. I think
you'll find this month’s article thought provoking, as
well as effective in building your language skills.
Sincerely,
Transparent Language
www.transparent.com
In English:
Long before Americans began recycling aluminum cans,
glass jars, and newspapers, the Japanese routinely
separated trash into burnable and non-burnable and
continue to do so today. In large cities like Tokyo,
residents must separate gomi (rubbish/trash/garbage)
into glass, metal, paper, and perishable objects for
pickup on specific days of the week. It’s a way of
life -- a waste disposal solution brought on by the
problem of crowded urban living and precious little
land area.
During the fifties and sixties, Japan’s environment
was anything but clean. Recovering from WWII, the
nation raced toward prosperity. Factories churned out
products at the same frenzied pace that smoke stacks
belched out pollution. Smog replaced clean air in
Tokyo. Rivers and oceans carried chemicals into the
sea. Japan's wake-up call began in 1956 in the form of
Minamata Disease. It attacked the central nervous
system of its 3,000 victims, rendering many twisted
in form and crippled in function -- and some dead. The
cause? Mercury poisoning in seafood that was then
ingested by people. The culprit? Industrial pollution
from two companies in a town called Minamata in
Kyushu. The factories dumped mercury-laden wastewater
directly into a river and the ocean.
Today Japan has cleaned up its act, and many citizens
are vitally interested in the environment. Noise
pollution has been one concern in recent years.
Whether it's from the numbing blast of American
military jets practicing maneuvers or the deafening
din of traffic or the screaming loud speakers of
campaigning politicians and radical political groups,
more and more Japanese citizens are protesting.
Of grave concern were the nuclear power plant
accidents in Ibaraki Prefecture in 1997 and 1999. The
one country in the world to suffer atomic bomb attacks
now has 51 nuclear reactors that produce one third of
Japan's electricity. Because Japan is a small country
with a large population and few natural resources, it
opted for nuclear power reactors to alleviate
dependence on foreign fuel supplies. However, in 1999
radiation levels reportedly reached 15,000 times
normal levels as much as a mile from the site of the
accident and in a densely populated area as well.
While individual citizens help to preserve the earth’s
environment by recycling gomi and protesting against
noise pollution, the Japanese government actively
participates in international dialogs about world
concerns such as global warming. For instance, the
Japanese government has hosted the G8 Environment
Ministers annual meeting since 1992. In December
1997, Japan hosted the Third Session of the Conference
of the Parties to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (COP3). The government’s
Environment Agency regulates any number of
environmental concerns, but as with other developed
nations, environmental issues are multiple and on-
going.
Written by Marcia Allen
Translated by Naoko Goldberg
Resources:
Environment Agency / Government of Japan
http://www.eic.or.jp/eanet/en/index.html
Environment Agency / Government of Japan / Minamata Disease
http://www.eic.or.jp/eanet/en/index.html
Environment News Service/ Japanese Critical Nuclear Accident Controlled
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/sep99/1999L-09-30-04.html
Environment News Service/ Japanese Hunt of Sperm, Bryde’s Whales Widely Condemned
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jul2000/2000L-07-31-01.html
Japan Information Network / Statistics
http://jin.jcic.or.jp/stat/
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