Environmental Problematic vs. Industrial revolution
             The common Japanese expression, mizu ni nagasu--literally, "let it be washed away," or to settle a dispute by letting bygones be bygones--originated in the belief that any and all troubles can be purified by nature. (http://www.nira.go.jp/publ/review/99summer/mori.html) Because Japan has always had a thriving and rich natural environment, Japanese people have for a long time taken this natural bounty for granted. In the late 1960s, however, environmental mayhem resulting from industrial pollution caused alarming damage to the people of Japan. For the first time, policy-makers and ordinary people alike began to recognize "the environment" as a problem... otherwise known as the environmental problematic.
             During the last thirty two years after the establishment of the Environment Agency in 1971, the environmental situation at the national and global levels has undergone substantial changes in Japan. At the national level, notable achievements have been made in combating severe pollution during the period of high economic growth. However, air pollution in major urban areas and water pollution caused by industrial expansion are some of the dynamics that continue to impose themselves as heavy factors in the environmental problematic. Increased severity of global issues such as depletion of the ozone layer and global warming are playing a national and political roll in defining state policy within Japan. This paper will describe some major environmental problems in Japan, several Japanese environmental policies, the process of implementing these policies, and how they are maintained through the Japanese political system.
             After the Second World War, Japan emerged as one of the three dominant players influencing the global environment and the direction of international environment protection. The structure of Japan's industry has drastically changed over the last few decades w...