Strengths and Limitations of Governmental Support for Environmental Technology in Japan

Abstract

In recent years, Japanese government and industry have initiated a wide range of policies, programs, and investment strategies responsive to the growing agenda of domestic and global environmental problems. For the most part, these actions have not been due to any significant domestic envi ronmental political pressure but primarily because of the perception that "green" products and manufacturing methods are simply good business. These strategies have, therefore, been closely linked to export and foreign aid policies of long-term benefit to the Japanese economy. A strength of the Japanese approach to environmental policy is the govern ment's ability to bring together a range of business to create a climate for long-term investment in promising new technologies such as fuel cells and electric vehicles. Because this approach is done to advance industrial policy as much as environmental goals, industrial interests are responding to busi ness opportunities, rather than environmental constraints. The Japanese sys tem is, however, not without its own blind spots and limitations. For exam ple, very little has been done to improve the energy efficiency of consumer products, including automobiles, since the mid 1980s. Japanese industry has so far not demonstrated much awareness of concepts like "design for envi ronment" that imply a fundamental reexamination of manufacturing meth ods and materials. The Japanese response to conservation issues that tend not to have technological solutions or potential for business development has also not been as impressive.