Higher education for sustainable development in Japan: policy and progress

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to review key developments and the role of governmental support in the field of education for sustainable development (ESD) in higher education in Japan. Design/methodology/approach -This is an analytical review paper on policy and practice, using an evaluative perspective to consider developments, challenges and prospects for ESD in higher education in Japan and the significant drivers for existing and ongoing activities. Findings -This paper reveals the significance of the initiatives taken by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the Ministry of the Environment for the development of ESD in Japanese universities. Government policies and funding supports have been critical, but the current dependency on them also poses a significant challenge for the continuous development of ESD in Japanese higher education institutions over the longer term. Analysis suggests that encouraging leadership development for sustainability amongst university executive staff members is critical to continuing and strengthening efforts in this area in Japanese higher education. Originality/value -Although environmental education and awareness is well developed in Japan, the engagement of higher education with the more inclusive field of ESD has been less well researched and documented. This review foregrounds the distinct historical platform for ESD in Japanese higher education and the strength of government support, to examine the role of these drivers for ESD and to inform understanding of sustainability efforts in higher education worldwide.

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“…Therefore, it is important to foster students' awareness of the contemporary environmental crisis and cultivate their sense of responsibility to behave pro-environmentally. Specifically, universities should increase their cooperation with local governments, communities, industries and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in providing various forms of education for students, such as community-based [98], project-based [99] and problem-based learning [100] which can serve as a relevant forum for students to learn the adverse outcomes of environmental problems on the nature, society, community and people around them and to activate their personal norms to act in an environmentally friendly way. With regard to designing and implementing environmental policies, policy-makers should take the welfare of local people and their unique ethnic customs and cultures into consideration.…”

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“…Institutional operations developments in the US range from sustainability landscaping strategies [49,50] to policies for sustainable building design on campus [51,52]. This is in contrast to PSE operations to increase institutional sustainability being derived from national policy directives, as in Sweden [44] or Japan [40], where one seems more uniform and consistent uptake of sustainability in PSE operations across the given country.…”

“…The experience of Japanese PSE institutions is one of sustainable operations policy being directed by the government, in this case, via the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Environment. Because the push to incorporate sustainability into PSE operations' policies has come from the Japanese government, university administrations in Japan have grown dependent on the ministries for innovation and leadership, rather than using their own considerable resources to pursue sustainability targets [40]. However, in the Philippines, while national government agencies promote curriculum development in relation to sustainability in PSE, the NGO Environmental Education Network of the Philippines (EENP) has taken a leading role in the operational approach to sustainability policy in PSE with its Dark Green Schools (DGS) program [41].…”

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