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.

Environmental technologies and competitive advantage

“…$120 bdlion per year currently, and expected to grow to about $200 billion per year by the end of this decade (EPA, 1990).2 The Japanese government (Ministry of International Trade and Industry-MITI) expects that nearly 40 percent of world economic production by the middle of the twentyfirst century will come from energy-and environmentrelated products and technologies. It has targeted these technologies for commercial development (Gross, 1992;Miller and Moore, 1994;Ministry of International Trade and Industry, 1988).…”

Mapping Trends in Strategic Management for Sustainable Production

“…However, these traditional techniques must be adapted to new approaches for strategic, political, economic, and social management (Mountjoy & Gliessman, 1988). They also involve the need to rethink manufacturing processes, material use, and design for the environment (Miller & Moore, 1994). They also consider integral strategic management of natural resources that simultaneously guarantees sustainable production and biodiversity conservation (Thompson & Welsh, 1993).…”

Environmental technological change and governance in sustainable development policy

“…L'industrie chimique (rôle des CFC dans la destruction de la couche d'ozone, controverse sur les phosphates dans les lessives) ou encore l'industrie automobile (pot catalytique versus moteur propre dans les pluies acides) ont été particulièrement concernées. According to studies made by the Japanese government (MITI), some 40 percent of the world's production of goods and services over the first half of the twenty-first century may be from environment or energy-linked products and technologies (MITI 1988, Miller andMoore 1994). Dans cette perspective, la prise en compte de la dimension écologique devient un facteur fondamental dans la sélection et la diffusion des technologies en concurrence.…”