The ethics of Japan's global environmental policy : the conflict between principles and practice / Midori Kagawa-Fox.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kagawa-Fox, Midori, author.

Series:

Routledge contemporary Japan series ; 39.

Routledge contemporary Japan series ; 39

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Environmental policy--Moral and ethical aspects--Japan.

Environmental policy.

Environmental ethics--Japan.

Environmental ethics.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (225 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon : Routledge, 2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"This work examines Japanese government policies that impact on the environment in order to determine whether they incorporate a sufficient ethical substance. In the enquiry into the ethics of the policies, Kagawa-Fox explores how Western philosophers combined their theories to develop a 'Western environmental ethics code'; she also reveals the existence of a unique 'Japanese environmental ethics code' built on Japan's cultural traditions, religious practices, and empirical experiences. The discovery of the distinctive Japanese code is not only important for what it discloses as a new philosophy, but most importantly how it can be used to analyse the ethical framework of the Japanese policies. In spite of the positive contributions that Japan has shown towards the global environment, the government has failed to show a corresponding moral obligation to the world ecology in its global environmental policy. The policies examined in the three case studies comprising whaling, nuclear energy, and forestry, have also been found wanting in ecological ethical considerations, both from a Western and Japanese perspective. The main reason for this is that the integrity of the policies has been compromised by Japanese vested interest groups; business and political interests ensure that the policies are primarily focused on maintaining sustainable economic growth. Whilst Japan's global environmental policy initiatives are the key to its economic survival into the 21st century, and these initiatives may achieve their aim, they do however fail the Japanese code of environmental ethics."--Publisher's description.

Contents:

Cover; The Ethics of Japan's Global Environmental Policy: The conflict between principles and practice; Copyright; Contents; Figures; Tables; Acknowledgements; Notes on style; Introduction; 1. Western and Japanese environmental ethics: Environment, culture and morals; Means to a policy; Sustainability and sustainable development; Environmental ethics; Japanese environmental ethics; Conclusion; 2. Japan's domestic environmental policy; Japan's kōgai cases; The development of the domestic environmental policy; The trio behind Japan's domestic environmental policy

Japan's domestic environmental policy approachKōkyō Jigyō (公共事業: public works); Conclusion; 3. Japan's global environmental policy; Japan's global environmental policy development; The trio behind the global environmental policy; Japan's policy approach; Conclusion; 4. Whaling policy: case study 1: whales and whaling - a cultural or ethical conflict?; The development of Japan's whaling policy; Scientific research whaling; The domestic whaling strategy; The question of the ethics of Japan's whaling policy; Conclusion; 5. Nuclear energy policy: case study 2: the ethics of using nuclear energy

The development of Japan's nuclear power policyConcerns: Japan's nuclear power facilities; The forces behind Japan's nuclear power development; Ethical concerns; Conclusion; 6. Domestic forestry and timber trade policy: case study 3: practices, principles, ethics; The development of Japan's forestry policy; The trio behind the forestry policy and timber trading; Japan's timber imports; Timber usage; Concerns over illegal logging; The ethics of the forestry policy and of Japanese corporate practices; Conclusion; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on metadata supplied by the publisher and other sources.

ISBN:

1-283-44191-8

9786613441911

0-203-13444-3

1-136-48173-7

9780203134443

OCLC:

798532039