Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
an indigenous Japanese religion that at its core emphasizes the symbiosis
between humans and nature. his connection is symbolized by the reverence
with which Japanese celebrate seasonal shifts through cultural festivals such
as cherry blossom viewing (called “hanami” in Japanese) in the spring, the
star festival (“tanabata”) in the summer and observing the changing of the
leaves (“koyo”) in the fall. Moreover, there is a strong environmental ethic
in Japan that has been escalating since the 1970s.
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Consequently, there
now tends to be a higher willingness to pay for environmentally friendly
products and technologies in Japan.
When it comes to the topic of what technology might serve to replace
nuclear power, the political and public darling tends to be solar power, which
according to one survey is supported by 71% of the general public.
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he
Shinto premise of harmonizing with nature partially explains why Japanese
would prefer more expensive solar PV technology to wind power. Japanese
society tends to be very conservative. he aesthetics of a community are
highly valued and reverence for traditional landscapes is high.
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herefore,
despite the low-carbon appeal of wind turbines, the aesthetic invasiveness of
this technology tends to engender a degree of NIMBY opposition.
In summary, sociocultural forces in Japan are pro-renewable, but not neces-
sarily pro-wind. here is currently a degree of public support for curtailing the
size of the nuclear power program in Japan, but this is more out of concern
over the credibility of the nuclear power safety regime than it is out of concern
over the technology itself. he general impression that one gets when discuss-
ing the matter of nuclear power with policymakers in Japan is that a public
majority will be willing to support the continued presence of nuclear power
provided they receive assurances that governance will be improved.
9.4.2 Economic Landscape
he good news is, without question, Japan is still an economic force. It is
the third-largest economy in the world and the Japanese economy is still
highly competitive, ranking tenth in the World Economic Forum's Global
Competitiveness Report for 2012-2013. On a per capita basis its citizens
are also comparatively aluent, ranking thirty-eighth in the world with a
per capita GDP (PPP) of US$36,000 in 2012. he nation also enjoys enor-
mous reserves of foreign exchange and gold, amounting to over US$1.35
trillion at the end of 2012.
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his suggests that Japan enjoys a high degree
of economic security, thanks to investment income.
he bad news is Japan's economic landscape is deteriorating. At one time
it was the second-largest economy in the world. Today, China has surpassed
