The global industrial and Social Progress Research Institute (GISPRI) is located in Tokyo, Japan. According to the Institute, "GISPRI’s core purpose is to provide research and analysis in the area of global environment and natural resources, international systems, interaction between industry/economy and culture/society to deliver comprehensive policy proposals for the international community, both at home and abroad."
The Japanese Minister of International Trade and Industry established GISPRI December 1, 1988, in response to the recognition that Japan was emerging as a leading global nation and therefore had a responsibility to the international consortium. Japan aimed to increase research exchange. There are three main initiatives of GISPRI: Joint Research, Policy Proposals, and Research and Study. Joint Research encompasses collaboration between Japanese institutes and research institutes abroad, to share knowledge as well as human resources. Policy Proposals are arranged by the Global Industrial and Social Progress Policy Forum, and focus on international issues that Japan can address locally or through international cooperation. Research and Study is the main branch that is concerned with the environment; specifically, this branch examines the relations between industry and society, and how these interactions impact the global environment. Other, smaller initiatives of GISPRI include local and international symposia and the GIS-PRI newsletter.
The umbrella of GISPRI’s Research and Study includes two chief areas. The first area is International Order, Culture, and Society (IOCS). IOCS is concerned with "sustainable social structure and its governance." The goal of those working with IOCS is to develop communication between developed and developing countries, to foster cooperation that will protect the environment as industrialization spreads. A major study of this area analyzed "Japan and Chinese Economy After its Accession to the WTO," 2002-03. An additional research focus under IOCS is the emerging relationship between industrialization and culture, especially the significance of nonprofit organizations (NPOs). In 2003, Japan’s prime minister was presented with the results of research entitled "The Statement for the Cooperation between NPOs, Businesses, and Governments for Building a New Socioeconomic System."
The second area under the Research and Study umbrella is Global Environment and Resources (GER). GER research focuses on the necessity for sustainable resource management, recognizing the fact that if society continues to use up resources at an increasingly rapid rate, the cultures that depend on those resources will be faced with a shock once the resources are exhausted. To thwart such an occurrence, GISPRI, through its GER research, has organized a 2050 Sustainability Research Committee (SRC). This committee will examine ways to align development with environmental responsibility and sustainability.
Another principle focus of the GER researchers at GISPRI is to develop ways to include the United States, currently the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, and other emitting nations to the path of sustainable environmentalism during economic development. The GER works to promote environmental responsibility, utilizing Kyoto Mechanisms that came from the Kyoto Protocol of 2005. GISPRI is managed by an executive director and other directors, most of whom serve on the boards of leading electric, gas, and other corporations in Japan. A chairman oversees the executive director and other directors. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its Fourth Assessment Report in 2007, and GISPRI participated in the generation of this report.
