International Collaboration toward a Global Environmental System

Overview

This chapter includes three papers which discuss international collaboration toward a global environmental system. Of course, as is common, the three papers take different views to the areas that need international collaboration.

The first by S. Kato explains what the Japanese government has so far done in order to promote Japan’s collaboration in international activities. This brings us to the domestic problems and efforts in tackling the contradictory demands at home, namely the continuation of economic development on one hand and the enhancement of environmental protection on the other. Because of the considerable size of Japan’s economy and its industries, the protection of global environment is in its own interest as well. Hence, he argues, it is the utmost task of the government to lead their country’s whole economy toward being sustainable and interdependent and to do this by transforming the way of thinking in Japan, viz ‘development in one country’.

The second paper of Y. Cho also stresses the importance of international collaboration not only from the Korean perspective but also from the regional perspective of Asia and the Pacific. In this regard, he argues, there emerges a need for incorporating various approaches in various countries into a regional process, perhaps through apec (Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation). With such an arrangement at regional level, the protection of global environment can be more meaningfully implemented.

In the last paper, N. Nakamura brings us to the real state of the situation. He introduces the problems faced by those living around an inland lake, Biwa, and the efforts made to solve them. Though useful as an experience, more important is the fact that those concrete problems are not isolated phenomena unique to Lake Biwa. On the contrary, as he ably explains, they are part of the global problem. From this, he proposes the establishment of an international cooperative network for a specific issue, rather than for all issues. This is another important point of interest to be looked into more seriously.