Abstract
The subject of natural resources is a suitable focus for debate among natural and social scientists and how the division of scientific labor can be practiced. Although the subject has often been categorized as an area of interest to natural scientists (e.g., forestry and hydrology), the history of resource policy reveals that the very concept of “resource” is social, reflecting the needs and political conditions of the time. This chapter outlines the changing role that resources have played in the history of modern Japan with a specific focus on their political pretext. It further argues the need for revitalizing resource studies as a uniting academic field in an otherwise fragmented subject.
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Japanese interest in resources continued to rise until WWII. One of the standard explanations about the causes of war was Japan’s demand for resources. However, Yasuba argued with evidence that a “lack” of resources and the necessity of external acquisition was more of a fiction created by the military who needed good reasons to invade China and Southeast Asia (Yasuba 1996).
References
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Matsui H (1975) Round table discussion record: from resource bureau to central planning agency. Commerce and Industry Administration Record, Institute of Industrial Policy History (in Japanese)
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Yasuba Y (1996) Resources in Japanese economic history: from 1800 to 1940. Socio-Economic History 62(3):291–312 (in Japanese)
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Sato, J. (2010). Democratic Turn of Resource Governance in Japan: Prewar and Postwar Efforts for Integration in Resource Policy. In: Sumi, A., Fukushi, K., Hiramatsu, A. (eds) Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies for Climate Change. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-99798-6_20
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-99798-6_20
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