In the Japanese lifestyle, this is the age of throwing things
away after use, which is called "convenient and abundant."
However, looking at Japanese life from a global point of view, it
will be clear that the convenient life is supported by the
environmental disruption. The influence is showing up out of
sight in other places, like developing countries.
Now wood and paper occupy the majority of what supports
Japanese life. Japan is one of the world's leading mass
consumption nations. Japan should be conscious of it.
Deforestation is one of the global problems. Japanese
multinational enterprises have cleared woodland and tropical rain
forests in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea
and Chile. In addition to that, in Canada, one acre of forest is
cleared every twelve seconds, and in Brazil one acre is cut or
burned every nine seconds (Brazil of the North).
The forests are cut without complicated concerns among
inhabitants, pulp mill, governments, and multinational
enterprises. For instance, in Canada in 1992 the biggest pulp
mill in the world was built, and cries of protest were raised
against this (JATAN). The Alberta-Pacific mega-mill in Athabasca
(ALPAC) has as its majority owner the giant Mitsubishi
corporation of Japan. 'Me corporation went on with deforestation
without an assessment of the environment. The job of the company
is not only cutting trees but also making it into pulp. This
means that cutting trees is destruction of the lungs of the earth
and an invitation to desertification.
This results in the world becoming warmer. In addition to
that, making wood into pulp brings about destruction relating to
ecology. The reason is that bleaching, which is needed in the
course of making pulp, releases wastes, which contain harmful
dioxin (JATAN).
Then who can stop the deforestation? Now, Japanese
corporations have more strength than the government. There are
opinions against that, such as international organizations like
the ISO (international Standardization Organization), which
regulates the activity of multinational enterprises, establishing
international audits of the environment (Kankyou Kansa
Kenkyuukai).
However, changing regulations would result in just superficial
solutions. The actors in deforestation are Japanese multinational
enterprises. In addition to that, the corporations are supporting
the Japanese consumptive lifestyle. Therefore protecting nature
from deforestation is the problem of Japanese inhabitants. There
are a lot of things that every person can do that may be
different with each person. Japanese must watch the world
consciously, and recognize that they have the influence
themselves to change the world for the better.
by Michiyo Kakiki
Works Cited
Brazil of the North (NGO). "Canada's Future Forest
Alliance."
JATAN (NGO). JATAN News. October 1993.
Kankyou Kansa Kenkyuukai. Kankyou Kansa Nyuuman.
Nikkei Shinbunsya.
Western Wilderness Committee (NGO). Wilderness
Catalogue. 1994.
