Study on Feasibility of Transfer of Japanese Pollution Experiences to Developing Countries

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Japan succeeded rapid economic development in the 1960s by promoting heavy industries. Because this industrial expansion was attained without sound environmental consideration, Japanese industrial cites faced serious pollution at the same time. However, Japan's industrial policy suddenly and drastically shifted from "economic development" to "pollution control" during the late 1960's and the early 1970s. The urban environment in Japan has been rapidly improved to an acceptable level. This improvement resulted from Japan's sudden adjustment in national policy during the 1970s to include anti-pollution measures, which is known as "Japan's Pollution Miracle".This study attempts to identify the social and economic background which enabled the "Miracle", implementation of the intensive environmental protection measures adopted by Japanese industry during the 1970's. Focusing on air pollution, particularly on dust fall and sulfur oxide pollutions, this paper studies on histories of air pollution control in three Japanese industrial cities, Yokohama, Osaka, and Kitakyushu. Then, comparing these three cities, the problems and constraints encountered in implementation is discussed and factors that enabled the substantial measures for air pollution control is discussed. At last, the relevance of these approaches for developing countries is assessed.