Study on the Influence of Environmental Management Policy of Governments on International Competitiveness of Business

本研究的目的是验证环境管制是否影响了国际竞争力。首先，对日本企业的污染治理投资及其运营费用进行了估算。然而，这些个别企业的数据并不向公众开放，也无法获得。因此，只使用了国际贸易产业省、日本环境合作组织等收集的宏观数据进行分析。大型工业的末端技术投资与总投资的平均价值比估计为1.66%(中小型工业为4.37%)。大型工业污染治理设备的年运行费用仅相当于0.1%以下(中小型工业为0.38-1.71%)。因此，人们认为，至少在大型行业中，减少污染投资的负担对竞争力的影响不是很大。相反，劳动力成本、社会经济状况和该地区的市场准入被认为是影响行业竞争力的因素。然后，它审查了促进有助于发展中国家环境保护的生态商业的措施。创建了一份问卷调查，以审查在发展中国家从事和促进环境活动的日本公司所面临的主要问题。调查问卷于1998年6月和7月邮寄给了491家公司和组织，这些公司和组织是日本经济组织联合会(Japan Federation Of Economic Organizations)的成员，该联合会是日本大公司的联盟。在所有回覆的公司中，有143间(29.1%)。调查问卷的询问涉及这些公司的全球环境保护活动：在志愿者基础上进行的活动、环境业务以及与海外业务有关的环境问题的考虑。

This research was started for the purpose of verifying whether environmental regulation has affected the international competitiveness. First, it estimates pollution abatement investment and its operational expense of Japanese enterprises. However, such data of individual enterprise are not open to the public, and were not able to be obtained. Therefore, only macroscopic data collected by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, the Japan Environmental Cooperation, etc. was used for analysis. The average value ratio of the investment for end of pipe technology to the whole investment at the large industries was estimated at 1.66% (4.37%for small and miedium industries). Annual operational expense of pollution abatement equipment at large industries was equivalent to only less than 0.1% (0.38-1.71% for small and medium industries). Therefore, it was considered that competitiveness is not very much affected by burden of pollution abatement investment, at least at large industries. Rather, labor cost, social economical situation, and accessibility to the market of the area are considered to affect competitiveness of industries. Then, it examined measures to promote eco-business which contribute environmental conservation in developing countries. A questionnaire survey was created to examine the main issues confronting Japanese companies engaging in and promoting environmental activities in developing countries. The questionnaires were mailed in June and July of 1998 to 491 companies and organizations, hereinafter referred to simply as 'the companies, ' that are members of the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations, a confederation of Japanese large companies. Of the total companies, 143 (29.1%) replied. The questionnaire's inquiries were related to global environmental preservation activities of the companies : ones done on a volunteer basis, environmental businesses, and considerations to environmental issues in relation to overseas operations.