Social Movements in Solution Process of Environmental Problems : From Case Studies of the Anti- Pollution Movements in Japan

In Japan, many environmental social movements arose against industrial pollution called ‘kogai’ in 1960s. However, most of them are dissolved in solution process of the current issues in 1970s. The decrease of social interests in pollution problems have been a cause of recurrences of similar problems. We can see same situations in Asian countries where the residents around the construction site for chemical factory do not know about the previous pollution problems such as Bhopal case.

In this paper I will start with two case studies of environmental movements which are related with ‘kogai’and have continued.

Itai-itai disease (or ‘ouch-ouch’ disease, cadmium poisoning) is the first pollution related disease certified by national government in 1968. The grass-root movements Itai-itai disease have continued to work for more than forty years. They have also affected the cadmium regulation policy in Japan and have supported the residential movements occurred in other cadmium contamination area. And they have enforced the environmental measures of the mining company which was a defendant of the trial filed by the victims of Itai-itai disease in 1968. Recently they have succeeded to reduce the cadmium emission to nearly zero level. The long-term corporative measures between the residents and the company have attracted considerable attention from some East Asian Countries.

There are some movements to inform Asian people of the experiences of pollution problems in Japan. Asia Arsenic Network (AAN) organized after the settlement of Toroku Arsenic Poisoning low suit in 1991 is one of the most important groups in this respect. AAN supports the people who are suffering from arsenic pollutions caused by natural water flow, mainly in Bangladesh.

At the final section of this paper I’ll consider the meaning of these movements, referring to the grass-roots movements following Love Canal case in the USA.