Transformations of the XXIST century: characteristics of shaping the path of sustainable development in Japan

The paradigm of sustainable development emerged at the turn of the XX - XXI centuries and was elaborated in a number of international program documents. Japan has made important progress towards sustainable development and came up with its own innovative approaches in this area. This article presents the results of the author’s long-term study of Japan’s advancement towards more sustainable development. Based on analysis of many documents and programs, both international and Japanese, the author shows the key features of the Japanese approach to the concept of sustainable development and to its implementation.

Japan is a country that has gone through a series of radical transformations because of which it has become and remains one of the leading players in the world community. Thus, at the end of the 19th century when there was a threat to becoming a dependent territory but by the "opening" of the country Japan quickly followed the path of industrial development and became itself a colonial power. In the middle of the 20th century, it demonstrated the economic miracle by creating a catching up development model, which has been successfully used in a number of other countries. The results of the study show that the Japanese path of sustainable development, with its broad approach, is primarily environmentally oriented. At the same time, Japan is placing emphasis on creating a new type of society, emphasizing the need to change lifestyles, the behavior of all people around the world and on the importance of spreading best practices helping the less developed countries.

Having in mind the Japanese experience in the distribution of differentiated household waste collection that began with experiments in selected municipalities and has now become a way of life for all residents of the country, one can expect Japan to be a pioneer in building a sustainable society.

Keywords

Japan, sustainable development, sustainable society, environmental problems, waste management

Received

17.12.2021

Publication date

28.03.2021

Number of characters

36930

Cite

GOST	Tikhotskaya I. Transformations of the XXIST century: characteristics of shaping the path of sustainable development in Japan // Asia and Africa Today – 2021. – Issue 3 C. 31-39 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://asaf-today.ru/S032150750014285-5-1 (circulation date: 25.04.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S032150750014285-5
MLA	Tikhotskaya, Irina "Transformations of the XXIST century: characteristics of shaping the path of sustainable development in Japan." Asia and Africa Today 3 (2021):31-39. DOI: 10.31857/S032150750014285-5
APA	Tikhotskaya I. (2021). Transformations of the XXIST century: characteristics of shaping the path of sustainable development in Japan. Asia and Africa Today (3), pp.31-39 DOI: 10.31857/S032150750014285-5

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