Environmental Sustainability in Japan: A Multi-Level Analysis of Domestic and International Approaches

Abstract

Environmental sustainability encompasses ecological, social, and economic dimensions. In the Japanese context, environmental sustainability is defined in the lens of ethics, economics, and governance. It has emerged as a consequence of domestic and external factors. However, the specifics of approaches to environmental sustainability across different governance levels in Japan remained relatively understudied. This study investigates the approaches to environmental sustainability across four governance levels in Japan which include prefectural, metropolitan, ministerial, and international dimensions. This study aims to uncover the differences in approaches to environmental sustainability across governance levels in Japan, by focusing on what constitutes the construction of environmental sustainability. The study also focuses on the perception of goals, instruments, and challenges associated with pursuing environmental sustainability at the four governance levels in Japan.

This research was conducted as a case study. The officials from the four governance levels were interviewed and asked to explain their perceptions of environmental sustainability’s construction, goals, instruments, and challenges. The data was thematically processed and compared with the existing literature and policy frameworks.