JFS Newsletter No.90 (February 2010)

In fiscal 2008, a total of 1.216 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) were emitted in Japan. These emissions represent an increase of 6.3 percent from 1990, the base year under the Kyoto Protocol, although they were also a decrease of 6.7% from fiscal 2007 -- the year Japan's emissions hit a record high. It has been argued that the main factor in this decrease was a serious economic downturn. Looking at the country's emissions by sector, those from the industrial sector have decreased by 13% from the 1990 level, whereas emissions from transportation, commercial (services, offices, etc.), and household sectors increased by 8.5%, 41.3 %, and 34.7%, respectively. These results indicate that the commercial and household sectors need to make better efforts to reduce CO2 emissions.

JFS Newsletter No.90 (February 2010)

Image by lmiyake. Some Rights Reserved.

In the previous issue of the JFS Newsletter, I sketched out one of the possible scenarios for Japan in ten years, by asking the question, "What will Japan be like in 2020 if we carry on with business as usual?" In this issue, I will introduce another one -- a completely different scenario of Japan that I hope will come true -- a vision of possibility for the nation. This time I ask, "What will Japan be like in 2020 if we do things right?"

The JFS newsletter, issued monthly, summarizes the latest environmental trends and topics in Japan.

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- New Ideas for the Earth
- Climate Change Measures in Japan
- Energy Issues in Japan
- 3Rs Trends in Japan
- Local Efforts toward Sustainability
- Initiatives by Japanese Industries
- Various Actors / Various Efforts
- Trends / Movements toward Sustainability in Japan
- Movements in Asia

- Series: Environmental Education
- Series: Zero Emissions
- Series: Initiatives and Achievements of Local Governments in Japan
- Series: Unique NGOs in Japan
- Series: Corporations at Work
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Back Issue List

JFS Newsletter No.89 (January 2010)

"Towards a Sustainable Japan -- Corporations at Work" (No. 87):
http://www.toppan.co.jp/english/ (English)

Copyright Toppan Printing Co.

Toppan Printing Co. is one of the largest printing companies in Japan; it shares outstanding scale with its main competitor Dai Nippon Printing Co. These two companies are the leaders that support the Japanese printing industry, which is further composed of several second-tier companies and medium-sized companies, together with the many small-sized offices of fewer than 20 employees that account for over 90 percent of the Japanese printing industry.

With the spread of digital media such as the Internet, the volume of printed paper has been decreasing in recent years. Printing companies are therefore trying to expand their business scope and set up new business models that can help them survive.

JFS Newsletter No.89 (January 2010)

Image by sinkdd. Some Rights Reserved.

A new decade has just started. At the beginning of the year I drew up my own thoughts on two possible scenarios for Japan in ten years. In this issue of the JFS Newsletter, I will sketch out one of them: What Japan will be like in 2020 if we carry on with business as usual?

JFS Newsletter No.89 (January 2010)
"Initiatives and Achievements of Local Governments in Japan" (No. 28)

Copyright Kanazawa City

The city of Kanazawa, with a population of about 460,000, is the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture in central Japan on the coast of the Japan Sea. While it is well known as a tourist destination for its Kenroku-en Gardens, one of Japan's three most famous, it is also known for implementing measures to make better use of its public bus transportation system. In the high tourist season in 1989, for instance, it introduced a park-and-ride system to encourage tourists to park their cars at designated temporary lots near expressway interchanges and take special tour buses from there into the city for sightseeing. In 1996, it started another park-and-ride system for commuters to allow them to park at designated lots near train or bus stations in the suburbs and take public transportation into the city center. In this article, we introduce the world's first "Bus Trigger" system, a unique idea from Kanazawa to use route revenues as a decision-making "trigger" to promote more effective use of bus transportation.

JFS Newsletter No.88 (December 2009)

"Towards a Sustainable Japan -- Corporations at Work" (No. 86):
http://panasonic.net/ (English)

The overall intensity of society's response to environmental challenges today seems to have rapidly accelerated, and policies aimed at pursuing the dual goals of achieving a healthy ecology and economy are being vigorously promoted around the world. In concert with this trend, the consumer electronics industry is also undergoing significant changes.

JFS Newsletter No.88 (December 2009)

Hatchobaru Geothermal Power Plant (110MW, Kokonoe Town, Oita Prefecture)
Copyright: Prof. Sachio Ehara

Introduction

The temperature of the Earth's inner core is about 6,000 degrees Celsius (C) -- almost the same as the surface of the Sun -- and it is estimated that 99 percent of Earth's volume is at a temperature of more than 1,000 degrees. Thus, there is an enormous amount of geothermal energy in the planet's interior that could potentially be tapped; an obvious manifestation of this is the ongoing volcanic eruptions and hot springs found around the world. In light of the issues of global warming and energy problems, more effective use of geothermal power should be closely examined as a significant source of energy.