In the past few years, we have looked up to Japan as a nation of strong economy. They are one of the leaders in modern technology. May it be in automobiles up to different gadgets and electronic appliances we utilize in our daily lives. But amidst all of these, upon watching the video, "Japan's Lessons on the Economy and the Environment: Our Pollution Experience", we have learned about the unfortunate experience of the Japanese as they pay for the consequences of their consumption without considering its effects to their environment, and eventually, to their health.
After the 2nd world war, it became the primary objective of the Japanese government to strengthen their economy. Economic development through mass production of goods became the priority of the whole country. The Prime Minister of Japan that time even had a "Doubling of Income" Plan, to realize a drastic increase in GNP. As a result, in a span of 10 years, Japan attained second highest GNP in the world (second to US). But along with economic development, problems in pollution also came up. Illnesses such as Itai-Itai Disease, Minamata Disease, and Yokkaichi Asthma affected those who reside near heavy factories.
The said diseases worsened, and different studies proved that the cause of these diseases are contamination of the immediate environment of the patients. This led to the protest of these people living near the factories against the factory owners. A trial was held, and the final decision of the court was in favor of the plaintiffs. In action to these problems, the Japanese government enacted laws which would hold companies responsible for proper waste disposal. The companies were authorized to provide equipments which would clean their respective polluted areas. These countermeasures used cost a very huge sum of money, but in the end, no amount can compare to the number of lives taken due to improper waste disposal.
Economic development is good, but we must not forget that we should find a "harmony" between our economy and our environment. Because although these problems may not be present in our own country right now, we must understand that there is always a possibility that this will happen if we don't learn from the experiences of Japan in economy and the environment. After all, prevention is the best cure to any illness.
