THE EARTH SUMMIT AND JAPAN INITIATIVE IN ENVIRONMENTAL DIPLOMACY

The official Japanese position at the earth summit and many other pieces of evidence suggest that Japan is taking a more active role in international environmental issues. The Japanese initiative is significant in the post-Cold-War era when environmental issues are gaining the same prominence as national security and economic development. Although reluctant to take the initiative in global political and economic issues, Japan is more aggressive in seeking a leading role in global environmental issues. It may be motivated by a combination of factors, such as: a desire to take more responsibility to match its economic status; a feeling that it should repay the international community for its rapid accumulation of prosperity; and a calculated effort towards its own commercial interests. Japan's willingness in the environmental arena, its advanced technology, and its economic power work in its favour in implementing this strategy. However, its mixed environmental record and other historical and social factors may work against this initiative.