International Journal of East Asian Studies Vol.6, No.1, 2017, pp. 21-34 21 JAPAN’S ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION ISSUES: 1950s TO 1970s Artikharina binti Awang, Alias Abdullah, Tengku Adeline Azura Tengku binti Hamzah and Mohd Shahrizal bin Azhari In the early 1950s, Japan was seen as developing fast and had the fastest economy recovery after the devastation from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War Two. In the post-war era, Japan focused its resources in developing its industrial sector. Thus after the Second World War, Japan experienced a high level of economic development due to the availability of industrial competition and high investment rates in the country. Behind this fast economic growth, environmental pollution became more serious when industrial waste disposal began increasing over the years. Thus began the growth of residential movements of issues pertaining to environment pollution that led to policy changes in Japan. The study examines the extent to which environmental pollution became a catalyst in the Japanese public changing its orientation from economic interest to environmental conservation. Keywords: environment, industrial pollution, resident movement and environmental policies. Introduction Japan's industrial activity started during the Meiji era (1868-1912), which was the beginning of the modernization period. During the Meiji era, the industrial sector was considered important for Japan because it contributed to the defence sector, which was the primary production of the industrial sector. The main mining activities were designed to obtain raw materials such as copper, which was the most important resource and the main export of Japan. Equally, mined resources were exported to other countries, which was 9.5 percent of the country’s total income. In the 1890s, the environment suffered severely from large-scale mining activities 1 . For example, in the 1890s, Tochigi and Gunma residents were flooded by the Watarase River which was contaminated by Ashio mining activities 2 . Farmers suffered severely when their crops got destroyed and poisoned by waste from these mining activities in the Watarase River. Later, negotiations were held between the farmers and Ashio Copper Mines to reach an agreement for compensation of the damage suffered by the local population. Although mining activities had a clear negative impact on the environment, these activities continued, especially after the Sino-Japanese War, when Japan tried to compete with bigger powers. Mining resources were essential to meet the needs of Japanese imperialism at that time. Environmental conditions deteriorated when sulphurous anhydride resulting from rapid mining activities was released to the environment. As a result, in 1896, when a major flood struck five 1 Kichiro Shoji & Masuro Sugai, “The Ashio Copper Mine Pollution Case: The Origins of Environmental Destruction” in Jun Ui (ed.), Industrial Pollution in Japan, United Nations University Press: Japan, 1992, p 18. 2 Ibid, p 22.