National Mobilization and Global Engagement: Understanding Japan’s Response to Global Climate Change Initiatives

As the host for the United Nations conference that resulted in the Kyoto Protocol, Japan has been intricately linked to the global climate change agenda. Once known for the high levels of industrial pollution in the country, Japan has opted in recent years to position itself as a world leader in environmental sustainability. The result has been an aggressive set of policies on recycling, environmental protection, new technologies, and on a concerted effort to combine environmental initiatives with the creation of new export industries aimed at delivering made-in-Japan solutions to the global marketplace.