MOFA Video Guide

Environment: Latest Approaches

Awareness of the need to address environmental issues is growing, and many steps are being taken in Japan to lighten the burden human activity places on the environment. Five such initiatives are introduced, including a new mass transit system, alternative energy sources like geothermal, wind, and solar power, recycling of cooking oil, new uses for wood charc curing of sick trees.

The Challenge of Global Warming: The Japanese Way 1997

Global warming is a serious concern requiring urgent action. A wide range of initiatives are being taken by governmental, academic, and private-sector research institutes to enhance energy efficiency, develop carbon dioxide absorption technologies, and halt desertification. The video also introduces community efforts to cut down on auto exhaust emissions.

World Heritage: Shirakami Forest 1997

Although Shirakami's 8,000-year-old beech forest was added to UNESCO's World Heritage list in December 1993, debate still ensues on how best to preserve this ecological treasure. Those who have long used it as hunting grounds and to gather plants say the forest can be preserved without restricting entry, while others say that hordes of tourists could destroy its delicate ecosystem.

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