ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the question of how far the Northeast countries have been successful or unsuccessful in proceeding with region-wide environmental cooperation and what factors have driven the region to cooperate – both institution and content-wise. Although the region’s six countries (China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Russian Far East, and Mongolia) have taken different positions (veto, lead, and swing) within the global climate regime, continuous and collective efforts have been made compared with the two other regimes under this study. Institutionalized cooperation has been ongoing especially among the three Northeast Asian countries (China, Japan, and South Korea) both in mitigation and adaptation via cooperative mechanisms, such as the Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting (TEMM). Japan has taken the lead in global climate regime building and has committed to actively engaging in improving environmental conditions in East Asia.
