ABSTRACT
Taking a role in international environmental issues meant different things to different groups and interests in Japan. To Japan, as a whole, it was an opportunity for the country to assert itself in international affairs. To the Japanese prime minister and a few other top politicians, they supported international cooperation in environmental affairs to boost their own image and stature in international affairs. Policies on environmental issues, whether they are domestic or international, present challenges to policy actors because environmental issues often cut across conventional categories of jurisdictions. Increasing concern for international environmental problems in the past several decades has given rise to new perspectives on international relations, the powers of the state, the goals of development, and the voices of civil society among others. Since Japan is a major economic power and donor of development assistance that has an immense impact on the global environment, it is important to identify the roots of Japan’s international environmental policies.
