ABSTRACT
This book began by introducing Japan’s ‘summers of living dangerously’ in 2000
and 2001. Belated recalls of Snow Brand milk, which poisoned over 13,000
people, were followed by revelations of product quality problems afflicting
televisions and automobiles – consumer goods on which Japan has built a world-
wide reputation – and then an outbreak of ‘mad cow disease’. Chapter 1 suggested
that a key issue is how to appraise such events, and the responses by firms,
regulators and others. Has nothing changed in Japan since 1969, when millions of
automobiles were recalled as well, as described in Chapter 2? Or since 1955, when
thousands of infants were poisoned from unknown causes by milk supplied by
Snow Brand, and then over 12,000 (including hundreds of deaths) by Morinaga
milk found to contain arsenic? Or, from that same era, when the interests of big
business and powerful government actors also prevented prompt and effective
reactions to mercury poisoning of fisheries and villagers in Minamata?
