Introduction
Area Studies - Regional Sustainable Development Review: Japan is a component of Encyclopedia of Area Studies - Regional Sustainable Development Review in the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias.
This volume on Area Studies - Regional Sustainable Development Review: Japan reviews initiatives and activities towards sustainable development in Japan such as: Perspectives on Sustainable Development in Japan; Changing Consumption Patterns in Japan; Demographic Dynamics in Japan; Protection and Promotion of Human Health in Japan; Promoting Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development; Environmentally Sound Management of Biotechnology in Japan; Protection of Oceans and Their Living Resources-Japan; Soil And Groundwater Contamination And Remediation In Japan; Education, Public Awareness and Training; National Mechanisms and International Cooperation for Capacity Building - Japan; International Legal Instruments and Mechanisms in Japan; Information for Decision Making; Forestry Principles in Japan; Agreements: Rio Declaration; Global Forum NGO Treaties: Linking Japan to the World; The View of Nature in Japanese Literature; Towards A Sustainable Civilization and Society: A Socio-cultural Ecological Perspective from Japan; Future Scenarios: Predicting Our Environmental Future. Although these presentations are with specific reference to Japan, they provide potentially useful lessons for other regions as well.
This volume is aimed at the following five major target audiences: University and College students Educators, Professional practitioners, Research personnel and Policy analysts, managers, and decision makers and NGOs.
Editor(s) Biography
Yukio Himiyama is professor of geography at Hokkaido University of Education, Asahikawa Campus, in Japan. He received his master’s degrees in physics at University of California at Los Angeles, USA, and at Tohoku University, Japan, and his Ph.D. in geography at King’s College London, UK. He joined Hokkaido University of Education in 1980 as a lecturer in geography, becoming an associate professor in 1983, and then professor of geography in 1989. Professor Himiyama initiated International Geographical Union Study Group/Commission on Land Use/Cover Change (IGU-LUCC) and chaired it
during 1996-2004. He has conducted a number of projects on land use/ cover change including the CJLUC (China-Japan comparative study of Land Use/Cover Changes) project sponsored by the Japanese Government. He is also active in environmental education, geography education, map education, and lifelong learning. The annual Children’s Environmental Map Contest which he initiated already counted eighteen times, and is spreading not only inside Japan, but also in many other countries
