japan today > japan > features

JFS spreads news of Japan's environmental activities to the world

By Taro Fujimoto

The JFS office in Ikuta, Kanagawa

KANAGAWA — How has Japan contributed to environmental protection and sustainable development of economy in the world? It's not easy to find out. In contrast to its economy scale worldwide, Japan's environmental activities do not get much attention abroad. In reality, those activities have had a low profile so far.

To help spread the message to the world, the Japan for Sustainability (JFS), a non-governmental organization (NGO), has run an English portal website since 2002, publishing information on Japan's environmental activities and cutting-edge technologies as well as sending out email newsletters to 189 countries.

The JFS is supported by 200 volunteer members who collate information on Japan's environmental trends and translate it into English, as well as 82 major corporate members. A handful of full-time staff organize and edit the accumulated information to publish on its website and email newsletters.

Noriko Sakamoto, a JFS spokeswoman, says that individuals and organizations in Japan working on environmental issues have been traditionally weak at publicizing their activities. She says, "While there are lots of people abroad who wish to obtain information about Japan's environmental activities, Japan has not provided it in English both in quality and quantity so far. Hence, the JFS aims to be a communication platform where foreigners can obtain information about Japan's environmental activities by individuals, corporations, NGOs and the government."

Why is an organization like JFS necessary? "These days, Japanese corporations, for example, are eager to publicize their corporate social responsibilities, known as CSR, in terms of environmental issues," Sakamoto explains. "If you look at official websites of local and national governments, for instance, they have less information on their environmental activities in English. What they do have in English is often just summaries of the activities, which is not enough to improve their image overseas."

The JFS not only translates environmental information into English but also holds study seminars for member corporations on demand. Sakamoto says, "Our member corporations request seminars so they can learn how to publicize their environmental activities. Thus, we organize learning sessions for them, such as a comparative study of environmental reports written by foreign firms." She points out that corporate executives need to have a better understanding of and commitment to environmental activities, not just because it's a trend.

The JFS is not a NGO only for corporations and other large-scale organizations but it also tries to provide a discussion forum where individuals can exchange their ideas about the sustainability of the environment and economy at many levels. Since the concept of "sustainability" is often vague and practised by individuals and organizations from different perspectives, the JFS aims to create a shared vision for it through interactive discussion on the Internet.

Sakamoto's apprehension about Japan's isolation in global discussion on environmental issues could be one of the motivations for the JFS's activities. She says, "I would like to drag Japan to the mainstream discussion table on environmental issues in the global context. Not only sending information from Japan to the world but also developing human resources for environmental issues who can deeply commit to the global context are important. Since Japan will host the G-8 summit in Hokkaido next year, we're planning to collaborate with both Japanese and foreign NGOs to promote Japan's environmental activities to the world."

The JFS is expanding a wide network of environmental activities worldwide and is gradually raising its international profile. Recently, the JFS received an award from the Environmental Ministry for its international contribution to global activities. The next issue for the JFS will be how to convert discussions in its online communication platform into action.

For more info about Japan for Sustainability, visit: http://www.japanfs.org/

December 3, 2007

Bookmark to:

Login to post your opinion or register now for free.