ESD: The Japan ModelFrom Us to You: Our ESD Experience in Japan

Preface

From Us to You: Our ESD Experience in Japan

Osamu Abe
Chair, DESD World Festival Forum
Chair, Japan Council on the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD-J)
2

Introduction
Last August, in the run up to the Final Year Conference on the UN Decade of Educationfor Sustainable Development (DESD; 2005-2014), we held the National Conference on
ESD Practical Models 2014 and the Global Citizen's Conference on DESD 2014 as a
grand showcase of our ESD work in Japan. These annual events were begun in 2009
based on the recognition that implementing ESD throughout the country will require
stakeholders from each region to assemble and share their experiences in ESD practice.
Japan has many great practical examples of ESD, regardless of whether they go by thatname. At the conferences, we chose to highlight activities in themes that are particularly
important to ESD (climate change, biodiversity, sustainable production andconsumption, historical and cultural heritage, and peace and social justice) based onchallenges faced in Japan and those addressed at the UNESCO World Conference on
Education for Sustainable Development (Bonn Conference) in 2009. Considering thatthese themes were also included in the sustainable development goals (SDGs) compiledby the UN Open Working Group in July 2014, these are major themes that ESD needs totackle not only in Japan but on an international level. Detailed descriptions of initiatives
related to these five themes are provided in the following chapters.
From the discussions that have unfolded these several years, we are starting to identify
effective ways to view and go about the promotion of ESD. Based on these insights wehave created a proposal on ways to expand successful ESD programs to a national
level. We will share this proposal at the World Conference held in Nagoya, Aichi
Prefecture, in November 2014, because we think it is extremely valuable to not only
Japan but the entire international community.

3

Early History of ESD

What We've Accomplished in the Decade

The greatest issue we face today is how to make sustainable

The achievements of the last decade of ESD work in Japan candevelopment a reality. Global environmental problems are

be organized roughly into five categories.

intensifying, and climate change—a phenomenon we once saw
on the horizon—is already wreaking havoc in our daily lives. The

ESD in Japan as a multi-stakeholder movement

Brundtland Commission, which alerted the international

As the originators of DESD, and as a stakeholder in sustainability

community to the need for sustainable development, wasissues wanting to tackle ESD proactively instead of leaving it toproposed by Japan at the 1982 Nairobi Conference.

our government, we NGOs in Japan established the JapanAt the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, Japan's

Council on the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable

NGOs, which included myself, appealed to the Japanese

Development (ESD-J1) in June 2003. Given that sustainable

government and together we proposed the UN Decade of

development requires the participation of all stakeholders—not

Education for Sustainable Development. Since then, we NGOs injust government and NGOs—from there we advanced multi-

Japan have been working to promote ESD while taking pride in

stakeholder initiatives that brought all sectors to the same table

our role as the originators of the Decade.

through the issues they shared.

Right now, Japan is plagued by a whole range of issues,

ESD-J started this work by holding workshops in more than 40

everything from the environment and economy, to culture, social

communities nationwide from 2003 to 2005. Some of theseequality, and public welfare, not to mention the aftermath of theworkshops attracted diverse entities involved in sustainability

2011 earthquake and tsunami, and radioactive pollution from theacross various issues and sectors. We also quickly called for the

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant meltdown. We have evencreation of national-level organizations for promoting ESD,

taken to being called "a forerunner of emerging issues." ESD inpetitioning the Japanese government for an inter-ministerial

Japan is inextricably tied to these issues.

organization and for another mechanism for the public andprivate sectors to discuss possible measures to promote ESD.

ESD-J: A networking organization dedicated to promoting education for a sustainable society by connecting and training stakeholders and carrying out public policy
advocacy in Japan and overseas. Its members include NGOs/NPOs, public interest corporations, local authorities, universities, businesses, and individuals.
4This led to the creation of an inter-ministerial meeting on the UNof numerous educational laws influenced by ESD, such as these,

Decade of ESD, which has 11 participating ministries andis one of the gifts the UN Decade has given to Japan.

agencies, in December 2005, and a DESD Roundtable Meeting inJanuary 2008.

ESD in schools

ESD-J functions as a contact point for various stakeholders inSince Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science andJapan, both local and national, as well as international

Technology (MEXT) designated UNESCO Associated Schools as

stakeholders; no networking organization like ours can be foundmodel schools for ESD and began efforts to promote them, thein other countries. Without ESD-J, I doubt the progress we havenumber of UNESCO Associated Schools has grown to exceed

seen in ESD in Japan would have been possible.

600 schools in ten years. ESD has also taken a gradually larger
place in the classroom thanks to the inclusion of ESD in MEXT's

Legislation
Our ESD proposal in 2002 prompted a series of legislative actions
on ESD in Japan. It led to the passing of the Act on Promotion ofEnvironmental Education in 2003. It also contributed to theintroduction of ESD principles in the Basic Act on Education, thebackbone of education in Japan. The Act on Promotion ofConsumer Education, enacted in 2012, clearly states that
consumers have an intra- and inter-generational responsibility
toward the environment, and also sets out to cultivate responsible
consumers as part of a comprehensive effort that integrates
consumer education with diverse educational fields such as theenvironment, international understanding, and food. The passing

5Basic Plan for the Promotion of Education and curriculum

reeling from the effects of the disease, in 1992 the city embarked

guidelines. In more progressive areas of the country, ESD has

on a comprehensive education program for citizens of all ages,

been approached as part of a broader community initiative aimed

thereby restoring various relationships within the community andat giving schools an active role in making the community moretransforming itself into one of the most sustainable cities in Japansustainable. Before ESD, it was difficult for NGOs and individuals

today. Kesennuma, in northern Japan, is a good example of a city

working in sustainability education, in fields related to thethat used DESD to expand and build on previous initiatives. ESD

environment, development, peace, and so forth, to find time andin Kesennuma, which ranges from international exchange

space in the classroom. This has changed with the spread ofactivities to local resource utilization, has been instrumental to the

ESD, as the inclusion of these groups and people has madedisaster recovery effort. There are a myriad of other examples,learning more participatory, experiential, and collaborative. We

but these experiences were of great value and a vital resource totherefore see ESD as having helped to revitalize Japanese

the advancement of DESD.

education and give new impetus to the country's preexisting

Okayama City, host of the ESD stakeholder conferences;mission to give children the skills they need to live in the 21st

Kitakyushu City; and Tama City are among the representative

century.

examples of municipalities that were prompted by DESD to workon ESD from the standpoint of sustainable community

ESD as community education

development. Each of these cities has formed its own multi-

Realizing a sustainable society starts with the way we each live

stakeholder council for promoting ESD. Because the ESD

our lives. Put differently, a sustainable society is impossible

experiences in Japanese municipalities like these are of precious

without sustainable communities. For this reason, sustainablevalue to the international community as well, Kesennuma andcommunity development through ESD has been, as it is in many

Okayama City were also used as models by United Nations

other countries, a central goal here in Japan. Our country had

University in the launch of its Regional Centers of Expertise on

valuable experience in this area even before the start of DESD.

ESD (RCE) program.

Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, the location of a globally
unparalleled outbreak of lethal mercury poisoning, called
Minamata disease, is a prime example. With its communities still6Column: ESD activities in Kyoyama, Okayama City

Business participation

Kyoyama began promoting ESD at community centers in 2003,
which later developed into a community-wide initiative involving
community centers, schools, and local residents. Using themottoes "We can change the future" and "Many hands make light
work," children and adults work together to educate the public onsustainability by making videos, performing plays, and holding
festivals and other events on the environment, cultural diversity,and other topics. Through ESD, children are motivating adults,
who in turn are motivating their community.

There are many companies in Japan that are implementing ESD

http://www.kc-d.net/pages/esd/index.html
http://www.kc-d.net/pages/esd/kyoyama-esd-en.html

based on the environmental education initiatives in their corporatesocial responsibility (CSR) programs. The publication of ISO
26000 in 2010 was particularly influential in convincing Japanesebusinesses to support ESD through CSR. The ESD initiatives bybusinesses and economic organizations profiled in this e-bookwere all carried out in partnership with NGOs and otherstakeholders.

In Closing
The flow of population away from the countryside and into major
cities has created numerous problems for Japanese society, notleast among which is deterioration of its agricultural communities
and landscape. This poses a tremendous hurdle to Japan's
sustainability. As a result, ESD in rural Japan has been
approached as a means of encouraging sustainable use of
farmland and other natural resources, mitigating risk from natural
disasters, and enhancing communities' resilience.
ESD has also helped to empower communities in the process ofrecovery and restoration from the 2011 disaster; during thedisaster, many felt supported by the communal bonds forgedthrough ESD. Conversely, we can also say that ESD's role indisaster risk reduction has manifested itself clearly through7

Japan's experience. Such community-based learning is an

Osamu Abe

important distinguishing feature of ESD in Japan.
Our goal in Japan, as the country that proposed DESD, is todevelop a system for training ESD leaders who will drive oursociety toward a more sustainable future, and then share andleverage this system to achieve results over the next decade or
two. We hope you will use our experience as a valuable resourcefor developing an ESD movement that addresses all issues, notjust environmental, that is a collaboration of all stakeholders, andthat is driven by people working at the community level.
Osamu Abe, professor at the College of Sociology, Rikkyo
University and director of Rikkyo University's ESD ResearchCenter, was born in 1955. He worked as assistant professor at the
University of Tsukuba and associate professor at Saitama
University before assuming his current position in 2002. Presently,
his roles include president of the Japanese Society ofEnvironmental Education, chair of the Japan Council on the UN
Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD-J),
representative director of the DESD World Festival Forum,
executive director of the Japan Environmental Education Forum(JEEF), and a member of the IUCN Commission on Education andCommunication of the World Conservation Union (IUCN-CEC). Asa pioneer of environmental education and advocate of DESD in
Japan, Abe is engaged in action research for environmental
education and ESD in the Asia-Pacific region.

8

Education for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change

Education for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change
Dialogue:

Masako SHIGE andYukihiko OIKAWA

10

Shige: Mr. Oikawa, you and I have worked together on the theme

That's why we should group education for disaster risk reductionof education for disaster risk reduction and climate change forand climate change together. It's important to teach people howsome time now. Some people say education for disaster risk

to cope with disasters, in other words how to prepare for andreduction and climate change are different things, so it must have

respond to disasters before, during, and after they occur.

been hard to combine the two. What do you think about that?

Through this learning, it's also crucial to recognize therelationship or causal mechanism between climate change andOikawa: You mean the link between education for disaster risk

disasters, and that's where there is a connection between these

reduction, that for climate change, and that for sustainable

two subjects, I think.

development?
Having been through the East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in

Shige: At the Bonn Conference in 2009, the fifth year of DESD,

2011, Japan now recognizes more than ever the need for

education for disaster risk reduction and climate change was

education for disaster risk reduction. The 2011 disaster, however,adopted as a conference theme. That's one reason why we

was an earthquake and huge tsunami caused by movement of

adopted it as one of the themes of the ESD Theme Conference inthe Earth's crust, which is different in origin from problems

Japan. There are many good examples of education for disaster

caused by climate change. Typhoons in the Philippines, floods inrisk reduction, but we couldn't find any adequate examples ofThailand, damage to villages at the foot of the Himalayas caused

education for climate change.

by melting glaciers—these are all impacts of climate change. In
other words, globally speaking, climate change-related disasters

Oikawa: Taking a lesson from the fact that we have only a few

can occur often, and the size of such disasters can be

examples and the ones that do exist are rather hard tocatastrophic. Therefore, we need to makes sure people

understand, we need to change our approach to, and the way weunderstand climate change and can consider its causes andlook at, education for climate change. People tend to think

impacts to human beings. Climate change is a huge mechanism

climate change is the same thing as global warming. Global

but its impacts vary by region, so education on local adaptation

warming is a global issue and its impacts appear slowly andto climate change can make direct contributions to disaster risk

gradually. We adults, for example, may feel like rainstorms are

reduction.

stronger or come more often than before, but for children there's
11not much they can actually feel that signifies global warming.

Oikawa: Yes, but implementation is the difficult part. In reality,

That probably helps explain why it's such a difficult issue tothese ideas are not often carried out at the level of curriculum,

address. Thinking along these lines, I feel like two approaches

activities, or practice.

are necessary. One is to teach the various effects of climatechange that children are likely to experience or hear about, such

Shige: I see. That reminds me of what we call "green curtains" inas floods, typhoons, and tornados, and then incorporate

Japan. A green curtain is a series of climbing plants that are

discussion of their impacts on people's daily lives. When doing

grown to create a wall of shade on the outside of a building, andso, it is important to always teach these in combination with how

is used as a global warming mitigation measure. Green curtains

to prepare and respond to such events.

are planted at many schools across the country. However, I

Since climate change is the result of a wide range of humanwonder how we can get more people in communities acrosssocial and economic activities, the other approach is to refashion

Japan to plant them. It seems the initiative has ended at the point

education so that children can see how their own behavior relatesof simply recognizing that, yes, green curtains certainly make ato the problem. We do this by shedding light, from an ESD

difference in terms of temperature.

standpoint, on the various cause-and-effect relationships that canbring about a phenomenon, including relationships that are

Oikawa: I think we should focus not on the activity of planting

harder to see.

green curtains, but on learning the mechanisms and cause-andeffect relationships related to climate change that tell us why they

Shige: You're saying it's important to understand these two

are necessary. Once that's done, it will lead to real action, suchapproaches—one of studying what climate change is and how it

as individuals rethinking their own lifestyles and taking action withhappens, and the other of supporting concrete efforts to mitigate

their local communities as an adaptation and response. That way

and adapt to climate change—and implement them in theof thinking and approach to learning needs to be more widelyclassroom.

disseminated.

12

Shige: You mentioned critical thinking and systems thinking

abilities to collect and analyze information are also very important

before, when we talked about what kind of people we need toin ESD, but these abilities are really tested in emergencies.

promote ESD. Could you tell us more about them?

In reality, however, networks are cut off or disrupted in disasters—
not only communication tools like mobile phones, TVs, and the

Oikawa: Just after the East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami,
because conditions were so severe, I had serious doubts about
whether and how ESD could really contribute to a solution, andsuffered from feelings of helplessness. After some time I was able
to sort myself out a little, and when I was able to analyze theresponse to the disaster and the process of reconstruction moreobjectively, I realized that ESD had played a great role in various
forms of adaptation and response. I thought it was very helpful.
One such response, in ESD terms, is critical thinking. It means notjust to deny one's experience, but to take an objective view.
Critical thinking is important for getting through a disaster calmly,
for seeing information and opinions objectively and choosing theInternet, but also transportation networks like roads and railways.

better options. Moreover, each conclusion needs to be linked toInformation is also extremely limited and often unreliable. Even inothers in a single process, and doing that naturally leads us tosuch conditions, people need to gather and process theseeing things as an entire system. We are faced with many

information that's available, assess it, and in the end make aquestions to answer. For example, which escape route anddecision and act based on it. A lot of ESD skills are condensed

evacuation area should we choose? How can we protect our

into this process.

children? What if others in the community come seeking refuge?
It's difficult to tackle an emergency if we can't answer these

Shige: I see. And what is the power of "N-help" that youquestions quickly and see them as an integrated process. The

mentioned at the first theme conference?

13

Oikawa: After the disaster, a variety of relief organizations fromstrength. When disaster strikes, such networking can play an

various sectors, including private business and the international

extremely important role, I would say.

community, came to affected areas. Our connection with themwas extremely useful and helped a lot in the process of

Shige: What do you think of our suggestion that at the time ofrestoration and reconstruction. Self-help, mutual-help, and public-

disaster, biodiversity issues, economic and consumption issues,

help—these are the three stages often referred to in education forand other ESD themes all become closely interrelated?

disaster risk reduction. But we experienced various problems that
couldn't be solved at these stages. The affected area was so vast

Oikawa: What I felt in my experience in the 2011 disaster andthat it took a long time for aid to reach everyone, and somepromoting education for reconstruction was that the original aim

places public-help couldn't reach. It was the networking byof ESD is to foster people who will help shift society from

NPOs, NGOs, and volunteers that filled such gaps in time andconditions that are unsustainable to conditions that are

space. This is what we call "N-help", a new concept.

sustainable. It's easier to understand ESD by thinking about what

Basically, we've been promoting ESD in collaboration with local

conditions are unsustainable.

communities, and it's this networking that is ESD's true value and

There are two conditions that are most unsustainable, I think. One
is the condition of conflict, or war. The other is the condition ofdisaster.
In fact, at the time of the earthquake, various crises occurred.
Because of the tsunami, for instance, biodiversity is now on theverge of crisis in many places. The coastline, tidal pools, andpine trees were devastated. At the same time, economicallyspeaking, 80% of businesses left Kesennuma because of thetsunami and 83% of people lost their jobs right after the disaster.
Such environmental and economic destruction naturally leads topoverty, from which many other problems emerge, such as social
justice and gender issues, as well as cultural heritage issues.
14

Aside from direct physical damage, the keeping and passing

disaster. In short, we need to offer children opportunities to think

down of culture is also at risk, because the community thatabout how to act in a disaster, prepare for it, and practice.

supports culture is damaged and no longer functioning properly.

However, while disaster risk reduction is of course important, theIn other words, many forms of unsustainability stem from aeffects of a disaster do not end all at once. You'd be totally wrong

disaster. How to rebuild affected areas is therefore a paramountto think that a disaster is over when people's lives are saved. It

concern of sustainable development (SD). From that point of view,

gets harder and the hardship continues long after that. Recovery,

it is easy to understand the synergies that exist between

reconstruction, psychological support, temporary housing,education for disaster risk reduction and ESD.

economic recovery…it's important to take these things into
account and think about how to tackle them as well.

Shige: But don't we need to offer this education in a more
concrete form, so it empowers the people who receive it? What

Shige: It's essential that people stay involved in reconstruction.

do you think is necessary to link education and disaster risk

But it's hard to do it alone. So support is necessary, some sort of

reduction more effectively?

hub.

Oikawa: I think providing this education systematically,

Oikawa: Yes! After the earthquake, I strongly felt such a need.

organizationally, and on a curriculum basis is necessary. For

Many NPOs and volunteer groups rushed in to provide aid all at

example, we probably need to pass on knowledge of theonce, and it was very tough managing them. It became a hugemechanisms of climate change, and the disasters that derive

job of handling their offers effectively and smoothly, whilefrom it, to children and the public. Also, I think it is important toconnecting them with individual needs. What I really hoped for

foster awareness of how climate change affects human lives inthen was to have a coordinating function that connected various

ways that are relevant to local communities, because it's not only

helping hands and supporters to those who needed them. Thata global issue but also a local one, and it affects each region

function could consist of individual people, networks of people, ordifferently. Moreover, educating children on a practical level isorganizations, like intermediate support groups. I can think ofimportant, so they can take appropriate action in case of a realvarious forms depending on the local situation.

15

Shige: We would need not just one large "hub" to serve thaton local experiences and knowledge across the country. For

function but one in each local area, right?

example, we've learned many lessons from the East Japan
Earthquake and Tsunami. But have we been able to share them

Oikawa: Yes, because each area has different characteristics,

with the rest of the country? I doubt it. And meanwhile the sense

daily lives, and backgrounds.

of urgency of those lessons is fading as time goes by.

During the previous earthquake and tsunami in Tohoku, I think it
was possible for people to act in a self-controlled, cooperative

Shige: What do you think is the problem?

way, because it was in a different part of the Tohoku Region with astill significant proportion of older Japanese communities. On the

Oikawa: For one thing, we need to establish an effective,

other hand, because people tended to practice self-restraint,

information-sharing system to deliver information from local hubs

problems were rather hard to see. In places where people tend toto a national center and from the national center to local hubs.

speak their opinion, organizations are needed to collect such

Not only in affected areas, but any place in Japan could be

opinions. There's also a difference between inland and coastal

affected in the future, communities along the Nankai Trough, forareas.

example. Currently, disaster information is not being sent
systematically, even to such areas, I would say.

Shige: So culture is fairly diverse even within the Tohoku Region. I

We should see this year's DESD World Conference as an

think we need to create a forum where we can see suchopportunity to share Japan's experiences in the East Japandifferences comprehensively support each other by sharing

Earthquake and Tsunami and the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake

information. ESD-J is trying to implement the ESD National Center

not only with stakeholders in Japan but also the world, as

Plan, a public-private partnership to establish a national center

valuable lessons related to ESD.

for promoting ESD, so I'm of the view that we should have a

The most effective way to promote ESD varies between countries,

national center with many local hubs.

between regions, between developed and developing countries,
and between cultures. Given that, the key question is, how do we

Oikawa: I agree. On the one hand, it is necessary to coordinate

share the know-how Japan has cultivated during the last decade?

the whole. But on the other, it is important to offer support based

We have acquired some valuable information, and I hope we can16share it with confidence with the world, in a format that can beappreciated globally. To do so, it's important that we express theinformation visually so people outside Japan can fully understandit. In that sense, I think ESD focused on disaster risk reduction is
one of the more important messages that are easy to understand.
These three priorities—biodiversity, climate change, and disasterrisk reduction—that UNESCO has focused on in the second halfof DESD are all interrelated. And when combined with ESD
through our experience in these huge earthquakes and tsunamis
in Japan, there are many good practices we can offer. I think weshould really appreciate this fact.
To convey these messages within the context of such unique andrealistic circumstances, I think, is more persuasive.
Shige: There are still many challenges, but like Mr. Oikawa, I
would like to continue to offer ideas and help disseminate
education for disaster risk reduction and climate change basedon our empirical observations here in Japan. And I have great
expectations for the outcomes of such education.

17

Masako Shige

Yukihiko Oikawa

Masako Shige, the Chair of ESD-J, served as an education officer
and then education director of the Girl Scouts of Japan, where she
worked on the reform of educational programs and theorganization's instructor training curriculum and system, andorganized international projects. As a member of the YouthSubcommittee of the Central Council for Education, she wasinvolved in the promotion of hands-on activities for youth. In theGirl Scouts of Japan, she also served as a trainer and as chief of
its Chiba Office. Meanwhile, she was also involved in establishing
the Council for Outdoor & Nature Experiences (CONE). After
serving as an Executive Director, Bureau Chief, and Vice-Chair, she
is now Councilor of CONE. She also serves as a Director of the
Toyota Shirakawa-Go Eco-Institute, and a Director of the
Supporting Organization of J.O.C.V., a board member of the DESDWorld Festival Forum and a member of the Japanese National
Commission for UNESCO. She resides in Chiba Prefecture.

Yukihiko Oikawa is a Researcher of Miyagi University of Education,
an Associate Researcher of the University of Tokyo, and Senior
Advisor of SEEDS Asia, a Japanese non-profit organization. He
was the former Deputy Director of Kesennuma City Board of
Education. He has been promoting Education for Sustainable
Development (ESD) over ten years at regional and national level,collaborating with local sectors, universities, Japanese
government, NGO/NPO and international institution such as
UNESCO, United Nation University (UNU), Fulbright Fund andOECD. Since the East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (EJET) in
2011, he has been contributing to educational recovery of postdisaster in Kesennuma City utilizing the network of ESD, and to
improvement of DRR Education based on lessons of EJET and theconcept of ESD.

18

ESD and Education for Disaster
Risk Reduction in Kesennuma,
Japan

Reaching the Unreachable:
Mobile Knowledge Resource
Center - MKRC

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Education for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change

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Disaster Educationfor 12-year-olds

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Learning Programs on Measures toAddress Global Warming in Urban
Areas―Competency in Providing
Content for Local Use

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Children's Eco-Life Challenge: A
Growing Educational Program
Born in Kyoto

The ESD practices presented on the following pages are contributions from those involved in each initiative.

ESD and Education for
Disaster Risk Reduction in Kesennuma, Japan
Kesennuma City Board of Education20

Kesennuma faces the Pacific Ocean and, like other

This partnership offered benefits to the schools as well. ESD

municipalities along the Sanriku coast in northern Japan, has

was starting to be introduced to local elementary and juniorexperienced repeated tsunami disasters over the centuries.

high schools around 2002, and schools' greatest need was

The 1896 and 1933 tsunamis were particularly devastating

felt in the area of outside support. Education for disaster risk

and still have a place in local memory. Just recently have wereduction, with a focus on outside collaboration, graduallyrealized that tsunami events like these were occurring evenspread—and spread by necessity, considering the mission offarther back in history. This history has generated various

ESD. This ESD curriculum, which emphasized independent

ruins and other artifacts related to tsunamis in Kesennuma,

thinking and decision-making within a framework of

as well as stories on how to respond in the event of ancollaboration, led to a child survival rate of 99.8%,

impending tsunami.

encouraged voluntary actions by students at evacuation

Prior to the March 2011 tsunami, a multi-segment earthquake

centers, and allowed schools in Kesennuma to reopen before

was predicted off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture, and this,all other schools in the disaster zone.

among other factors, led the city's Risk Management

Still, many issues were exposed by the disaster, and so

Department to spearhead, under the direction and support ofparticipating parties have decided to reexamine the

Tohoku University's International Research Institute ofaftermath and strive to make the educational program even

Disaster Science, studies and training on disaster risk

more effective. The Kesennuma City Board of Education has

reduction and tsunami evacuation. Kenichi Sato, head of therecently begun research and implementation of a type of

department, played an important role in this pursuit. The

disaster education that maintains universal aspects ofdepartment's main focus at the time was on forging

disaster preparedness while also training children, students,

partnerships with local schools. Given Japan's aging

teachers, and community members to respond effectively topopulation and the rise in dual-earner households, thelocal factors and event-specific circumstances. These efforts

department was well aware of how instrumental schools could

have been made possible with support from the Kyoto

be in disaster preparation.

University Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies,
the non-profit SEEDS Asia, and other organizations, and the21

leadership of Yukihiko Oikawa (currently researcher at Miyagi
University of Education). Meanwhile, Miyagi Prefecture
launched in fiscal 2012 a new disaster management systemthat appoints a disaster preparedness coordinator to schools
in each municipality that was affected by the 2011 disaster.
This system draws on the experiences and approaches usedin Kesennuma and, it is hoped, will lead to even more
effective education for disaster risk reduction.

22

Reaching the Unreachable:
Mobile Knowledge Resource Center - MKRCNPO SEEDS Asia

23

SEEDS Asia is engaged in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)
education in Asian countries that experience many natural
disasters. We have found that the keys to conducting these
activities effectively in Asian countries with dramatically different
cultural and socioeconomic conditions than Japan are
customization and mobility.
Myanmar was hit by a huge cyclone in 2008 in which more than
130,000 people lost their lives. This was because information on
the cyclone did not reach people in the affected delta area, andbecause they had no knowledge about disasters and how toprotect themselves from them. Amidst public concern over a rise
in weather-related disasters attributable to climate change,
Myanmar has faced a major challenge of improving its
administrative capacity to deal with disasters, as well as

When launching the project, we worked hard on customization—

educating its rural citizens on DRR.

in other words, how to create experience-based educational

It was against the backdrop that we launched our Mobile

packages that are best suited to local circumstances, and how to

Knowledge Resource Center (MKRC) project. A MKRC is a small,offer such packages to as many people as possible. To make ourmobile museum on DRR equipped with educational materials foreducational materials more familiar to local people, we adopted

learning about disasters, such as posters, models, and games.

well-known cartoon characters in Myanmar, and incorporated

We have two types of MKRCs: trucks and boats. Trucks are for

locally specific disaster risks into the content of the educational

villages that can be reached by land, while boats are formaterials for each area of the country. As for the training method,communities in the delta region that can only be reached by

we thought it would be rather difficult to maximize our outreachtravelling downriver. We offer DRR training to schoolteachers,

through the conventional way of gathering community leaders

students, and local residents, as well as administrative officers.

and training only them, expecting that the trainees would

24

disseminate knowledge to other residents. So we took theapproach of passing on DRR knowledge directly to as many
people as we could by ourselves. We offer a one-day DRR
training in each village we visit. By doing this over and overagain, we expect and hope that many people are acquiring theability to think for themselves and take action to save their own
lives from future disasters.
As a result of these efforts, our MKRC program has been
evaluated and confirmed by an independent
organization as an effective way of providing
long-lasting DRR knowledge that leads topractical actions, such as the preparation of
emergency evacuation kits. Communities havewelcomed such steady efforts, resulting in a
program that has reached 30,231 people as ofAugust 15, 2014.

www.seedsasia.org/eng/

25

Disaster Education for 12-year-olds

Saijo City and Saijo City Board of Education

26

Saijo City is located in eastern Ehime Prefecture on the island ofgraders, the senior year of elementary school in Japan. Twelve-

Shikoku, at the foot of the sacred mountain Ishizuchi, which, with

year-old students are physically and intellectually mature enougha height of 1,982 meters, is the highest mountain in western

to look at and think about their own lives, and make personal

Japan. The city has a population of 113,000, and an area of 509

judgments. We have been conducting this program hoping theysquare kilometers with both coastal and mountainous areas; 30%

could learn how they will fit into society and deal with disasterof this area is flat and therisks, eventually becoming

remaining 70% is mountainous.

leaders of disaster risk

The climate here is mild. Even

reduction (DRR).

when typhoons come, the city

Out of the 25 schools in theis rarely hit directly, because

city, we choose 60 students as

Mt. Ishizuchi stands like a

representatives, and carry out

shield, protecting us from

activities throughout the year,

serious damage. In September

offering them solution-based

2004, however, typhoons Mearieducation that clearly lays out

and Tokage hit the city andthe purpose and goal of ourcaused mudslides and otheractivities. Aiming to make Saijo

damage, leading to the loss ofCity more disaster resilient, wefive citizens' lives.

work on having the children

Therefore, just after recoveringlearn DRR measures that theyfrom these disasters, Saijo Citycan put into practice. We holdlaunched a number of policy

DRR summits twice a year, andmeasures aimed at making the city more disaster resilient. In

organize a DRR camp during summer vacation. At the second

fiscal 2006, as one of the core initiatives in this effort, we started a

DRR summit, all sixth graders in the city gather and exchange

disaster education program targeting 12-year-olds, or sixth

their views.

27One of outcomes of this program is a collection of proposals

forums held across Japan. This has led to our providing DRR

compiled by the leaders of each school that describes theireducation in Hue City, Vietnam, as one of the international

research and the solutions they proposed to reduce disaster risk

assistance projects of Japan International Cooperation Agency

in their communities.

(JICA). We have conducted this project for three years since

Through DRR education, children come to appreciate thefiscal 2011.

preciousness of life, the importance of family and friends, and theWe think it is critical to teach children the ability to judge forvalue of connection. They play a role in helping the City improve

themselves, based on correct information, what actions to takeits DRR capacity by learning local history and culture and sharing

when confronted by disaster, whether it is an earthquake,

what they have learned in DRR education with their families andtsunami, torrential downpour or other extreme weather event.

local communities.
These efforts are also becoming widely known: Saijo City hasreceived awards on DRR, has been included in a UN publication
on best practices, and presented at various conferences andhttp://www.city.saijo.ehime.jp/khome/gakkokyoiku/oshirase/
12saikyoiku.html (in Japanese)28

Learning Programs on Measures to Address Global Warming in
Urban Areas―Competency in Providing Content for Local Use
Japan Network for Climate Change Actions (JNCCA)

29

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Japan's household sector
are steadily growing. More people need to understand whatclimate change is, of course, but the more urgent issue is how tochange awareness and galvanize people into taking actual steps
toward mitigation.
The Japan Network for Climate Change Actions (JNCCA) is a
network of 55 Centers for Climate Change Actions designated by
local governments nationwide. JNCCA develops and provides
program materials and data as part of its project to supportNPOs, businesses, and other organizations that embark on
environmental awareness activities. These activities are based onrecognition of the need for hands-on, participatory learning
programs that connect the issue of climate change with everyday
life so more people make climate change a personal
responsibility over the long term.

demands based on input and requests from instructors who use

Many of the program materials JNCCA develops are designed as

the materials. Indeed, the greatest advantage of these materials

tools that enable participants to learn through communicationis that they are tailored to users' desired applications.

with each other in workshops held indoors, such as in classrooms

This systematic process of content development (i.e., educationalor conference rooms.

materials and programs) which gives organizations and

JNCCA's own staff conducts the entire process of content

instructors control in customizing the content for their own

creation, from analyzing information on global warming, topurposes, as well as the approach of supporting instructors indeveloping and preparing programs, to designing and producing

this way, can be seen in itself as a sustainability model of Japan.

the materials. This allows us to continually update the materials

As we have improved our content development process, we have

we develop, adding or replacing information as occasion

seen a growing number of instructors across the country who are30

using our content, many of whom are modifying the program
materials by adding local characteristics and using them to teachcourses at primary schools, junior high schools, children'scenters, and other institutions.
Furthermore, these educational materials and programs provide
an educational style in which participants are encouraged to think
seriously about climate change through communication anddiscussion and develop their own stories of turning learning into
action. Through this exercise, participants not only discoverinsights into resolving the issue of climate change, but also learn
how to think critically, reconsider how to live with responsibility forthe future, find new awareness, and transform such awarenessinto action.
The following are examples of comments from participants ofthese hands-on learning programs: "It helped me think seriously
about the connections between living organisms and theenvironment and the balance between them. It was inspiring." "It
reminded me of the importance of action, starting from what I cando right now, no matter how small a step it may be."

JCCCA's educational tools library:http://www.jccca.org/tool/31Children's Eco-Life Challenge: A Growing Educational
Program Born in Kyoto Content for Local Use
KIKO NETWORK

32

Children's Eco-Life Challenge is an environmental education

Children’s Eco-Life Challenge has three important features. First,

program aimed at helping children gain a deeper understanding

it is a practice-focused program offered throughout the summerof global warming and eco-friendly lifestyles and promoting suchand winter school breaks. It offers preliminary learning before thelifestyles at home. Through collaboration with the City of Kyoto

start of each vacation, practical learning during the vacation, andand Kyoto Junior Chamber, Inc., the Kiko Network began thisa review after the vacation. In the preliminary learning session,

program on a trial basis at an elementary school in 2005. Fromchildren discover the connection between global warming andthere, the number of participating schools increased every year,

daily living, and consider what they can do to help slow global

and since 2010 all Kyoto City elementary schools have been part

warming down. In the review session, each child receives an Eco-of the program. Participating grades range from fourth to sixth,

Life Certificate—a paper presenting in a visual format the results

depending on the school. The Kiko Network plans and organizesof the efforts he or she made using the workbook during thethe program under a contract with the City of Kyoto.

summer vacation—which the child uses to assess his or her
efforts. The children also follow the KJ Method to sort out what
they achieved and what they found difficult to achieve, and set up
and announce their new action goals based on the results.
Secondly, the Kyoto City Climate Change Prevention Office,Kyoto City Board of Education, Miyako Ecology Center, Hinodeya
Eco-Life Research Institute, and Kiko Network work together
based on a philosophy of collaborative partnership to plan andorganize the program and ensure its effective implementation.
Thirdly, a wide variety of stakeholders participate in implementing
the program, such as Kiko Network staff, and volunteers including
climate change action promoters (certified by the governor of
Kyoto) and volunteers from local schools. For volunteers, theprogram serves as a place to get involved and also shareexperiences with other participants.
33

By year-end 2013, some 55,000 students had
participated in the program. The results of their
Eco-Life Certificates show that their behaviors
toward the environment improved in all categories
between before and after the program, and that
more eco-friendly lifestyles had spread to othermembers of their households. In some schools,
students participate in this program in connection
with another course unit. In recent years, theChildren's Eco-Life Challenge program has
attracted attention from other parts of Japan andoverseas, with similar programs being introducedin Okayama and Nara in Japan, as well as in the
Iskandar region of Malaysia.

http://www.kikonet.org/local/education/childreneco-life-challenge (in Japanese)34

Biodiversity, Our Life, and ESD

Biodiversity, Our Life, and ESD
Dialogue:

Yoshihiro NATORI and
Masahiro KAWATEI

36

Kawatei: I would like to clear up our understanding of howgroups that a different term like seimei-no-tayousei ("diversity of

biodiversity and ESD are related. Let us begin with biodiversity:life") would be closer in meaning.

When did the Japanese government begin making efforts topromote awareness of biodiversity in the first place?

Natori: The people I worked with suggested rephrasing the term
as ikimono-no-nigiwai-to-tsunagari ("vitality of all creatures andNatori: Well, going back to the beginning, Japan became a party

the links among them").

to the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1993. Back then, thefocus was on Japanese terminology. The English term biologicaldiversity had been directly translated into Japanese as
seibutsugaku-teki-tayousei, but that term was difficult tounderstand. Meanwhile, a new word, namely biodiversity, wascoined in English-speaking countries, so people in Japandecided to use the term seibutsu-no-tayousei (i.e., biodiversity)
instead.
Kawatei: So things started moving around the time Japan
became a party to the Convention.
Natori: Later, not a year after the Bonn Conference on ESD, theG8 Environment Ministers Meeting was held in Kobe, Japan. The

Kawatei: I believe that phrase was proposed by Prof. Yuji Kishi ofdelegates to this meeting came out with a strong position on

Keio University. It was a very understandable interpretation. Whenbiodiversity.

I thought of biodiversity conceptually, I used to think of nature
conservation and the protection of rare species, but Prof. Kishi’s

Kawatei: But the meaning of the term biodiversity was still notphrase helped me go beyond such ideas. My understanding

easy to understand, right? There were debates among citizens'changed further when I read the preamble to the Basic Act on37

Biodiversity, which was drafted by officials at the Ministry of theexample, such as seaweed in the case of coastal wetlands, fish

Environment. The preamble stated that humans thrive thanks toand plants in the case of rivers.

the benefits we receive from biodiversity, that biodiversity serves
as a foundation to our lives. It went further by saying that

Kawatei: So the benefits are basically about food?

biodiversity, as assets that are unique to each region, also
supports the diversity of regional and local cultures. This

Natori: More like products. Wetlands also serve as a tourist

explanation really made sense to me. The preamble explained

destination. People derive peace of mind from seeing beautiful

biodiversity not as conservation of satoyama or preservation oflandscapes of wetlands. There was already a move back then toliving things, but as something on which our very lives depend,

promote wetlands by highlighting these aspects.

which enabled me to think that we could start to understandMeanwhile, in the area of biodiversity, there was definitely a movebiodiversity by looking at it from such aspects as food, clothing,

to connect food, as an aspect of livelihood, with biodiversity, fromand shelter.

around the time of CBD COP10 in 2010.

Natori: That preamble is really well written.

Kawatei: The NPOs and NGOs working on wetlands were very
active at COP10. There was one group working on wetlands that

Kawatei: I think ESD is really about promoting an understanding

promoted an approach with a livelihood perspective focusing onof these points. In other words, promoting understanding offood, and its specific aim was to propose at COP10 the Ricebiodiversity and ESD seem essentially the same.

Paddy Resolution [to enhance biodiversity in rice paddies as
wetland systems]. This group worked toward COP10 in tandem

Natori: Wetlands are what I have been most heavily involved in.

with other aims, but based on their experience with the Ramsar

When new Ramsar Sites were designated in Japan in 2005, weConvention, they succeeded in including the Rice Paddy

compiled and presented examples of the types of benefits

Resolution in the COP10 decision, and also made full use of theirprovided by wetlands, in order to explain the significance of theprevious policy advocacy experience in the Convention on

Ramsar Sites in simple terms. Food from wetlands is a prime

Biological Diversity. NGOs were working in partnership with the38

government as well. I felt like the wetlands groups were able tocommunication as they observed proper reporting by themake the connection between biodiversity and livelihood, and soJapanese media at the Kushiro Conference of the Ramsar

paved the way for citizens to make their own recommendations atConvention and so changed the term to CEPA (Communication,

COP10.

Education, and Public Awareness).

Natori: Wetlands are something you can actually see. Like rice

Natori: There are hardly any provisions corresponding to CEPA in

paddies, for instance, the benefits of wetlands are also easy to

the Ramsar Convention, but a solid article on CEPA is included inunderstand. Based on this background, the Rice Paddy

the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Resolution and other results came out.
Kawatei: That’s Article 13. But if you had conducted a Web
Kawatei: But it was not easy for me to visualize a shicchi ("wetsearch on CEPA activities prior to COP10, all the results would

land"). It never occurred to me that places such as rivers andhave been about Ramsar activities.

shores were included, let alone rice paddies. To me the term
mizube ("place near water") was easier to understand.

Natori: Since there are always people living around wetlands,
those who stand to benefit the most from them are people who

Natori: The English term "wetland" was directly translated into

live around them and make a living from them. They have toJapanese and has been used that way ever since. Even now,protect wetlands to continue benefiting from them, and that's why

people imagine marshlands when the term shicchi is used—sothey participate and take action.

we still have to explain that wetlands under the Ramsar
Convention include, for example, marine water to the depth of six

Kawatei: Wetland issues are clear and specific because wetlands

meters.

are areas with a defined space, unlike initiatives that aim toaddress nature as a whole. Prof. Osamu Abe, who is taking a lead

Kawatei: I heard that initially under the Ramsar Convention theyrole in ESD now, used to serve as a leader of CEPA in East Asia

used the term "education and public awareness" (EPA). But thefor the International Union for Conservation of Nature's

parties to the convention realized the importance ofCommission on Education and Communication,(IUCN-CEC).
39

When we asked Prof. Abe to deliver lectures in Tokyo before

discussions on biodiversity, instead of just having them within the

COP10 and at a side-event of COP10, he said that CEPA andresearch community, which had been the case.

ESD were fundamentally synonyms. In other words, he said, "We

Through my interactions with Prof. Abe, I realized that I should

are users of natural resources but we also have to understand ourtake more determined action, which is when my relationship withrole as stewards of natural resources. We need to take action withmembers of the DESD World Festival Forum began.

the awareness of someone for whom these issues are personally
relevant." The words sounded simple, but it occurred to me that

Natori: My involvement with ESD began in 2006. I was working

ESD's role was to explain what this means in practice.

hard on CEPA for the Ramsar Convention, but for the first few
years after I came across ESD, I didn't realize that CEPA underNatori: Indeed, to have a sense of the ownership of biodiversity is

the Ramsar Convention and ESD were almost the same. When I

not easy.

was working with children in the Ramsar Convention's CEPA
activities and saw the way they were growing up, I came to

Kawatei: I felt the need to have members of the businessrealize for the first time that this was ESD. Several years later I

community and people involved in civic activities hear about therealized that the two terms could be used as synonyms. This
understanding based on practical experience was truly
significant.
Kawatei: That's why you thought the message would be better
understood by adults if it were told by the children who grew up
with the Ramsar CEPA activities.
Natori: Until then, I had been explaining what ESD is using UN or
UNESCO terms, in a way. After the idea sunk in, I was able toexplain ESD in my own words, referring to community40

development and the nurturing of people who work in it. This was

as a process for understanding this. Then I was introduced toaround 2008 or 2009.

people like Mr. Yasunori Maezono, who trains regional
coordinators, and Ms. Reiko Nakamura of the KODOMO Ramsar,

Kawatei: So CEPA and ESD came together inside your mind justand was able to bring in people from a wide range of fields. You

around the time when the term biodiversity started gaining traction.

were strongly recommending KODOMO Ramsar at the time, and I

And that was based on what you understood from having seen

now after listening to you again today I really understand why.

children grow up. Rephrasing the term ESD based on what you
experienced and learned in practice seems like an important step.

Natori: Both biodiversity and ESD are difficult words tounderstand, but there are plenty of practical examples throughout

Natori: All I had been able to explain was that ESD was muchthe country. The first theme conference was aimed at compilingbroader than environmental education and that it involved

such examples.

international understanding and peace, or something along thoseAs I listened to the case studies, I was convinced that biodiversity

lines—but this changed after I realized that CEPA and ESD could

and ESD are linked.

be used as synonyms.
Kawatei: Based on the understanding that connection is an
Kawatei: Since then, you started interpreting ESD based on real-important theme in biodiversity, we used the phrases "connecting

life experiences. That's really important. I've been havingwith nature," "connecting with communities," "connecting withpleasant interactions with members of the DESD World Festival

watersheds," and "connecting with children" to express the case

Forum who share a similar philosophy. An ESD theme conference

study presentations. Also, since the event was held after the Great

focusing on "Biodiversity, Our Life, and ESD" was started later, in

East Japan Earthquake, Mr. Makoto Hatakeyama focused on levees.

2012. I got CEPA Japan started in May 2011 after COP10, so I

He said that ESD was about finding ways to live without artifacts thatjoined after having worked on various projects.

separate nature from the spaces we live in, and to refrain fromHow to proceed with the theme conference was a big challenge.

building such things. His lecture provided a good lesson.

First I phrased biodiversity as the foundation of our lives, and ESD

41

Natori: ESD is not a process of rote learning. It's more about

This is what the "watershed thinking" proposed by Prof. Kishi

providing a place or experience. The story about levees was

says: First, the earth has three types of ground: rainy land, sandy

indeed given from this approach.

land, and icy land. The ground where rain falls is the place where
human beings can live. If we can change how we look at the land

Kawatei: Understanding the nature and people of a region means

we live on not in terms administrative domains but in the way

understanding biodiversity, and experiential learning on how tonatural systems, such as watersheds, are organized, and shift ourlive in a given area is ESD. These insights have informed mysocieties toward harnessing the adaptability of ecosystems, cities

reconstruction work.

will begin to play a positive role in sustainable development. ThisIn the second year, we realized that, of the four keywords

allowed us to reorganize our understanding and see that, byaddressing climate change not just through mitigation but also
adaptation, we could include biodiversity as part of ourunderstanding of resilience.
Natori: Indeed. Our response would have been faster if we hadtaken adaptation measures in combination with mitigation
measures, instead of mitigation alone.
Kawatei: We will never come up with adequate adaptation
measures for climate change without understanding local
biodiversity—and "watershed thinking" connects everything
together. Having noticed this, I understood anew the importanceinvolving connection—connecting with nature, community,of having a bird's eye view of watersheds when addressing

watersheds, and children—thinking from the perspective of

biodiversity and ESD. Listening to Prof. Kishi's lecture on

watersheds is particularly important, and so we asked Prof. Yuji

watersheds, it occurred to me that the essence of ESD was to

Kishi of Keio University to give a lecture.
42

understand nature's boundaries instead of thinking withinmunicipal boundaries drawn based on human convenience.
Natori: Biodiversity and ESD are the basis for all five themes.
Kawatei: In future, I am thinking trying to get businesses involved.
ESD in business is about understanding corporate social
responsibility (CSR), and the process of integrating CSR within acompany is ESD itself. I like to think that sustainable use ofnatural resources is really what sound business management isabout. So, CSR is also about understanding biodiversity.
Natori: For me the subject is environmental education. I would liketo help people realize what they are doing is ESD throughpractical examples, and in that way get them involved in ESD.

43

Yoshihiro Natori

Masahiro Kawatei

Yoshihiro Natori joined Japan's Environment Agency (currently, theMinistry of the Environment) in 1975. At the Agency, he served as apark ranger at Fuji-Hakone-Izu, Aso-Kuju, Akan, and other nationalparks, and then worked for the Nature Conservation Bureau and
the Global Environment Department. Between 1987 and 1990, he
worked at the Japanese Embassy in Kenya as a deputy resident
representative of the Japanese government for the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP). Between 1999 and 2001, heserved as deputy director of the UNEP Regional Office for Asia
and Pacific in Bangkok. After serving as director of the Wildlife
Division of the Ministry of the Environment, he joined the United
Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies in July 2006,
where he managed the ESD program and the Satoyama Initiative.
In September 2010, he joined the Nagao Natural Environment
Foundation. He is now a board member of ESD-J and the DESDWorld Festival Forum. He also became President of the Wetlands
International Japan in January 2013.

Masahiro Kawatei, CSR Manager at Hakuhodo Inc., was born inAshiya, Hyogo Prefecture, in 1963. He joined Hakuhodo in 1986.
He experienced the Great Hanshin Earthquake while at home in
1995. He joined a national carbon emissions reduction project,called Team Minus 6%, just after the project's launch by Japan's
Ministry of the Environment in 2005. He was appointed Executive
Manager of the Environmental Communication Department at
Hakuhodo in 2008. Following the achievement of a resolution on
education and communication, to which he contributed, at the 10th
meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) to theConvention on Biological Diversity, held in Nagoya, Japan, in 2010,
he was appointed Representative for CEPA Japan and member of
the Commission on Education and Communication of theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural
Resources (IUCN). He joined Tohoku University's "Tohoku Green
Renaissance Project" in 2011. He has served as a facilitator for thetheme of "Biodiversity, Our Life, and ESD" at the DESD World
Festival Forum since 2012, and gave a speech at the TEDxTohoku
event in 2013. He also serves as a member of the Japan
Committee for the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity (UNDB),
a communication advisor of the FSC Forest Stewardship Council
Japan, and a lecturer of the Graduate School of Environmental
Studies at Tohoku University. He is also a member of the Japan
Professional Photographers Society.
44Asahikawa Watershed Academy

Save Japan Project: Supporting
Biodiversity Conservation
Nationwide

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Biodiversity, Our Life, and ESD

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KODOMO Ramsar for ESD:International Wetlands
Exchange Program

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Bioregion-based ESD in the IseMikawa Bay Watershed

The ESD practices presented on the following pages are contributions from those involved in each initiative.

Asahikawa Watershed Academy

Asahikawa Headwaters Academy Planning Committee

46

Japan's unusual patchwork landscape is the result of a multi-

means and measure of sustainability.

generational effort to protect local biodiversity. This landscape is

The Academy follows a long line of programs centered on local

threatened, however, by population decline and the loss ofrivers, including a series of conferences hosted by the prefecture

people working to preserve the mountains, rivers, coastlines,

and Okayama City from 1997 to 2002 where junior high and highroads, bridges, and other resources and infrastructure that keep

schools students presented projects on the Ashimorigawa River

this land thriving. We quickly need to gather our best ideas andwatershed, and activities by a group of teachers who served as

shift this situation toward a more sustainable future.

advisors for junior high and high school clubs, namely a summer

In Okayama Prefecture, the Asahikawa River harbors a richriver workshop and winter environmental conference hosted from

community of more than 80 species of fish and 120 species of2003 to 2011.

aquatic insects. This setting has served as the laboratory for

From 2010 to 2012, the communities of Tomi District invarious projects in Asahikawa Watershed Academy (formerly,

Kagaminocho, Shinjoson, and Hiruzen-Tsuguro Highlands, all

Asahikawa Headwaters Academy), a program started by thelocated in the Asahikawa watershed, took turns hosting a

Planning Committee in 2010
with the mission of providing
outdoor environmental
education to high school andjunior high school students
and community members
through real-time monitoring ofriver wildlife. The Academy
implements actions to promotelocal sustainability by focusing
on the entire river—from
headwaters to ocean—as a47

Asahikawa Watershed Academy event titled "Rediscover Your

Asahikawa watershed so special, we hope to increase interaction

Hometown!" where participants collected source data on natural,

between downstream urbanites and residents in the rest of thehistoric, and cultural assets through year-long surveys under thewatershed and create a renaissance in nature appreciation,

direction of experts. In 2012, the Academy held nine publicleading to the realization of, for example, our vision for a

events across the entire watershed, from the headwaters down to

Asahikawa Watershed Academy Village, place where resident

the coastal wetlands. In 2013, we changed the program's nameresearchers can stay and lead wildlife observation and riverfrom the "Asahikawa Headwaters Academy" to the "Asahikawa

development projects all along the watershed.

Watershed Academy." We later commenced a biological survey inwhich all citizens in the watershed could participate at any time ofyear. We also conducted a number of activities focused on

Okayama Wildlife Research Committee: http://k1.fc2.com/cgi-bin/community improvement through watershed conservation andhp.cgi/phalcon/

countering the effects of rural population decline, including awater survey in the mid and lower Asahikawa watershed aimed at
restoring an endemic species of catfish (Liobagrus reinii), a
biological survey of the Ukaigawa River watershed, and activities
under the title "Takashima Wetlands Eco-museum."
A common theme among these projects is their intention ofleveraging the appeal of wildlife observation using local natural
resources to stimulate exchange between communities indifferent areas of the watershed (in other words, a new type ofcommunity development in the Asahikawa Watershed built on
wildlife observation), and the planning and implementation of new
and appealing fieldwork courses and environmental development
projects for citizens and students along the watershed. By
shedding light on the biodiversity (i.e., biota) that makes the48

Save Japan Project:
Supporting Biodiversity Conservation Nationwide
Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance Inc.

49

The Save Japan Project is a multi-stakeholder initiative working toconserve biological diversity across Japan. The Project works like
this: When customers take out an automobile insurance policy
from Sompo Japan or Nipponkoa, or when they get their vehicle
repaired following an accident, we recommend that they go
paperless (allowing them to view their insurance policy and its
terms and conditions through our official website) or use recycledparts for their car. When customers choose these options, wedonate a portion of the saved costs to NPOs across Japan's 47
prefectures to support their grassroots biodiversity conservation
efforts. The Japan NPO Center, national environmental groups,
and local NPO support centers, which provide assistance to local
civic activities, serve as intermediaries. Examples of these
activities include cleanups in wetland areas to prevent red-

The second feature is that the project is a collaboration with NPO

crowned cranes, an endangered species, from accidentallysupport centers and environmental groups nationwide. We notingesting human litter (Hokkaido Prefecture), and the building of

only partner with more than 120 NPOs and environmental

nest boxes for the Japanese dormouse (Yamanashi Prefecture).

organizations, but we also hold operational meetings as well as

The Save Japan Project has three important features. The first isconferences for sharing initiatives between partners, which isthat the project is an integrated part of our business. A portion ofhelping to strengthen NPO networks and stimulate activities. In

the costs saved when customers sign up for a car loan, one offact, this project has led to the creation of new initiatives in more

our flagship products, or repair their vehicle is put toward NPO

than 10 communities.

activities, meaning that this money is not merely a donation, but isAnd, lastly, the third important feature is that such collaboration

made possible by our business.

between stakeholders is making it easier for ordinary citizens toparticipate in biodiversity conservation. According to a user

50

questionnaire, while roughly 60% of respondents were first-timeusers of the program, 98% said that they would participate in an

http://savejapan-pj.net/

environmental conservation activity again, suggesting that the
project is encouraging citizens of Japan to take an interest in thenatural environment around them. The project has seen 325
events held across the country to date, joined by more than
18,000 people.
The Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Group will continue through its
business to take concrete steps toward a more sustainable future
in ways that promote collaboration between business,
communities, and ordinary citizens.

51

KODOMO Ramsar for ESD: International Wetlands
Exchange Program
Ramsar Center Japan52

KODOMO Ramsar for ESD is part of KODOMO Ramsar, an

together for a two-day or four-day camp, where the children: 1.

environmental education program for children (kodomo means

Present their home wetlands and experiences in conservation

children in Japanese) that Ramsar Center Japan has been

activities, 2. Learn about the host wetland scientifically from local

implementing at Ramsar wetlands across Asia since 2002. These

representatives and professionals, 3. Participate in a field trip to

ESD activities were conducted seven times in Japan and in othersee examples of wetland conservation and wise use

Asian countries (Thailand, Malaysia, India, and China) from 2011

demonstrated by local farmers, fishermen, merchants, andthrough 2014 so children can learn the value, importance, andresidents, 4. Discuss in groups of five or six to identify six

diversity of wetlands.

'treasures' (or benefits) provided by the wetland they visited and

The value of wetlands lies not only in their richbiodiversity but also in their precious resources,
which provide us a variety of benefits and services,such as water, food, buffering against disasterrisks, and recreation. The mission of the Ramsar
Convention is to promote the conservation andwise use of these wetlands. The appreciation of
wetland ecosystems as well as participation inprograms under the Convention are essential for asustainable society, especially in Asia, where many
people live around wetlands, such as rice paddies
and rivers.
In KODOMO Ramsar programs, about 30 to
50―sometimes as many as 100―elementary tosenior-high students representing the host Ramsar
wetland and other Ramsar wetlands gather"KODOMO Ramsar for ESD in Lower Chao Phraya River, Thailand" held in January 2014 under
the auspices of UN-ESCAP, UNEP, and other organizations.

53

draw them in a picture, 5. Choose the top six from all thetreasures identified (six times the number of groups), and 6. Makea "treasure poster" with a slogan to call for action to conserve thewetland.
Exploring Ramsar wetlands in this way allows participants to see
the different types of wetlands and their environments. Teachersin Shiga Prefecture who came up with the idea for this program
encourage children to discuss and rediscover the value of
wetlands, as well as the relationships between wetlands and theliving things, including human beings, they support, from theirown viewpoint without too much assistance from adults. The
outcomes of the discussions are compiled as a recommendation
to local governments and relevant parties. This program hashelped to broaden exchange between children, forming extensive
national and global networks, and has inspired local people atvarious wetlands to launch their own KODOMO Ramsar
campaigns.
Started in 2002, KODOMO Ramsar, which includes KODOMO
Ramsar for ESD, is an ongoing international program that, thus
far, has been held 47 times in nine countries with participationfrom 3,720 children.

http://homepage1.nifty.com/rcj/

54

Bioregion-based ESD in the Ise-Mikawa Bay Watershed

Chubu University (the Key Institution of RCE Chubu)

55

Chubu University is a managing institution of RCE Chubu, whicharea. By 2014, we hope to shed light on one hundred regional

is one of the Regional Centers of Expertise on Education for

issues and the organizations tackling them.

Sustainable Development (RCE-ESD) certified by United Nations

Issues discussed in the seminars reflect the diverse aspects ofUniversity. Since its establishment in 2007, RCE Chubu has

ESD, not merely environmental problems, but issues related todeveloped activities to promote sustainability in the Ise-Mikawa

foreign labor and poverty, shortage of workers in the primary

Watershed Area, a catchment basin of rivers that flow into the Ise

sector, community development of hilly and mountainous areas,

Bay and the Mikawa Bay. This area roughly covers the threeand perpetuation and advancement of traditional cultures. The

prefectures of Aichi, Gifu, and Mie in the Chubu region. The

ESD seminars focusing on biodiversity, among others, highlight auniversity offers the Ise/Mikawa Watershed Area Seminar Series(ESD Seminars) as part of this bioregion-based ESD, seeing
fragmentations within the watershed, or between watersheds, asa hazard for sustainable development. The objective of ESD
Seminars is to cultivate human resources capable of identifying
and resolving challenges involved in the natural environment,
economy, and society of the region that could impede its
sustainable development. Working together with organizations
that address these distinctive challenges, the seminars aim tocreate a platform for learning, sharing experiences, andnetworking. Since fiscal 2012, 36 seminars have been held ineach of the past three years to discuss 33 locations around thewatershed of the 11 major rivers (three locations for each river at
its upstream, middle basin, and downstream) and three locations
around Aichi Yosui (an irrigation channel) within the Ise/Mikawa

56

number of efforts made by local people: beach litter cleanups on
Toshi Island, primarily conducted by young ESD leaders fromacross the country (downstream Miya River); the Matsunase
Coast river survey regularly conducted by students from Mie
Junior High School (downstream basin of the Kushida River);
Chisato Satoyama conservation project co-organized with Morino-kaze Kindergarten (upstream basin of the Kaizo River);Biotope Festival by students of Nishihirose Elementary School(upstream basin of the Yahagi River); reed cutting and boat
building on Aburagafuchi Lake (downstream basin of the YahagiRiver); and a seminar to learn about the blessings of water fromthe Aichi Yosui with local people (downstream basin of the Aichi
Yosui).
In addition, we organize forums for local organizations to present
their on-going activities and exchange information on a regularbasis. These ESD seminars have led to substantial results—for
example, the voluntary planning by local stakeholders of
exchange events between organizations located in upstream anddownstream basins.

www.chubu-esd.net (in Japanese)www.chubu-esd.net/eng
RCE Chubu Facebook

57

Education for Sustainable Production and Consumption

Education for Sustainable Production and Consumption
Dialogue:

Tadashi KAWASHIMA and
Masao SEKI

59

Kawashima: I want to talk with you about sustainable production

business sector. And it's not just something they're saying

and consumption, but first I'd like to point out that my own homebecause it sounds good in a job interview.

ground is outdoor environmental education. So one thing we havein common is education, see? That's probably going to be the

Seki: In my own interaction with students, I can sense theirbiggest theme in our discussion today: how to get people toemotional capacity or sensitivity to understand issues like theunderstand sustainability.

environment and inequality. They want to work at such companies

Mr. Seki, can you start by talking about the "E" in ESD, from youron an honest level. Recent changes in the global environment

perspective as a member of Sompo Japan, or as a businessman

and the spread of CSR must be having a real effect on thein general, or as a professor at Meiji University?

awareness of today's students.
And that's another area where having a CSR program can pay off

Seki: I've spent many years promoting CSR, and one thing I've

for businesses. There's a huge advantage to attracting talented

learned is just how difficult it is to establish a CSR practice within

workers who will work for the company with a strong moral

an organization. It all comes down to three elements: vision,compass.

system, and education. You need to form a vision, or philosophy,
about why you're doing it and what you're aiming for. Next, you

Kawashima: When do people learn something like businessneed to create a mechanism for managing the effort to make sureethics? During school? Or after they graduate and start working

your vision doesn't end up being just a pie in the sky. And finally,

at a company where they provide various products or services?

since the system in actual practice will be used by employees, it'sCompanies shouldn't have to do all of the educating, for sure.

important to educate them and make sure everyone fulfills his or
her responsibility.

Seki: That's something that should be taught at every age level.

These three elements are mutually reinforcing, and the overall

It's important to learn general knowledge as a student, and it's

effect is zero if just one is missing.

also important to learn about the various problems that exist as
part of one's work at a company. Take the drought insurance we

Kawashima: Hearing college students talk lately, they seem to be

recently developed for Thailand farmers as an example. Most

showing an interest in CSR and environmental initiatives in thecollege graduates can't even imagine the relationship between
60environmental problems and insurance—until they start working

your heart's content. Considering that the world's resources arefor a company. And once employees learn that insurance canlimited, I feel like the definition should include something about

help solve problems caused by climate change, it serves as apracticing some self-restraint.

hint for developing solutions in other fields, too. Real-world
examples are a great learning tool.

Seki: If you're trying to change the way our societies work basedon the same pattern of thinking of past generations, then yes, youinevitably come to the conclusion that we need to forgo comfort
for the sake of others. But ideally we want to redesign society
while maintaining current standards of living. In other words, weneed to dramatically change society as a whole, on the level ofentire systems, markets, financial industries, and so on, not justindividual parts.
And that's where I think companies have a big part to play. In
fact, some companies are already trying to drive social reform
through collaboration with other stakeholders; its one of thechanges we're seeing in CSR today. For example, it's said that 70
to 80% of the environmental impact of products stems not from

Kawashima: Okay, so what about the sustainable consumption

manufacturing processes but from consumption. Once youpart of our discussion?

realize that consumption is such an important stage—whether

In textbooks, we see sustainable development defined as

we're talking about a car or a bottle of shampoo—you can start to"development that meets the needs of the present without

develop, and consumers can start to use, products that emit lesscompromising the ability of future generations to meet their own

carbon. The idea is to account of not just your upstream supply

needs." But there are different levels of meaning to the phrase

chain, but your entire value chain, which includes everyone"needs of the present." The problem with the age of mass

downstream.

production-mass consumption was this idea that you can do so to61

Kawashima: What you're saying is that companies can make an

Awareness and education is critical for this to happen, and alleven greater contribution to sustainability by addressing thestakeholders are taking up the charge, not just businesses but

entire value chain, right?

governments and consumer groups as well—this is CSR minus
the "C", in other words the "SR" in ISO 26000. Consumer
education is the one social responsibility that's perhaps mostapplicable to all organizations. This is a key point when talking
about sustainable consumption.
Kawashima: In cities in Japan we're seeing an increase in thenumber of cooperative living arrangements such as sharehouses, something I find appealing from an environmental
perspective since energy consumption per person also declines.
Should we be thinking of style of living as being included in theterm "consumption"?

Seki: Consumers have their own responsibility to use products

Seki: Absolutely. Consumers choose for themselves how to live,

sustainably, but the important point here is for companies to say,

but there are limits to realizing sustainable lifestyles if we don't

let's do this together! To call out to customers through theirchange the way the entire society works, including housing policy

product advertising and marketing. To promote sustainable

and urban planning.

consumption in addition to the basic requirements of protecting

One change we've seen in Japan in recent years has been aconsumer rights and prioritizing their health and safety.

move toward value chain thinking and consumer engagement.

Companies need to make an effort in this area, of course, but thisAnother is cross-sector collaboration. The Japan Business

is where consumers' role or responsibility comes in, starting with

Federation and consumer organizations have started to work

the decision about what to buy, and extending to how to use what

together on consumer education events, and partnerships

you've bought.

between businesses and NPOs/NGOs have deepened
62considerably over the last decade or so. In Europe and the U.S.,

CSR into their business strategies. And indeed, more and more

NGOs are powerful and have earned a high level of trust fromcompanies are working strategically to solve social issues.

society. They're generally at odds with corporations, using publicThis is Michael Porter's Creating Shared Value (CSV) concept—

criticism to keep them in check. In Japan, the relationship isbusiness providing the solutions society needs. Creating shareddifferent. NPOs and NGOs actively seek assistance fromvalue is about creating value that is good for both society andcorporations and try to forge partnerships with them. Theirbusiness.

relationship is cooperative, which is unusual globally speaking.

Conventional CSR, put rather bluntly, was something companies
did out of a sense of obligation, or without a strategic objective for

Kawashima: The Kiyosato Educational Experiment Project

their business. Managers are finding it more palatable to shift(KEEP), through which for many years I've been involved in

toward CSV, and I think that's helping to drive CSR forward.

environmental education, also started reaching out to businesses
around 2005, and before we knew it half of all our programs were

Kawashima: Perhaps CSR should have been CSV all along.

outsourced by businesses, alongside municipalities and schools.
For example, we would work with an energy producer to create a

Seki: CSR and CSV aren't entirely synonymous, and that has toprogram where participants go to a hydropower plant and learn

do with negative versus positive impact. CSV is definitely about

about the connection between electricity and natural systems,

positive impact. CSR has two sides—maximizing positive impact

and that experience would lead to ideas for new programs, or

while minimizing negative impact—so it's better to think of CSR as

become a program in itself.

including CSV within it.

Seki: A good example is the story where Greenpeace succeeded

Kawashima: What kind of challenges are there when we viewin pressuring industry, including Japanese manufacturer

these concepts from the perspective of education?

Panasonic, into using refrigerants free of CFC.
This might broaden the discussion a bit, but there's a growing

Seki: Until recently, primary and secondary education has beenview that companies, as solution providers, should incorporate

the main focus of ESD. But lifelong learning is also important, and63

especially critical for people in the business world who have athat everyone can understand. Instead of going on a negative

huge role to play in social reform. As I said earlier in ourrant about how bad things might get, we should be saying, let's

discussion, a CSR program will yield nothing without education.

go in this direction! What an exciting world awaits us over there!

And since strategy is also an important part, employees in the

Let's build a society like that one!

CSR department can't be the only ones working on it; everyone in
the organization, from business planning to product development,
need to be working to create social value as a company. Moreand more people agree that this collaboration enhances thecompany's value in the long run. In that sense, rather thanconcentrating simply on ethics, the scope of education should
probably be broadened to include cultivating people who can
implement CSR strategically.
In terms of ESD for business, that's a good place to focus on
going forward.
Kawashima: The entire basis for having ESD is the fact that the

I see ESD as an act of practicing drawing pictures like these.

societies we currently live in are unsustainable, right? So

Does employee education ever include activities like that?

education tends to about scare tactics. Instead, I think it's
important to paint a picture of the kind of sustainable future we

Seki: You're talking about long-term thinking, in other words.

want. To form a vision of which direction we want to go. I've heard

Businesses face enormous pressure to pursue short-term profitsthat in Sweden, a doctor started this by distributing a picture

and results, but at the same time I think they should be expanding

book that asked what a sustainable future looks like. What type of

their thinking about how society, and their company within society,energy should we use? What should we eat? How do we interact

should be in the future, and what they should do to get there.

with various resources? With the climate? Paint a detailed picture64

Kawashima: In a way, thinking about what kind of future to build isparticipants should actively take part in setting the rules, bya responsibility. We have a responsibility to think long-term andexpressing their own opinion and by having a dialogue with

get something done that we can share proudly with the next

various stakeholders.

generation. There are also a lot of decisions we need to makeAt the COP 19 meeting on climate change last year, the UN held

right now.

a business forum in the official convention hall for the first time.
Business forums had always been held at a separate venue. That

Seki: Businesses are working independently on a variety ofgoes to show how much the UN is calling on business for theirdiscrete problems like safety, carbon emissions, etc., but the

help. If we can get companies to think long-term and get involved

impacts tend to be small because the scale of the efforts

from the urban planning stage, I think there's so much more they

themselves is small. We should be thinking about how to scale up

can do.

these efforts. To do that, we need more people, and a greater
diversity of people, to get involved and work together on these
problems.
Kawashima: You mean take a multi-stakeholder approach?
Seki: Exactly. And for that, it's important that businesses show
leadership. Until recently, businesses weren't actively taking partin UN negotiations on the building of an international framework
for climate change. Meanwhile, we're coming up against naturallimits and various problems are emerging, in the environment andin society. And the ones with the technologies, know-how, andexperience for solving these problems are companies. If that's
the case, how can we tap into corporations' resources anddeploy them globally? What I'm saying is that industry
65

Tadashi Kawashima

Masao Seki

Tadashi Kawashima was born in Tokyo in 1953. In 1980, he joined
the Kiyosato Educational Experiment Project (KEEP) Inc., anenvironmental education group located at the foot of Mt.
Yatsugatake in Kiyosato, Yamanashi Prefecture, where, in 1984, hebegan planning and managing educational programs. As a natureinterpreter, he developed environmental education programs thatoffer hands-on experiences in nature, trained staff, and produced
events, among other activities. After leaving the position of KEEP's
executive officer in 2010, he has served as a training facilitatorusing the Kamishibai Presentation (KP) method, and as anenvironmental education advisor for companies, governments, andNPOs. He has also served as: general producer of the Nature
School Forest and Village Nature School at the 2005 World
Exposition in Aichi, Japan (2004 to 2005); member of the steeringcommittee and head of the CSR Team at the ESD Research Centerat Rikkyo University (2007 to 2012); and executive director of the
Tsunaguhito Forum(literally "forum of people who connect") at KEEP
(2008 to present). He was designated a Person of Merit for Social
Education by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science andTechnology in fiscal 2008. He was appointed chairperson of theJapan Environmental Education Forum in June 2014.

Masao Seki joined Yasuda Fire and Marine Insurance Co., Ltd.
(currently, Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance Inc.) and since2001 has been involved in promoting CSR within the company.
After serving as an Associate Director and Chief CSR Officer, he
was appointed Senior Advisor on CSR at Sompo in 2013. He also
helped develop global standards on social responsibility as an ISO
26000 Social Responsibility Working Group expert representing
Japanese industry. He has served as member of Japanese
government committees on sustainable development and social
responsibility at the Cabinet Office, Ministry of the Environment,
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and Ministry of
Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Currently, as
Executive Director of the the Sompo Japan Nipponkoa
Environment Foundation he is involved in promoting a humanresources development program in the environment field, a core
project of the Foundation. He is also chair of the Steering
Committee of the Council for Better Corporate Citizenship (CBCC)of the Japan Business Federation, and executive member of ESD-J
and the Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation (JANIC).
In April 2013, he became a specially appointed assistant professor
at Meiji University's School of Business Administration.
66

ITO EN's ESD, from tea
plantation to used tea leaves
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Experiential Learning Project for
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Education for Sustainable Production and Consumption

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ESD Shopping: Community-Minded
Supermarkets Contribute to theEnvironment and Society

Energy for Sustainable Development:
Education Program on Energy and theEnvironment
The ESD practices presented on the following pages are contributions from those involved in each initiative.

ITO EN's ESD, from tea plantation to used tea leaves

ITO EN, LTD.

68

ITO EN is a Japanese beverage company established in 1964.

produce. The company also supports community development by

Today the company has consolidated sales of 437.7 billion yen,training farmers in stable farm management and farming

the main source of which is green tea.

methods, creating jobs, and improving self-sufficiency―a

Based on its customer-first policy, ITO EN strives to achieve"community ESD" effort that also leads to sustainable production.

sustainable production and consumption in all phases of its core

The company has also developed a system to recycle used tea

tea beverage business, from tea cultivation to the recycling ofleaves generated during the manufacturing process byused tea leaves. In 2013, the company won the Porter Prize, anincorporating part of the leaves into paper products and otheraward organized by Hitotsubashi University Graduate School andmaterials; this contributes to reduced CO2 emissions, the saving

given annually to Japanese companies that have achievedof other resources, and the recycling of waste all at the same

superior profitability with unique strategies in product, process,time. Through collaborative studies with partner companies, 30

and management, for its unique green tea business model, which
integrates the concepts of corporate social responsibility (CSR),
as defined in ISO 26000; creating shared value (CSV); andeducation for sustainable development (ESD) through acomprehensive corporate policy. ITO EN's practices in thebusiness of this traditional Japanese beverage offer a good
example of ESD that can be implemented across entire value
chains.
At present, ITO EN handles about 24% of all crude tea produced
in Japan (fiscal 2013 data). In 2001, the company started a
program to revitalize tea-growing regions and ensure the stableprocurement of tea leaves for its products. This has been done
through contracts with farmers of existing tea plantations as well
as deserted farmland in four prefectures in Kyushu to buy all they

Fostering tea experts

69

products have been developed from this recycling system to

The company also advances international understanding throughdate. These recycled products also retain the aromatic,

ESD. Initiatives in this area include a program to revitalize tea-

deodorant, and antibacterial properties of the tea leaves.

growing regions in Australia, English haiku campaigns in 35

Offering, for example, a paper-folding class using origami madecountries, and promoting understanding of Japan through sugar-

from used tea leaves provides a participatory ESD opportunity forfree tea culture. In 2014, ITO EN has created an ESD Global

young people as well as consumers.

Action Program (GAP) that includes assistance and an

In marketing, the company has contributed to the preservation oforganizational structure for ESD measures as well as plans toworld heritage and its application in education by running

expand ESD-related activities, through which ITO EN is striving tocampaigns, such as Making Japan Beautiful Through Tea, totransform itself into a global tea company.

spread washoku, Japanese food culture, as an intangible world
cultural heritage.
Among consumer-related initiatives, the Oi Ocha New Haiku

ITO EN's CSR initiatives: http://www.itoen.co.jp/eng/csr/

Contest has collected some 26.2 million poems from the public
over the last 25 years, displaying the winning entries on productpackaging. These poems are also now used in education atabout 2,600 schools nationwide. The company has also
supported the ESD Free Haiku Contest organized by the Japan's
Ministry of the Environment, and offered to place the selected
poems on some of its products. In addition, ITO EN has
implemented ESD for educators through its in-house Tea Taster
Qualification System, which features expert coaching for
beginners as well as providing hands-on education outside thecompany, such as a class on green tea brewing as part of thecompany's reconstruction assistance for disaster sites in Tohoku.

Teaching how to fold origami made from used tea leaves

70Experiential Learning Project for Ecology and Energy

Electric Power Development Co., Ltd. (J-POWER)

71

an equilibrium between the environment and energy. Our modern
lifestyle, with its conveniences, pleasures, and also spiritualrichness is built on abundant energy, a rich natural environment,
and diverse ecological services. We are thus promoting thisproject to enhance understanding of the links between theenvironment and energy and a better balance between them, tonurture the spirit, and foster technologies that value both.
Important features of the initiative include: experiential learning
programs including power plant tours, outdoor activities, and funlaboratory classes, through which J-POWER and its expert
partners demonstrate to participants the links between energy
and the environment using simple terms and concepts; and anemphasis on experience and discovery.
Programs have been gradually added and improved over time,creating more opportunities to learn. Today, these programs
include: a Hydropower Plant Tour, in which participants visit aElectric Power Development Co., Ltd. (J-POWER) is a wholesalehydropower plant and the surrounding forest to discover the

power company that owns and operates power plants and power

secret connection between forests, water, and electricity; Ecology

transmission, distribution, and transformer facilities throughout

and Energy Café, where participants discuss in a relaxedJapan, supplying approximately 6% of the country's electricity

atmosphere environmental and energy topics presented by guest

through general electricity utilities. The Experiential Learning

speakers from diverse backgrounds; a Thermal Power Plant Tour,

Project for Ecology and Energy is a hands-on learning programin which participants explore the technologies and engineeringorganized by J-POWER as a social contribution initiative in 2007.

solutions that enable environmental conservation and efficient

The mission of the project is to help realize a society that strikes

energy generation at a thermal power plant (Isogo Thermal Power72

Plant); and a "Be the Energy Minister" workshop, in which
participants simulate energy policies through a card game.
From our experiences in this program to date, we have realizedthat valuing our interaction with participants, and having sincere
communication with them in a style that allows learning from eachother instead of our teaching them something as professionals,
gives us a valuable opportunity to further improve on our social
contribution and social responsibility activities. We will continue to
implement and improve this and other projects, gradually andwithin our means, so more people can participate.

http://www.jpower.co.jp/english/
http://www.jpower.co.jp/ecoene/ (in Japanese)73

ESD Shopping: Community-Minded Supermarkets
Contribute to the Environment and Society
UNY Co., Ltd.

74

Uny, an operator of community-minded retail stores(supermarkets), carries out programs with our customers, local
governments, local NPOs, supply chain members, and local
businesses. These programs provide participatory, hands-on
opportunities to learn about production and manufacturing,transportation, and consumption, and to discover how everyday
shopping can contribute to a sustainable society. We would like totake this opportunity to introduce some of our programs.
Eco Supermarket Search: This program offers the opportunity tolearn about environmental stewardship through shopping,providing a hands-on learning experience facilitated by the
managers of our stores. The program presents our efforts toseparate and recycle waste, and to collect and recycle the foodpackaging and wrappers that customers return to the store. In
addition, participants have the opportunity to search for productswith eco-labels in the store, and to make crafts using materials
that would otherwise be thrown away as waste.
Eco-Interpreter Workshops: As part of our efforts in ESD, Uny
holds a series of workshops to train local citizens to beenvironmental interpreters. Centered on the theme “Shopping Will
Save the Planet,” participants gain hands-on experience in natureobservation, farming, traditional food preparation andmanufacturing, and eco-friendly cooking, and study how tocommunicate effectively. Graduates of the class go on to play75

active roles in various environmental education programs.

Through activities like these, Uny leverages local resources

Exploring Nature―Summer in Shirakawa-go: This is a program for

toward its ESD efforts, fostering “children and adults who thinkchildren, providing them, after signing up in our stores, theand act on sustainability issues as a personal responsibility.” We

opportunity to make friends while learning about the wisdom ofsee our supermarkets as local centers for communication,

their predecessors and the connections between culture,providing a space for the exchange of information andtradition, and nature at the Toyota Shirakawa-Go Eco-Institute, anexperience in learning about topics such as the environment,

environmental education facility at the Shirakawa-go Worldsocial welfare, and international understanding.

Heritage Site in Gifu Prefecture.
The Japan Monkey Centre Summer School: Participants discuss
the topic “Who Are We?”, learn about the abundance andimportance of living things, and examine the life forms closest tohumans: monkeys and apes.
Re Design Project: Through this program, which draws on thepotential of local resources in regions where textile manufacture isa key industry, Uny works to connect several projects by using
resources effectively, promoting social participation among thenext generation, and promoting work opportunities for thedifferently abled. To accomplish this, we provide unused clothand materials from local businesses, work with students to hostan environment and creation-themed design exhibition with sevenlocal design schools, and work with local vocational centers (workfacilities for the differently abled) to turn award-winning creations
into products that are then sold in our stores.

76

Energy for Sustainable Development:
Education Program on Energy and the Environment
Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd.

77

Our gas business began with the servicing of gas lamps in Meiji
Era Japan, a symbol of modernization and enlightenment at thetime. Since then, Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. has been supplying
essential energy to people living in the greater Tokyo metropolitan
area for 130 years. The raw material used to make gas haschanged over time, from coal to petroleum to natural gas, while
its application has also evolved, from lighting and heating, tocooking and hot-water supply, to air conditioning and power
generation.
Japan's experience in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami and theongoing search for newer, more climate-friendly forms of energy
use mean that natural gas will assume an increasingly importantrole as a low-carbon energy source. Tokyo Gas will continue tosupport ESD and urban living by providing clean natural gas as"Energy for Sustainable Development."
Since 2002, Tokyo Gas has been conducting various activities
focused on the theme "What natural gas can do for a moresustainable society," with the mission of contributing to a newgeneration of leaders. We have been conducting these activities
mainly at primary schools and junior high schools in Tokyo andthe other eight prefectures to which we supply gas.
We are helping to foster vitality in these children through a variety
of means, most of which focus on energy and the environment.
These include holding visiting lectures and hands-on learning

Gas lamp

78

sessions at schools, training teachers by providing them withinformation and tours of company facilities, creating various
teaching materials and an educational website that supports
student research projects, and the operation of corporate
pavilions where visitors can learn about gas and science in a
hands-on, experiential environment. We have given 32,698
visiting lectures, with 985,108 participants to date.
While efforts like these are simply our responsibility as a memberof society, we remain committed to fulfilling this responsibility now
and in the future.

The World of Gas: Full of Wonder and Discovery [An educational
website for teachers and children]

Scene from a teacher training course)

http://www.tokyo-gas.co.jp/kids/ (in Japanese)
Gastenani Gas Science Center [Corporate pavilion]
http://www.gas-kagakukan.com/ (in Japanese)
Gas Museum [Corporate pavilion]
http://www.gasmuseum.jp/ (in Japanese)
Tokyo Gas CSR website
http://www.tokyo-gas.co.jp/csr/index_e.html

79Historical and Cultural Heritages: Preservation and Applications for Education

Historical and Cultural Heritages: Preservation andApplications for Education
Dialogue:

Shohei FUKUI and
Shizuo NAKAZAWA

81

Fukui: I would like to discuss ESD from the perspective of one of thethat the Expo would have three objectives: play a role in building

principal themes―Historical and Cultural Heritages: Preservationa sustainable society, protect biological and cultural diversity―inand Applications for Education―but to begin, could you start byother words, spread the message that the world is an extremely

saying a few words about your first encounters with ESD?

diverse place―and foster an awareness of global citizenship.
And we actually incorporated the promotion of ESD into the role

Nakazawa: I entered graduate school at the age of 42 to studyof the exposition.

under Professor Isoo Tabuchi, and what grabbed my interest thenAfter the Expo ended, I have continued to lend a hand in

was World Studies. I think this is close to the British approach topromoting a broad public understanding of ESD.

ESD. But the curriculum was not based on my own region, so I

Prof. Nakazawa, you were also a primary school teacher at one

found it somewhat difficult to apply in Japan. That was my firsttime, correct?

exposure to ESD.
Fukui: How have things been since the start of the UN
Decade of ESD?
Nakazawa: I learned about DESD from Prof. Tabuchi in 2006,
when I was on the Nara Board of Education. At the time, I was
invited to study the UNESCO World Heritage Education
Programme with him, and to do so, I started exploring the idea ofconnecting world heritage education and ESD.
Fukui: My first encounter was as the Chief Producer for Expo2005 in Aichi, Japan. Everyone in the International Exhibitions

Nakazawa: In 1998, cultural assets in Nara, the ancient capital of

Bureau and United Nations was in agreement that the Aichi Expo

Japan, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but at the time,should be a kick-off event for DESD. Originally, it was decided

many children even in Nara hadn't seen them yet. So, with the82

idea that we should start by learning about Nara, we began local

idea is to build their capacity to spearhead ESD. We made theseschool tours to the World Heritage Site in 2001. At the time I was

our objectives.

an elementary school teacher, but that didn't mean I clearly
understood the value of learning about World Heritage Sites andFukui: And that's when you created the slogan, "Spark a fire in thehistory. I was in charge of world heritage education at the local

hearts of children"?

board of education, and it was only when we combined world
heritage education with ESD that I really began to grasp its

Nakazawa: The basic nature of ESD is to provide the conditions insignificance. Not only world heritage but also cultural heritage is awhich people become aware on their own and help carryuseful tool for learning about local history. Energy is needed notsustainable society forward. Because of that, I always support

only to create cultural heritage, but also to maintain and preserve

students by encouraging them to become teachers who will giveit over time. Thanks to this dedication, we can see it today with

their children direct contact with cultural heritage, inspire them,our own eyes. It is the same with society. The society we live incherish their inquisitive minds, and foster the capacity for them totoday is a gift borne from the struggles and efforts of people who

learn on their own and take action. It is in that sense that I talk

lived in the past. Once we recognize that, we gain a sense ofabout sparking a fire in the hearts of children.

appreciation for those people. We also then become aware of our
responsibility to pass on our heritage to future generations.

Fukui: Activities connecting the World Heritage Site of Nara with
ESD are growing nationally in Japan, but did the idea of a

Fukui: How does the UNESCO Club at Nara University ofnational network come from Nara?

Education fit into that approach?
Nakazawa: Nara City has an educational vision for fostering in
Nakazawa: The first idea behind the UNESCO Club is that thechildren a sense of appreciation for their region, through world

students themselves will be the ones to lead the sustainability

heritage and local heritage, and who can speak with pride about

movement. Second, because they will all become educators, theNara. Other boards of education share this vision, so we83established the Liaison Committee on World Heritage Education.

effective it is to include historical and cultural heritage in the

Today 24 boards of education are involved.

promotion of ESD.

Fukui: You are also promoting collaboration on ESD with

Fukui: Is it difficult to spread ESD across all disciplines of ainstitutions of higher education, correct?

university?

Nakazawa: In 2008 there was a proposal from the Miyagi

Nakazawa: My classes are open to all students, and my university

University of Education to create a university network, which led

also offers an Introduction to ESD class using a teleconferencing

to the creation of ASPUnivNet to support the activities of UNESCO

system jointly with Osaka Kyoiku University and the Kyoto

Associated Schools. ASPUnivNet helps schools put together

University of Education. Institutionally, University Vice-President

applications for becoming a UNESCO Associated School, assists

Hisao Kato is the main figure promoting ESD within the university

ESD activities, sends lecturers to speak at school study groups,

and across the region collaboratively.

and so on. It also holds liaison meetings three times a year, where
members discuss how to provide support effectively and what its

Fukui: We have also held ESD Theme Conferences to shed lightrole will be at the Final Year Conference this year.

on a number of excellent practices in ESD and show people that
ESD is an intrinsic part of many efforts already going on around

Fukui: What about international exchange?

us. The objective of the conferences was to redesign
educational programs by incorporating wisdom and knowledge

Nakazawa: We had an exchange between educators andabout building a sustainable society, and to facilitate groupstudents of the ESD Society at Nara University of Education andlearning by engaging participants in model activities fromthe Hong Kong Institute of Education, on the theme of music.

around the country.

Also, when the Hong Kong Institute of Education held an Art for

I would like take a moment now to introduce a few of the models

Peace Festival, we had the opportunity to speak about how

we examined. First, the Ohda City model. This project is84

centered on the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine World Heritage Site in

Nakazawa: I would like to see ESD included in every subject, but

Ohda, Shimane Prefecture.

each subject has its own objectives and content. The ESD
calendar is designed to help students develop the capacity to

Nakazawa: This is an initiative to foster an identity among people inrecognize ESD in each subject, and to draw connections

the local community, including the mine guides, local schools, andbetween them in the classes on integrated studies. This hasother people of Omori town, based on Iwami Ginzan. Donations

become a national model, and is being used at many UNESCO

raised through the Ginzan Fund help all primary and middle

Associated Schools.

schools in the city go on class trips to the mine, which is no longer

Omuta City in Fukuoka Prefecture has also made something

operating. The Ohda City Board of Education is also participating

called a story map based on the ESD calendar. The city has noin the Liaison Committee on World Heritage Education.

designated World Heritage Sites, but it is important to foster agreater appreciation for things individuals and the community

Fukui: What about the Yanagawa Elementary School model?

hold dearly. Since this is the birthplace of the Japanese card
game known as karuta, Omuta has a system, called the

Nakazawa: When I visited the school in Koto Ward, Tokyo, lastChildren's Omuta Certification, for children to learn about theyear, parents and other community members were using oldvalue of Omuta and its historical and cultural heritage using

photos and maps as materials for studying the area's history andkaruta cards.

development. The foundation was in place for learning about theregion collectively, and on that foundation they built ESD

Fukui: Could you also speak about what's going on in Yakage

initiatives using local cultural heritage. Mr. Toshio Tejima, theTown in Okayama Prefecture?

school principal, also developed an ESD calendar that has been
fully incorporated into the annual curriculum.

Nakazawa: Teachers at Yakage Senior High School have put
together a program they call "Yakage Studies." Students from

Fukui: I understand the curriculum goes from first-year to sixth-

primary, middle, and high schools learn about their hometown

year students.

and how to promote it to others. In an initiative in which children
act as tour guides, it is the primary school kids who talk to the85

tourists, rather than the middle or high-school students, who tend

programs are aimed at the respective learner's level, to make theto be more shy. It looks like they're doing a good job of making

learning participatory, experiential, and fun.

the best use of everyone's role to initiate dialogue.

I incorporated these ideas into the Aichi Expo, and when
producing the event to commemorate the 1300th anniversary of

Fukui: What kinds of activities do you now have in mind forthe relocation of the Nara capital. Prof. Makoto Ueno of Nara

spreading ESD more broadly?

University helped us by preparing teaching materials anddeveloping a program. Interest in history and culture is growing,

Nakazawa: When we were looking for a way to extend our efforts

and there are various local certification programs, but I reallyto adults, you suggested we look at combining education withbelieve that if education was designed to be participatory,

tourism. You said it would be good if, through tourism, local

experiential, and fun, there would be more inspiration forpeople could introduce local attractions and help visitors get tomainstreaming ESD.

know the area. Three years ago, we started holding the ESD Nara
Roundtable Meetings. But since there is no platform for gathering

Nakazawa: In Nara, the Nara Period and Heian Period (710-1192)

participants' initiatives all in one place, I think it would be ideal if

get a lot of attention, and tourists also have a high level of

we had a way to make all initiatives viewable, on the Internet forinterest, but local history during the Edo and Meiji Periods

example.

(1600-1912) is virtually unknown to most people. So I would liketo create a process whereby people can join in the development

Fukui: When I visited the UK in 1998, I realized that the learningof a mini-tourism program, so that people who have participatedexperience itself would become increasingly important. But I was

in participatory, experiential learning can rediscover forgotten

not sure how to convey the idea to the Japanese, so I coined a

local cultural heritage, and encourage others to come and see

term with six Chinese characters that I then communicated to the

local attractions.

media: sanka-taiken-gakushu, meaning participatory, experiential,
and fun learning. And in fact, in countries like England and Italy,

Fukui: What is the local ESD consortium in Nara working on?

history and culture-related programs start at preschool, and all86Nakazawa: The idea is to create a Regional Center of Expertise

Fukui: Can you now say something about your vision for an ESD(RCE) on ESD. Something is starting to take shape in overall

network?

regional coordination to promote ESD, in collaboration with the
Nara Prefectural Board of Education, and in close contact with

Nakazawa: I am of the mind that ESD comes from changes madelocal boards of education, including Nara City and Kashihara City

from the bottom up, so my vision for a network is also for a liberalin Nara Prefecture, Hikone City in Shiga Prefecture, andapproach, with local initiatives being communicated upward from

Hashimoto City in Wakayama Prefecture. Corporations and otherthe local level, and value being enhanced by cross-referencing

entities are included too. Discussions are also underway towith other initiatives. It would be good to have a way todevelop an attractive program, in cooperation with interpretive

consolidate all of this in one place.
Fukui: Where stakeholders can find things like templates forteaching materials, and sources of funding?
Nakazawa: When someone wants to promote an idea, people
need a place where they can seek out the information. That's
what I'm thinking.
Fukui: It seems you're thinking more of a new form ofcommunication network, instead of a national top-down network.
In closing, do you have any advice for teachers who would like tostart doing something with ESD?

volunteers at the Nara National Museum. I am hoping that themuseum experience program developed here can also be

Nakazawa: For any teacher looking to put lessons together on

broadly used elsewhere.

historical and cultural heritage, they need to do three things. The
first is a literature search. Every municipality has created some87

sustainability, then the group will acquire a desire to take action,and this should naturally evolve into action for realizing a moresustainable community.
Fukui: I hope that the Nara University of Education will serve as a
hub to promote ESD initiatives regionally, and that any timesomeone in Japan begins sustainable community development
through history and culture, they will seek advice from Nara. I
wish you the best in all of this.
kind of booklet or material summarizing their local history, just as
Nara City has done. Teachers need to read them and find what
interests them. The next is field research. See the place with yourown eyes, feel the local ambiance, and get a deeper sense of theplace. And lastly, for the things you cannot grasp just by seeing, it
is important to do interviews. These three steps are essential. By
following all three, you will discover some interesting aspects oflocal historical and cultural heritage, and develop the capacity tointroduce them to others. Once you've piqued the students'
interest, you can have them do their own search for historical andcultural heritage, and then share what they found in a group study
session. Also, by looking at one's local area not only in thepresent but from a chronological perspective, we can cultivate asense of appreciation for our communities. If we extend thisprocess to include discovering things connected to regional
88

Shohei Fukui

Shizuo Nakazawa

Shohei Fukui served as chief producer of the 2005 World Expositionin Aichi, Japan, which was designated as a kickoff event for the
DESD campaign. He played an active role in making a number ofprojects in the Expo a success, including: Global Citizens' Village, acollaborative project of international NPOs and NGOs aimed atpromoting global sustainability; the Plaza for Citizen Interaction,
where Japanese stakeholders discussed diverse themes; and the
Nature School Forest and Village Nature School, which offered
immersive environmental education programs. These efforts earned
a high reputation globally. Since then, he has placed himself in thefield of ESD implementation and actively participated in grassroots
ESD promotion campaigns.
Director of the Japan Institute of Eventology
Director of the Japan Design Consultants Association
Community and Urban Development Advisor, Organization for
Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, JAPAN
Executive Director of the Kasai Rinkai Environmental
Education Forum
General Producer of the Japan Pavilion exhibitions for Expo
Milano 2015

Shizuo Nakazawa was born in Osaka in 1960. He joined the
Teacher Education Center for the Future Generation at Nara
University of Education, where he is responsible for training
prospective teachers on ESD leadership and serves as an adviser
for the UNESCO Club. He is also engaged in promoting ESD in the
Nara area as chief of the Nara ASP Network and as ESD
coordinator for a project at Nara University of Education that wasawarded, among a consortium of universities, a subsidy in fiscal
2014 for UNESCO activities (to promote ESD for the developmentof global human resources) by Japan's Ministry of Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Furthermore, he is also
involved in a project to develop and expand an ESD environmental
education program for training sustainability leaders in Kinki, alarge region that includes Nara, Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe, as amember of the executive committee and producer of the project at
the Kinki Regional Environment Office of the Ministry of theEnvironment. His interests include travelling and camping for the
purpose of developing ESD educational materials.

89

ESD through Cultural Heritage
Sites

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Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine:
Educational Programs andActivities

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Historical and Cultural Heritages: Preservation and Applications for Education

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The Yakage Model: ESD
for Raising Community
Leaders

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Studies on the History of Our
Hometown, Fukagawa

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0000000000000000000‘Children's Omuta Certification'
Encourages Children to StudyHistorical and Cultural Properties

The ESD practices presented on the following pages are contributions from those involved in each initiative.

ESD through Cultural Heritage Sites

Nara University of Education

91

Nara Prefecture, where the Nara University of Education isenvironmental challenges, and inequality, peace issues,

located, has three World Heritage Sites: Buddhist Monuments

intolerance to different cultures, and poverty as challenges

in the Horyu-ji Area, Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, andfor human rights and culture. ESD offers a way to learn about

Sacred Grounds and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountainthese global issues from an inter- and intra-generational

Range. Isoo Tabuchi, an advocate for World Heritage

equity perspective.

education, has classified this education into three categories:

World Heritage education is designed to help people develop

education about World Heritage Sites, to help people

a sense of urgency and personal responsibility regarding

understand the value of our world heritage; education forthese issues by developing and using educational materials

World Heritage Sites, to foster a desire to preserve Worldon nearby World Heritage Sites and other cultural properties.

Heritage Sites for future generations; and education through

It is also designed to help people develop a greater capacity

World Heritages Sites, to teach people the history of Worldfor critical thinking, systems thinking, and communication

Heritage Sites and the process of preserving them so they

through a process of learning that juxtaposes local/regional

can contemplate what they mean. The concept the Naraand global issues. For instance, the Buddhist Monuments in

University of Education is promoting is "ESD through World

the Horyu-ji Area and the Sacred Grounds and Pilgrimage

Heritage Sites."

Routes in the Kii Mountain Range provide an opportunity to

One of the goals of ESD is to change people's values andconsider respect for cultural diversity, the importance of

behavior for the development of a sustainable society, and toforest resources, and the Japanese view of nature.

involve everyone in the process of sustainable development,

Meanwhile, the statue of seated Yakushi Nyorai, the Healingfrom the bottom up. Commenting on the kind of values that

Buddha, at Yakushiji Temple, the treasures of Shosoin, andJapan hopes to cultivate in its citizen through ESD, thethe life legacy of priest Ganjin, the founder of Toshodaijicountry's Action Plan for ESD states an intention to integrate

Temple, provide an opportunity to consider the importance ofconsideration for the environment, human rights, and cultureinternational cultural exchange. Moreover, the wish to see

into social and economic systems. It identifies climate"every animal and plant flourish," to which the colossal statuechange, resource depletion, and biodiversity loss asof the Buddha at Todaiji Temple was dedicated at the time of92

its construction, provides an opportunity to contemplatesustainable society itself.
Our university has set up a "joy of learning" project to promotelearning using the five physical senses, carried out by a multistakeholder network of undergraduates, graduates, andpracticing teachers. This project offers such activities as onsite training for teachers, both practicing and prospective,
focused on World Heritage Sites and local cultural properties,
and an ESD camp for children in cooperation with teachers of
local UNESCO Associated Schools. Moreover, regardingsightseeing as "ESD for adults," we have explored ways toapply ESD to lifelong learning through the integration of
education and tourism.

Sense of values and the ability that we want to bring up in Education for
Sustainable Development (in Japanese)
http://www.nara-edu.ac.jp/CERT/bulletin2014/CERD2014-R14.pdf
Keynote Speech for International “Arts for Peace” Research Symposium
Ethical Values and Abilities to be Fostered through Education for Sustainable
Development (ESD) / Shizuo Nakazawa, Nara University of Education
http://jisedai.nara-edu.ac.jp/open/netcommons/htdocs/?
action=cabinet_action_main_download&block_id=907&room_id=317&cabin
et_id=13&file_id=1728&upload_id=2831

93

Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine:
Educational Programs and Activities
Ohda City Board of Education, Shimane Prefecture94

We at the Ohda City Board of Education are engaged in a variety

well as local cultural resources. We are also promoting theof initiatives related to the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its

program "Learn About Your Hometown" for locals to study the

Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site. Themes centered on thelegacy of their ancestors, as well as village homestays.

site include learning about the heritage itself, considering what

One of our core objectives is to promote a variety of learning

should be done to preserve and use it, and broadening children's

opportunities on both local and international topics. This is part ofappreciation of local cultural and natural resources in their school

our educational messaging about appreciating our hometown

districts. Going forward, we intend to explore synergies between

and fostering an awareness of distant places outside our region.

our local heritage and ESD

Students learn about the value ofthrough the creation ofliving near a World Heritage site

supplementary reading materials.

and visit local sites to build a

Currently about 2,500 children aresense of pride in their local area.

registered in Ohda City primaryStarting in fiscal 2011, under theand middle schools, and someIwami Ginzan Silver Mineschools are merging due to an

Educational Programs andongoing decline in the number ofActivities, the Board of Education

students.

started a new initiative at primary

The City makes use of a variety ofand middle schools in the city.

sites and facilities in its

Board members serve as

educational efforts, such as theeducational planners for each

Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine World

school and as visiting lecturers,

Heritage Site, Mt. Sanbe Nationaland coordinate on-site activities

Park, the National Sanbe YouthFriendship Center, and Shimane
Nature Museum of Mt. Sanbe, as

Viewing the mountains around the Iwami Ginzan silver mine from the
Sea of Japan by boat. A good way to experience the legend that thesilver mine was discovered by an approach from the sea.

on field trips. The Board also
subsidizes costs, such astransportation to local sites, using95

the Iwami-Ginzan Fund established through public-private

report these activities in our World Heritage Education Newslettercollaboration.

(in Japanese), to spread the word about these efforts and their

The initiatives described above have allowed us not only toachievements.

promote field trips to heritage and historic sites, but also toestablish annual activity plans with attention given to key heritage
assets and diversity, including historic streets where people live

Iwami Ginzan World Heritage Center

closer to nature. For example, for primary schools that have a

http://ginzan.city.ohda.lg.jp (in Japanese)recognized World Heritage street within their district, instead of

http://ginzan.city.ohda.lg.jp/1750.html (in English)

having the guides do all of the explaining as the students walkEnglish, Korean, Chinese (simplified, traditional).

along the streets, teachers also point out relationships and(Information about World Heritage Education is only in Japanese.)

differences in connection with other cultural heritage assets in theschool district that are scheduled for study at another time in theschool year.
For middle schools that have a heritage site within their school
district, we are using the theme of Shinto shrines, symbols of local
cultural assets, and having students research the history andcurrent state of their management. They then compare theirfindings with shrines located in World Heritage Sites acrossJapan, and summarize their own observations and actions in areport.
In the ways described above, the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine
Educational Program is establishing connections between eachschool and local heritage in a way that recognizes the uniquecharacteristics of properties within their respective districts. We

Learning about minerals and the hardships of ancestors who worked in themine tunnels.

96

The Yakage Model: ESD for Raising Community Leaders

Yakage Senior High School, Junior High School,
and Elementary School, Town of Yakage, Okayama Prefecture97

Yakage is a town of 15,000 people situated in the Odagawa River

experience a dramatic change in awareness and acquire thewatershed in rural southeastern Okayama Prefecture. The town

skills to exert leadership and influence in their own communities.

developed as a rest stop during the Edo period (1603-1868) andIn 2010, the school extracted the community projects andstill contains vestiges of inns used by lords and nobility during

volunteer activities from the environmental course and expandedthat feudal era. Also scattered throughout the town are theit into its own course, titled the Japanese equivalent of "Yakage-remains of communities in the Yayoi period (300 BCE-250 CE)

ology." The class deepens students' knowledge of thethat built moats for protection and irrigation, burial mounds ofgovernment, history, culture, social welfare system, and industries

various sizes dating from the Kofun period (250-700), andof Yakage, provides roughly a year's worth of hands-on

mountain castles from the Warring States period (1467-1573). As

experience in town facilities, and concludes with a review of

the resting place of various artifacts from Japan's prehistory toactivities and presentations on accomplishments and things

the modern era, Yakage is a town rich in history and culture.

gained. This experience takes place at medical, welfare,

Yakage Senior High School has its own unique history as the
fourth school of secondary education to open in the prefecture in
1902. In a reorganization with neighboring Yakage Commercial
High School in 2004, Yakage Senior High added anenvironmental course and since then has been implementing
ESD using environmental education as a jumping-off point. The
class encourages students to find solutions to environmental
problems by having them examine the social circumstances thatcause them, as well as their interdisciplinary nature, in connection
with their own daily lives. This deepens the knowledge they gain
through various activities and opens their minds to theconnections such knowledge has with real-world phenomena.
Through this class and its various projects, the student's

98educational, agricultural, or tourist facilities—fields that are

sustainable town development. Traditional events, ways of living,grappling with issues related to the decline and aging of Yakage's

and historic structures in Yakage are closely tied to the natural

population. The number of students entering these fields after

environment and exhibit various systems and methods forgraduation is growing, as is the number of students who areenriching the community. Learning about these systems provides

giving back to the community by getting jobs in town after

these students with a major resource for building morefinishing higher education.

sustainable communities in the future.

Students in the school's "local business" class interview the shops

In a satellite event of a national historic townscape festival inthat keep operating in Yakage's historic district and create a "Mapnearby Kurashiki in 2013, students of Yakage elementary, juniorof Historic Stores." Thishigh, and high schools helped out by introducing visitors fromclass makes aacross the country to Yakage's history and historic streets. Thissignificant contribution

served as impetus for the creation of a Children's Association forto the community as it

Community Development, which has begun town development

helps these stores

activities drawing on local history and culture. Adults joined themdevelop and sellin 2014, providing more opportunities for people of all ages to

products using local

contemplate Yakage's future together.

produceandmaterials.
http://www.yakage.okayama-c.ed.jp/ (in Japanese)
Through theirpartnership with
community members,
many students acquireaconceptual

understanding of99

Studies on the History of Our Hometown, Fukagawa

Yanagawa Elementary School, Koto Ward, Tokyo

100

including Kanto and Tohoku—from the Edo period to the earlyShowa period (1926-1935).
Fukagawa was the last stop on the way to Edo, and so many
people and goods came to Fukagawa by ship. Back then, thestreets bustled with townspeople and workers, and out of theirbusy lives emerged sushi, a fast food of the day and today aworld-class cuisine.
In this class, children learn the surprising fact that sushi was firstmade in their hometown, and that it embodies the ingenuity of theJapanese because sushi was developed to cook and serve fishand shellfish caught in the sea near Edo safely, cheaply, anddeliciously at a time when there was no refrigeration technology.
We also pique the students' interest by showing them many othercultural products that came out of Fukagawa.
Fukagawa, where Yanagawa Elementary School is located, is a
400-year-old historic town in Tokyo, Japan. This project isdesigned to teach children the history of their hometown so they
can discover what makes it great and talk about it with pride.
Our town is situated on the Onagi River, a canal originallydeveloped by the order of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of
the Edo period (1603-1867), to transport salt to Edo, the capital ofJapan at that time. Although now the river is quiet and has little
traffic, it was once a commercial artery connecting Edo, a major
consumption center, to the surrounding region—a quite wide area

Students become absorbed in their own studies of local foods,
such as soba (buckwheat noodle), tempura (battered and deepfried seafood and vegetables), grilled eel, and Fukagawa-meshi(a bowl of rice cooked with clams), as well as aspects oftraditional life, including Ikada-no-kakunori (going down the river
on a squared timber) and Kiyari-uta (songs of workers whotransport timber).
Students also learn about the many intellectuals and artists who
lived in Fukagawa, including the haiku poet Matsuo Basho andkabuki actor Nakamura Shikan.

101

Children study these topics in connection with history class andaround the town. Boys wear workmen’s happi coats and wait forthrough the activity of making a brochure to introduce the beauty

the guests at a sushi stall that they build themselves. Pushingof their hometown in Japanese class. For teaching these lessons,past the shop curtain and coming out of the stall, they call to

we receive special support from a historical novelist who lives inpeople and introduce the town, acting just like people in old Edo.

town and the Fukagawa Edo Museum, a museum of local history.
On an open school day, children invite their family, family friends,
and fifth-grade students (the class below them) and perform a

ESD at Yanagawa Elementary School (in Japanese)

reenactment of life in the Edo period. Girls wear yukatas (unlined

http://www.koto.ed.jp/yanagawa-sho/educationofesd/

cotton summer kimonos) with obi belts, and show their guests

newpage2.html
ESD calendar (in English)
http://yngw.sakura.ne.jp/topics/ESDcalendar/
YanagawaElementarysESDcalendar.pdf
Overall Plan for Integrated Studies Period (in English)
http://yngw.sakura.ne.jp/topics/ESDcalendar/YanagawaESD.pdf

102

'Children's Omuta Certification' Encourages Children to
Study Historical and Cultural Properties
Omuta City Board of Education

103

The city of Omuta is located in the southernmost part of Fukuoka(2) Volunteer Guides and Tours of the Tentative World Heritage Site

Prefecture. Surrounded by the sea and mountains and rich inStudents in school districts with cultural properties included in thenatural beauty, Omuta also developed as a "coal capital" of

tentative World Heritage Site volunteer as tour guides for theJapan. The city is home to a modern industrial heritage, which

properties and also help others in the community clean themhas been included among the Modern Industrial Heritage Sites ininside and out. In doing so, students gain a deeper

Kyushu and Yamaguchi. The Japanese government nominatedunderstanding of what makes their city unique and how the city

these properties as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site inplans to improve itself. Meanwhile, the city also organizes tours ofautumn last year, and momentum toward its formal registration

the cultural properties for all elementary school students in thehas been growing on a grassroots level. In fiscal 2011, allcity. Students then synthesize what they learned and share theirprimary, junior high, and special-needs schools in the city were

newfound knowledge with others.

registered as UNESCO Associated Schools, and since then eachschool has been engaged in ESD activities with historical andcultural heritage as their main theme.
(1) 'Children's Omuta Certification' Test on Historical and Cultural Heritage
Omuta launched the Children's Omuta Certification test in fiscal
2011 in an attempt to encourage students to develop an interest
in and love of their hometown. Children study for the test at
school and at home using a guidebook that compiles the city's
historical and cultural properties, including human-madestructures, sites, people, and foods, into the "50 Treasures of
Omuta." Through the test, a growing number of students havebroadened their understanding of their hometown and acquired adesire to explore it.

104

(3) Hosting the UNESCO Associated Schools Children's Summit
Omuta City holds a UNESCO Associated Schools Children's
Summit every January to provide local students an opportunity topresent and share their schools' ESD-related projects in the city.
Students from each school present what they learned about thetentative World Heritage Site, the town's history and culture, andso on at a local venue and in the venue's lobby. The summit
always elicits an enthusiastic response from the audience, which
includes the students' parents and other community members, asign that interest in ESD is growing throughout the city.
Our hope is that educational activities like these that are centeredon our local heritage will help raise students who will take action
toward building a more sustainable society.

Omuta City Board of Education Website (in Japanese)
http://www.city.omuta.lg.jp/kyouiku/

105

Education for Poverty Eradication and Social JusticeEducation for Poverty Eradication and Social JusticeDialogue:

Ryokichi HIRONO and
Mitsuko HORIUCHI

107

Hirono: The DESD World Festival Forum has many different

developing countries but to have a global view that also includes

sessions, but I'd like talk about the background to the theme

developed countries.

"Education for Poverty Eradication and Social Justice." The

In that spirit, I'd like to start by introducing some of the amazing

decision to make this a theme is rooted in the Millennium

examples of initiatives in the five fields related to this discussion.

Developments Goals (MDGs), a set of goals adopted by the UN

The first, in the area of poverty eradication, is an initiative aimed

General Assembly in 2000 outlining the international community's

at extending employment (i.e., improving incomes) to people inpriorities for addressing global challenges in the 21st century.

poor rural communities. OISCA, an NGO that is very active indeveloping countries, with a range of programs including theChildren's Forest Program, has one project where it is supporting
farmers on the Philippine island of Negros in the raising ofsilkworms and production of silk and silk products for global
export. The products from this project account for 85% of all silk
exports from the Philippines, which provides an amazing
economic opportunity to poor farmers. The project also received
support from silk producers in Japan.
The second is work by the organization ACC21. For some two
decades, ACC21 has been helping disadvantaged farmers andfishermen in Asia get education and training and start their own

Eradication of poverty is at the top of this list, which includes

businesses. They have been working in many countries in South

goals on a number of other issues such as primary education,and Southeast Asia to protect the rights of disadvantaged people

gender equality, human health, and environmental sustainability.

such as women, children, and indigenous peoples, and to

We at the World Festival Forum have been advancing theempower them through education and skill building, as well as

discussion on Education for Poverty Eradication and Social

providing continued support to those affected by the 2004 Indian

Justice while attempting not to focus on these problems in

Ocean earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia.

108

The third is the Mori-to-Kaze-no-Gakkou ("Woods and Wind

meeting held in the Netherlands and has spread to other

School"), a program focusing on environmental issues operated

European countries and the U.S. thanks to some very fervent

by Iwate Kodomo Kankyou Kenkyujo ("Iwate Children's

support. In the U.S., the Quakers have appealed to the world theEnvironmental Research Center"), a non-profit in Iwate Prefecture.

importance of peace and helped lay the foundation for peace

What's great about this program is the work they've done using

culture, resulting in, for example, the federal government's

environmental education and getting the children to involve theirrecognition of conscientious objection to military service. In

parents, friends, schools, and eventually the entire community.

Japan, a country that suffered the atomic bomb explosions on

The organization has also created teaching materials based on its

Hiroshima and Nagasaki and was also responsible for the death

activities and accomplishments that it is offering to other groups

and suffering of millions of people in and outside its own borders,for inspiration.

there are many with whom the peace movement resonates and

The fourth is an organization focused on preventing the spread of

who are active participants in GCPE.

AIDS and other infectious diseases. Infectious diseases,

I actually have been involved for a long time in disseminating

particularly AIDS, have been an important global issue since theinformation about the Earth Charter. The Earth Charter is

1980s. Since the number of infections was growing in Japan as

essentially a call to action on the eradication of poverty,

well, the Japanese government launched the Okinawa Infectious

protection of human rights such as children's rights and genderDiseases Initiative at the G8 summit in Okinawa in 2000. One

equality, conservation of the global environment, and the building

organization, called the AIDS Culture Forum in Yokohama, hasof peaceful societies. My mission was to organize the discussion

been putting effort not only into helping patients of infectious

on this theme by including all of the principles outlined in the

diseases but also into educating others to prevent their spread,

Earth Charter—and to maximize participation on a popular level,

while also educating youth to spur them into taking a stronger

to have all stakeholders involved, I wanted this discussion tointerest in their own health. The group has also received

include everyone, from youth and students, to working

numerous awards from the Japan Foundation for AIDS

professionals and seniors, all representing communities on a

Prevention.

local, national, and international level. At the same time, because

And the fifth is the Global Campaign for Peace Education

ESD is education for sustainable development, I think it's

(GCPE). This movement started from an international peace109important to practice it not only in schools but also in community

type of thinking as the 1992 Rio Declaration. It identifies values

centers and in companies, so people everywhere can participate.

and principles for a sustainable future, and lays out a code of
conduct for changing awareness and behavior in order that we

From here I'd like to talk with Prof. Horiuchi.

take responsibility for the Earth and for future generations. It's a

ESD was introduced by a heads of state meeting in 2002. The

set of ethical principles for addressing not only environmental

Japanese government and NGOs jointly submitted the proposal

issues, but also poverty, social justice, and peace issues. Sharing

for ESD, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly inthe principles of the Earth Charter and ramping up specific2003/2004. Important in the process of its introduction was theactions based on these principles is an important task we aredecision made at the Earth Summit in 1992 to create the Earthfaced with.

Charter. Can I ask you to continue from there?
Hirono: You and I were taking action based on the Earth Charter
after it was created, but it wasn't getting as much participation as
we had hoped. That's when ESD was launched, so we figured we
could take up the same objectives within the themes of ESD. ESD
is education for sustainable development, so there are manythings to teach and learn besides the environment. That's theapproach we started with.
Horiuchi: If we were to identify two challenges of ESD, one is that
it is intended to address issues beyond environment, such associal justice and peace. The other is to take education beyond
formal classroom education to an array of institutions, such as
Horiuchi: I recently became a member of the Earth Charter

community centers and private companies, and for all ages,

Initiative Council, and have learned a great deal. The final version

including educating children outside of school and in theof the Earth Charter came out in 2000, but it is based on the samecommunity. Both of these challenges are critical.
110Hirono: The Japan Council on the UN Decade of Education forlike to see the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to get

Sustainable Development (ESD-J), which was founded soon after

more involved in ESD as part of corporation's global social

the Sustainable Development summit in 2002, has been working

responsibility.

on bringing ESD down to the civic level. ESD includes E, so in

Another issue is consumer behavior. Some of my work is on

Japan, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science andeliminating child labor. I would like Japanese citizens, asTechnology has been implementing programs and projects,

consumers, to broaden their awareness and do more.

especially in schools, and since sustainability includes theCompared to the consumer movements occurring in Europe,

environment, the Ministry of the Environment has also been

consumers in Japan are less aware and less active on the issues

putting in effort; even the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has beenof poverty and social justice.

active trying to bring ESD activities to the international stage. A
number of other efforts have been made: We now have more than

Hirono: While it's true that schools have been the main host of

700 UNESCO Associated Schools. And the Ministry of the

ESD activities in Japan, I'm also pleased that many local

Environment established a Japan Fund for Global Environment,

governments have shown an interest. I'm very happy with how far

which it is using to advance ESD. From my perspective, though, I

ESD has come as lifelong learning on a local administrative level.

am still left with the question, what about the other ministries andI think it's wonderful that all types of NGOs have conductedagencies? Is this a symptom of the vertically segmented nature of

programs in their local communities, while also partnering withJapan's administrative systems?

local schools and chambers of commerce and otherorganizations.

Horiuchi: I think that is it exactly. The UN announced the Global

What I want to ask you next relates to the need to think about

Compact at the 1999 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in

post-2015, when the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will

Davos, but for a long time only one Japanese corporation wasend, and the UN resolution that came out of Rio+20 in 2012 toparticipating. That has changed recently. Japan is one of thework toward Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). I think it's

most represented countries in Asia, with 225 businesses andimportant that we connect the two initiatives, ESD and the SDGs.

other organizations participating. ISO 26000, an international

How do you think we should do that?

standard on social responsibility, was launched in 2010. I would
111

Horiuchi: The post-2015 development agenda will be combining

developments so they can inform their students at school, or tell

MDGs and SDGs. In order to live in equilibrium with this living

the international community about them. And in that sense, it'ssystem we call Earth, it's crucial that we decide and act on what's

also critical that we change education in Japan, away from its

truly important. And we need to do this by properly mobilizing the

focus on rote memorization and test taking.

wisdom and actions of the entire spectrum of people andstakeholders. For example, Japan in the Edo period (1603-1866)
was a community-oriented society. We need to rejuvenate thesecommunity-based efforts. I believe that the things done on acommunity level will lay the foundation for global progress.
Another issue is gender equality. Even in the UN's discussions on
the post-2015 development agenda, member states are
considering making gender equality and women empowerment a
core component. This is an issue Japan needs to work more on,
don't you think?
Hirono: Comparing trends in the implementation of ESD between
the international community and Japan, there are a few areas

Horiuchi: The basic skill we need to be teaching is the ability towhere I think we need to put in a greater effort.

take initiative and act, whether it is for oneself or for others.

In the first area, the new administration announced a new

Education is very much a tool for empowering people. I think weprogram to develop globally competitive human resources. This isneed to educate people with the intention of empowering them.

great news for people like us who have been calling for such a

What I would like Japanese people to recognize is that ourprogram. The other area is education: A OECD survey of junioractions and efforts here in Japan right now have a direct andhigh school teachers ranked Japan at the bottom of OECDsignificant impact on the world, that we are not an island unto

countries on measures such as confidence. It's not easy, but

ourselves. It's said that Japan is not good at communicatingteachers, too, need to be more in tune with global and social

about itself. There is the language barrier, of course, but as co112

passengers on Spaceship Earth, we have a strong mutual

operations, they won't be able to compete on the global stage.

dependency on other countries—we cannot survive without the

We need to educate and train people who can lead that change

connections we share with them. We need to cultivate globally—something I say with much hope and expectation.

literate human beings based on a recognition of our connection toother countries, and our education should be fostering a strong

Hirono: We're starting to see good examples of Japaneseawareness of the fact that the way we live our lives in Japan

companies that are following a globalization path, which isaffects and is affected by other people in the world.

fantastic.

Hirono: Private business is probably the most globalized of any

Horiuchi: Before we end, there's another issue confronting Japan

sector. Since Japanese companies will increasingly have toand it is human rights. The concept is quite simple, actually: Let'scompete with overseas firms, some, for instance, are making

value one another. Respect for human rights is an important

English their official language. There are more international

principle within the context of a globalized society where muchstudents, and also more foreign teachers and researchers, in our

diversity exists.

universities and graduate schools than ever before, and yet ourown students are falling behind this globalizing trend—theHirono: The issue isn't human rights within corporations but

decline in number of Japanese students who study abroad is one

across society as a whole. Children's rights, gender equality,

example.

people with disabilities, the elderly—it's important that we protectthese rights and live with a spirit of mutual help and support.

Horiuchi: As economic globalization deepens, companies inThat's how I want our world to be.

developed countries are starting to place social justice concerns—termed "corporate social responsibility"—at the core or centerof their administrative agenda. Japanese companies are also
doing this, but it seems like it's being given somewhat peripheral
importance. If companies don't put sustainable development—
the SD of ESD which we're promoting—at the center of their113

Ryokichi Hirono

Mitsuko Horiuchi

HIRONO, Ryokichi, Professor Emeritus, Seikei University,
Tokyo, and former Chair, UNECOSOC's Committee forDevelopment Policy, New York.
Overseas, taught at universities around the world and worked atsenior management positions of U,N. and other internationalorganizations. At home, while teaching at universities including the
National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, served as member ofJapanese government advisory bodies such as Economic
Deliberations Council, External Economic Cooperation Council, ODA
Policy Committee, Central Environment Council and Forest Policy
Council, in addition to sitting among others as chair of Japan
Society for International Development, vice-chair of Japan
Evaluation Society and as board member of AEON Environmental
Foundation and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies.
Currently, holding various public positions at home and overseas,
including as Chair, Asia-Pacific Evaluation Association
headquartered in Malaysia, Environmental Partnership Council andPartnership for Democratic Governance, Tokyo, and member ofAdvisory Board of U.N. University for Peace in Costa Rica, Japan
National Committee for UNICEF and Japan Fund for Global
Environment. Over 600 books, reports and journal articles havebeen published at home and overseas. Awardee of several
certificates of distinction by Japanese and foreign governments,
including the Japan's Imperial Majesty's Order of Honour andPresidential Award of Mongolia.

Professor, Bunkyo Gakuin University Graduate School of Foreign
Studies. Currently holds the posts of the President of Kitakushu
Forum on Asian Women(public interest foundation)and
Chairperson of Stop Child Labour Network of Japan. Holds otherposts of advisers /directorships at a number of public sectors andnonprofit organizations including chairperson of the Gender
Equality Council in Bunkyo city where she lives.
Formerly, Director of the International Labour Organization (ILO)
Office in Japan as well as the ILO Special Regional Advisor on
Gender Issues , ILO Assistant Director-General for Asia and thePacific , Minister of the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United
Nations and Cabinet Counselor and Director, Office for Women’s
Affairs, Prime Minister’s Office.
She has published numerous books and monographs on genderand labour issues. Her most recent work is Towards the Eliminationof Child Labour : What We Can Do? which she coauthored andpublished in 2013 by the Institute of Developing Economies of theJapan External Trade Organization.

114

Negros Silk Industry
Development Project

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Training Japanese Youth Alongside
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Protecting and Promoting the Rightsof the Socially Vulnerable

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Education for Poverty Eradication and Social Justice00000000000000000000000000
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School of Forest and Wind

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AIDS Culture Forum in Yokohama

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Promoting Peace Education to
Settle Conflicts Nonviolently

The ESD practices presented on the following pages are contributions from those involved in each initiative.

Negros Silk Industry Development Project

Organization for Industrial, Spiritual and Cultural Advancement −International, Japan (OISCA Japan)
116

The island of Negros, located in central Philippines, produces

received assistance from the Japan International Cooperation

more than 60% of the country's entire sugar crop. Many of the

Agency in dispatching sericulture experts from Japan,

farmers on this island still work menial plantation jobs evenplanting mulberry orchards, and developing infrastructure bytoday. In the mid-1980s, a sharp decline in the international

introducing more machinery. In 2007, we received a grantprice of sugar turned Negros, especially areas of higher

from Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs through its Grant

elevation, into an "island of hunger." In 1989, the Negros

Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects system and built a

Occidental Provincial Government

silkworm egg production facility on

appealed to OISCA, a long-time

the project site. This allowed us to

supporter of local community

build a system for breeding

development at the time, for help insilkworm varieties that are betterbringing the Negros people out ofsuited local geography and climate

hardship. Studies indicated thatand were more resilient to disease.

sericulture would be a suitable

As of June 2014, 350 households

industry for restoring local

on Negros produce 18 tons of raw

livelihoods, and so we begansilk cocoons per year, which, after

introducing silkworm rearing andbeing processing into thread,silk production to small farms in theaccounts for 95% of the country's

mountains. By 1996, the Philippines

entire silk production. The

was exporting 1.3 tons of dried silk

introduction of sericulture has

cocoons to Japan, a record for the country.

raised these families' incomes by 50 to 100%, resulting in a

In 1999 we introduced reeling machinery and shifted to raw

marked increase in their standard of living, evidenced by thesilk (silk thread) production, selling the products to weavers

purchase of livestock (water buffalo, pig, etc.) and anin the Philippines through FIDA, the Fiber Industr y

increase in the school attendance rate among children.

Development Authority. To scale up the industry further, we

Processing of silk waste into yarn, fabric, and other products

117has also gathered attention as an employment opportunity andproducers in Japan. Young farmers with the acquired skills

is helping to empower women.

then instruct others in their village in their own language, thus

As these results suggest, the success of the silk industry inallowing skills to spread in a manner that is culturally andthis region has been due in no small part to OISCA's focus on

locally viable. And since these instructors also travel to otherdeveloping the individual. We have provided numerous

villages to provide instruction in a practical context, thisopportunities for study, such as basic agricultural training at a

education reaches all members of farming families, including

training center, instruction by experts, and community

the youngest generations. The passing on of skills andworkshops, as well as training for young silk farmers—the

expansion of the sericulture community in this way is helping

teachers of tomorrow—by having them meet with Japanese

to ensure that the project remains sustainable.

silkworm breeders and visit silk thread and silkworm egg
http://www.oisca-international.org/
http://www.oisca-inter national.org/programs/sustainablecommunity-development-program/philippines/development-ofsustainable-communities-in-negros-province-through-silkproduction-/

118

Training Japanese Youth Alongside Developing Countries' NGOs,
Protecting and Promoting the Rights of the Socially Vulnerable
Asian Community Center 21 (ACC21)119

groups are themselves involved, made to understand their rights
and their situation, and then brought into the process ofdetermining and implementing solutions. We at ACC21, throughour work with the Asian Community Trust (ACT), provide support
to activities across Asia, such as the following.
Independence and Development Program for Women Victims of
the Tsunami (2005 to present, implementing organization:
Women's Collective―Wilpotha): Since the 2004 Indian Ocean
tsunami, 53 groups (comprising 1,531 households) have been
established among women in Sri Lanka who lost their families andhomes in the southern, northern, and northwestern parts of thecountry. These groups collectively hold a core fund from which
they run a savings and loan program, seek to improve thelivelihood of their members (through independent businesses),
petition the government about solutions to the lack of land rights
The gap between the rich and the poor continues to grow amongdeveloping countries in Asia, a process that has unfolded
alongside a flow of population from farming villages into the cityand the slums that develop there, and destruction of the naturalenvironment. Increasingly marginalized populations who areespecially at risk of having their basic rights neglected include
women, children, the physically challenged, and indigenous
groups. In order to change this situation, it is not enough toprovide support from the outside; rather, it is critical that theseand social security services, and provide material support intimes of disaster.
Sustainable Indigenous Education Program (2011 to present):
Among the indigenous populations of southern India, a large
number of poverty-stricken parents sell their children into slavery
in cotton fields or factories for just a few hundred dollars. A local
NGO, Life Line Trust, takes these children into its care and returns
them to their families. They also provide support for schooling for
100 students a year, establish village committees, train volunteers120

from among the residents, and work to create systems to prevent

Philippines, developed a university program for indigenous

this trafficking.

peoples and provided financial aid to 27 students.

Youth Leadership Development Through the Indigenous College

Meanwhile, in Japan we are developing proactive cooperative

Education Program (2009-2011): Indigenous people of theconnections with the Asian public and its citizens, NGOs,

Philippines, who make up approximately 13% of the national

government and business sectors, and other diverse

population (approx. 12 million people), suffer issues of poverty,

stakeholders, from a non-governmental, not-for-profit standpoint.

malnourishment, exploitation, discrimination, resource

ACC21 and the MRA Foundation jointly operate the Asian NGO

exploitation, and human rights violations. Local NGO Pamulaan,

Leadership Program with the goal of discovering and developing

working in cooperation with the University of Southeastern

activists (leaders) who will become exuberant participants inefforts to create an Asian society in support of social justice.

http://acc21.org(in Japanese and English)

http://acc21.org/act (in Japanese)121

School of Forest and Wind

Iwate Kodomo Kankyou Kenkyujo("Iwate Children's Environmental Research Center")122

Mission:reused, and recycled. The school employs permaculture design

To practice and disseminate a sustainable community

methods and is intended to be a place that provides education

development model based on an abundance of creative ideas forfor sustainable development (ESD), renewable energy, andrestoring health and vitality to children and adults alike. This

ecological living. We have built and are now using compostingmodel is based on operating philosophies of mottainai (thetoilets, a bathtub made with recycled aluminum cans, and aJapanese word meaning “waste not, want not”), appreciation,

biogas generator, as well as a Community Cafe built using

and recognition of others, and focuses on the following activity

sustainable architecture principles, and an Eco-House forthemes: renewable energy and reuse of local resources, creation

overnight guests. We are attempting to blaze a new path toward aof a playful environment for children, modern agricultural living,
and art and the human body. It stems from our recognition of theneed for a mechanism that connects adults and children fromurban and rural areas, and is dedicated to cultivating selfmotivation, autonomy, and life skills in children.
History, activities, and results:
The School of Forest and Wind is an eco-school housed in aonce-abandoned school building located at an elevation of 700
meters in a small, 11-household village. Drawing on inspirationfrom the late Japanese poet and children's literature author Kenji
Miyazawa, and in the spirit of human symbiosis with nature, theIwate Children's Environmental Research Center was founded in2001 with support from the town of Kuzumaki. Taking mottainai
and appreciation as our mottoes, we have worked at a grassroots
level to build our own school facilities by hand so visitors canChildren's solar power generation projectexperience what it means to live a life where everything is used,123

more sustainable future while taking hints from local rural living

gain the experience they need to start similar programs or

and the lifestyles in Scandinavia. The School of Forest and Wind

businesses of their own.

was featured in the 2005 Environmental White Paper andEnvironmental White Paper for Children published by Japan's
Ministry of the Environment. Currently we are also focusing on

http://www.morikaze.org (in Japanese)environmental education through a sustainable forest
management program for children using nearby land borrowed
from a paper manufacturer. We also hold renewable energy
classes for elementary and junior high schools from not only
Kuzumaki but other parts of the prefecture and beyond, andactively work to provide visiting lectures on energy at schools.
We have expanded our photovoltaic generation system, reaching
10 kilowatts of capacity, which we started operating in spring2013. And we have completed the installation of an interactive
exhibit, a forest studio, and signs throughout the facility to givethe site a theme-park feel that encourages visitors to have fun as
they learn about renewable energy use and future lifestyles in the
post-3.11 world. In spring 2014 we launched a new training
program for teachers and helpers of outdoor play at forest
kindergartens and public facilities using a textbook and DVDs wedeveloped. As a result of these various initiatives, we now receive

View of the school from a distancearound 3,000 visitors a year. These efforts have also turned ourschool over its 12-year history into a place for staff and trainees to124

AIDS Culture Forum in Yokohama

AIDS Culture Forum in Yokohama

125

The AIDS Culture Forum in Yokohama is an event created bygrassroots citizens for grassroots citizens that was born out of aninternational AIDS conference held in Yokohama in 1994. Holding
the Forum every year in August since then, in 2014 we counted
our 21st year.
The Forum committee is comprised of representatives of variousorganizations with an interest in AIDS, while our operating
committee and staff are all volunteers.
As indicated by the use of "Culture" in the Forum's name, ourevents these 21 years have looked at the infectious disease wecall HIV/AIDS not from a purely medical standpoint but from amultifaceted perspective that sees HIV/AIDS as a window into
what it means to live as human beings.
What has sustained us this far and brought so many people to ourdoors, we believe, is the fact that we receive no funding from any

Another unique factor is the growing interaction and networking

particular organization, that all activities are planned and run by

between presenters and attendees. Over the Forum's three-day

volunteers, and that we have made a point of not pushing

period, we have, on average, 65 programs, 50 participating

ourselves too hard in the work we do.

organizations, and 4,000 attendees. Entry is free for all programs,

One hallmark of the Forum is its diverse programs. These include

whether it is a lecture, workshop, or exhibit.

presentations on health and medicine from people working in the

Attendees range in age from their teens to 60s, although thefields of disease prevention and education, the sharing of humanmajority are in their 20s to 40s.

experience through drama and storytelling, and panel

Japan. From this we can deduce that young adults and others

discussions given by people who are positive for HIV—all held in

involved in teaching, providing counsel, or otherwise spreading

the same venue.

information on disease prevention in medical and educational

And they come from all over126

settings come to the Forum seeking new
knowledge, information, and connection.
In today's society, information can be easilyand quickly obtained through the Internet.
But being able to listen, in person, to thestories of people working in the field or who
have been affected by HIV/AIDS is a rareopportunity indeed, and that's where wethink the Forum's value lies.
This initiative is spreading to other regions as
well, the holding of an AIDS Culture Forum in
Kyoto in 2011 being one example. We hopethat, through collaboration between the AIDS
Culture Forums in different cities, we cancontinue to provide more opportunities forpeople to meet and discuss and think aboutsuch topics as sex, life, and humanconnection.

http://www.yokohamaymca.org/AIDS/ (in Japanese)127Promoting Peace Education to Settle Conflicts Nonviolently

Global Campaign for Peace Education Japan

128

Civil society held a peace conference in The Hague, Netherlands,

The integration of so many fields—environment, development,

in 1999. During the conference, a proposal to promote

human rights, peace—under ESD is a significant achievement,

comprehensive peace education was presented as a measure toand it is hoped that ESD will work in concert with the peaceachieve world peace, based on the idea that education is

education movement. Sustainable societies cannot be built

essential to preventing war and conflict. A variety of

without a foundation of peace. The United Nations (UN)achievements have been made in the practice andstudy of peace education in Japan. The Global
Campaign for Peace Education Japan (GCPEJ)
works to link these accumulated achievements tomovements around the world. The Global
Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict(GPPAC) is mobilizing civil society toward conflict
prevention, and the GCPEJ works in concert withGPPAC's activities. As concrete measures to settle
disputes, hostilities, and conflicts, GPPAC is making
efforts to promote dialogue between people ofdifferent religions and reconstruct divided regions.
At conferences held in the U.S., Kenya, Israel,
Seoul, Crimea, and other parts of the world, GCPEJ
has facilitated the exchange of various views on
peace education. In East Asia, GCPEJ has
supported training programs by the Northeast Asia
Regional Peacebuilding Institute (NARPI) in Seoul and Inje,

designated the year 2000 as the International Year for the Culture

Korea, and Hiroshima, Japan.

of Peace, and then proclaimed the period between 2001 and129

2010 as the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-

education-related events were those involved in school

Violence for the Children of the World. At UNESCO, theeducation, but now we are seeing a wider range of participants,

Intersectoral Platform for Culture of Peace and Non-Violence wassuch as development educators, and those providing assistanceestablished and has worked on a project called Manifesto 2000 to

in developing countries and to foreign exchange students.

collect signatures worldwide for a culture of peace and nonviolence. During the same period, the UN Secretary Generalrequested studies on disarmament and non-proliferation of

http://gcpej.jimdo.com/ (in Japanese)

weapons, and the results of the studies were announced at asession of the General Assembly in 2002. Reports on
disarmament education are also delivered to the UN fromcountries around the world every two years. The UN has also
adopted a Declaration on the Right of Peoples to Peace and has
worked to have this right codified into international law. The
Japanese government has not approved the declaration, on the
grounds that the details of the right to peace are unclear. Further
petitioning to the government will be necessary.
Twenty-five years have passed since the first International
Institute on Peace Education (IIPE), an annual gathering of peaceeducators, was held by Betty A. Reardon and others, and it has
been carried out every year since then. In the hope of using the
IIPE held in Japan in 2012 as a means of forging new links
between the peace education movement and local communities,
rather than just as a one-time event, we held regional gatheringsin Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Sapporo, and other cities across thecountry. Prior to these events, most participants in peace130Toward the Next Decade of Spreading Japan-Style ESD for a Sustainable Society

National Conference on ESD Practical Models 2014
+ Global Citizen's Conference on DESD
2014.8.20-22 United Nations University

In August 2014, more than 1,000 ESD practitioners from a wide spectrum of organizations
implementing and supporting ESD gathered at United Nations University in Aoyama, Tokyo.
Over a three-day period, participants took part in a number of forums to reconﬁrm thedirection ESD will take in the next decade̶from discussions and Q&A sessions on theachievements and challenges of ESD in the ﬁve core themes, to a plenary meeting where
the outcomes of deep thematic discussions were shared, to presentations of initiatives byattendees from across Japan.

132

While communication took various forms during the course of the event,including traditional meetings, roundtables, panel discussions,performances, panel displays, and learning programs, the primary mode
was the workshop, where presenters used document cameras to facilitate
understanding and a stronger and more immediate sense of collaborationand connection between participants.

133

We will continue to spread and share the impacts of ESD in Japan
̶the amalgamation of eﬀorts made by grassroots citizens andcommunities working together̶with the world.

134

Proposal from the Global Citizen's Conference on DESD

Proposal from the Global Citizen's

partnership with others around the globe is critical to passing
on a sustainable world to the next generation.

Conference on DESD

ESD is about learning and taking action to foster in all
members of society a desire and capacity to make society

We want the communities we live in to be rich in nature,better. This is done through appreciation of the eﬀorts andhave healthy and energetic workers, and be free from poverty

wisdom of our ancestors, and by acquiring an awareness ofand discrimination. To that end, we want our communities to

one's connection to society and potential as a future leader.

pursue social justice and work toward creating peaceful,

Critical in this endeavor is the process of experiential

autonomous societies based on the spirit and mechanisms oflearning through active participation in social activities inself-help, mutual help, and public help, concepts we learned

connection with others, and the desire and eﬀort to ﬁnd

in the 2011 East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.

answers to unanswered problems.

Hoping to build such communities with their own hands, andWe, practitioners of ESD from across Japan, met in Tokyo inequip citizens, including children, as leaders of this work,

August 2014, where we reviewed the ESD initiatives andstakeholders are spreading Education for Sustainablesupport systems that have emerged during the Decade. As a

Development (ESD) initiatives to schools, businesses,

result, we compiled the following ﬁve items as actionsorganizations, and communities all across Japan.

necessary for these initiatives and systems to spread further

Confronted by climate change, large-scale disasters, conﬂict,

within Japan and on the global stage.

and many other global issues, promoting ESD also in136

1. Create systems for sharing ESD methods,◇ Let's grow our network of community-level ESD

teaching materials, and support information that

supporters by adding an ESD Award to various existing

everyone can use

award programs.

◇ A great number of ESD teaching materials andprograms have been developed. An archive system (with

3. Provide places for ESD coordinators (people who

document/information viewing capability) is needed sobring various stakeholders together) to do theireveryone can share and use these resources.

work◇ Also needed is a user-friendly portal site that can be◇ By providing increased opportunity for various ESD

continually updated with information on programs andcoordinators who are active in their communities to learn

ﬁnancing opportunities that support ESD.

and improve their leadership and organizational skills, wewill enhance the potential of ESD in our communities.

2. Work to create systems of mutual commendationthat shed light on various ESD practices◇ We need to encourage the placement of ESD
coordinators and create a means of elevating the social◇ It is important that we work with the mass media,

status of the work they do.

municipalities, businesses, and central government to◇ We also need programs to train coordinators andcreate programs that commend attractive examples of

educators to improve their facilitation skills (skills that

ESD in practice.

nurture independent and spontaneous action in others).

137

4. Strengthen municipality-led ESD initiatives thatengage entire communities◇ The community is the core unit of ESD implementation.
Creating a consortium of diverse stakeholders (primary◇ It is important that municipal leaders and theirand secondary schools, institutions of higher education,

legislatures promote citizen-focused ESD eﬀorts, whilebusinesses, local governments, NPOs, etc.), in the form ofequally important that citizens promote ESD voluntarily

a civic committee or council, for example, is an eﬀective

and independently. It is also essential that we create an

way to promote harmony and collaboration between suchenvironment that will allow youth, society's future leaders,

stakeholders for ESD while also working toward

to become actively engaged in ESD.

sustainable community development.

◇ We will actively promote ESD across the entire
curriculum of school education, including integrated

5. Actively pursue mutual learning and collaboration

studies and individual subjects/courses, and throughwith international stakeholders to address global

various social education activities in partnership with local

issuescommunities.

◇ Engaging in exchange with people of other cultures and◇ Through both forms of education, we will aim to foster

historical backgrounds on top of community-level learning

sustainable society leaders who have acquired the "lifecan deepen the ESD practice, foster international

skills" (ikiru chikara, ikinuku chikara) described in Japan's

understanding, trust, and partnership, and help cultivate

curriculum guidelines and Basic Plan for the Promotion of

global citizens, while being critically important for reducing

Education.

poverty, protecting human rights, conserving the global
environment, and building a peaceful and peace-loving planet.

138◇ It is essential that we strengthen systems that support
learning between schools and communities across national
borders.
◇ To meet the world's expectations of Japan, we needsupport for sharing Japan's ESD practices with the world. We
also need support for building an English-language website
and participating in international conventions.

Let us also build, at a regional and national level,
platforms for discussing and formulating these actions
that are inclusive to all stakeholders̶the national
government, businesses, educational institutions, NPOs,
youth, etc.

139

Toward a Future No One Knows and No One Has Seen

Mikio Takagi
president of Nichinoken

Toward a Future No One Knows and No One Has Seen

This is the story of Cain and Abel, sons of Adam and Eve. Cain

What is this sustainable world we all speak of? No one on ourgrew crops in the field, while his younger brother, Abel, raisedplanet right now knows or has seen what that world will look like—sheep. One day, the two presented an offering to God (Yahweh).

that truly sustainable world where everyone is content and happy.

God accepted Abel's offering, but rejected Cain's. Cain thenToday, we are on a great adventure toward the unknown, much

became angry: Why would his offering, the fruit of his own labor,

like those who set sail for the far reaches of the ocean in an age

be rejected, when that of his brother, who played with sheep

when the world was presumed flat. To adventure means to accept

every day, be accepted? …. We don't know exactly how long ago

uncertainty. Even if we do something for sustainable development

this story was written. My interpretation is that this passage was—even if we do everything in our power—there is no guarantee

left by the people of Old Testament days as a warning thatthat these efforts will result in a sustainable world. That's what

humans should never change the natural environment for theirreaching for an unknown world means.

own purpose. Since that time, Homo sapiens has altered theplanet on a massive scale. For better or worse, many have gained

ESD is a combination of two terms: Education and Sustainable

the comforts of modern life as a result.

Development. Education here isn't the transfer of knowledge froma knowing person to an unknowing person. So what type of
education can we create within a context of learning where141everyone is ignorant? It's an education where people who don't

to move forward together with excitement for what is to come. I

know the answer join others who also don't know, and together

want to think of our diverse world as a place of fun and richness.

venture into the future. The Japan Model presented in theforegoing pages is just one example of this venture.

I hope that each of the various models presented around theworld will be a source of strength that propels us toward a more

How much of this spirit of forward-looking creation—not justsustainable future.

respect for the past—were you able to take from the Japan
Model? And what is your impression of the phrase "Japan
Model"? Our capacity for action arises solely from the cultural andgeographical context in which we find ourselves. Even so, we
hope you will view the Japan Model as existing not in mutual
exclusion to other models, but as one of a myriad of models thatare possible. Having many unique cultures shouldn't createboundaries that stir up competition. It should rather empower us142Mikio Takagi

Born in 1954. As president of Nichinoken, a cram school for elementary school
students, Mikio Takagi promotes methods of learning that nurture students' ability
to identify and solve problems, setting a foundation for future growth. Since 2005,
as chair of the Parent Effectiveness Training Association of Japan, Takagi has
been disseminating communication methods that can be used by parents andteachers to improve relationships with their children and students. Through thenon-profit CSEL, he also advocates for more effective use of experiential learning
time in schools.

143This e-book was made by the Grant from the Japan Fund for Global Environment of
the Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency.

The following acts are prohibited in connection with the use of this publication.
- Citation or use of the text without clearly stating the source.
- Use of photos, illustrations, videos, and other materials.
- Use of the publication, all or in part, after making alterations to the original content.
- Distribution for profit.

Production
Takayuki MIYAJIMA, Satoko OSHIMA, DESD World Festival Forum
DesignNaoto HIRABAYASHI, bricolage
Writing and Editing
Tomoko TAKAHASHI
Photos and Videos
bricolage
Production Support
Mikuni Publishing Co., Ltd..
Sun-A Printing Co., Ltd.
Sun-Brain Company., Ltd
Translation
EcoNetworks Co.
Grant Support
Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency
Japan Fund for Global Environment Grant Program for fiscal year 2014145