FY2007 Research Subsidized by the Environmental Fund, Mitsui & Co., Ltd.

Third Research Report on
the Exploration of Wisdom in Japanese Traditional Cultures
Believed to be Instrumental in Building a Sustainable Society
and Sharing the Wisdom with International Community

January 2009
Japan Association of Environment and Society
for the 21 st Century, NPO

Contents
1. Practical Case Studies for Applying Traditional Wisdom of Sustainability in Japan 1
in the1
Present Context
5
1-1. Wisdom for survival in an era of turmoil
7
1-2. Outline of research on case studies
17
1-3. Observations of case studies
1-4. What we can do to accelerate the move22
2. Future Challenges and Outlook for Application of the Traditional Wisdom of
Sustainability
in the 21st Century01. Practical Case Studies for Applying Traditional Wisdom of Sustainability
in Japan in the Present Context
1-1. Wisdom for survival in an era of turmoil
We at JAES21 focused on the wisdom of sustainability in Japan in an
attempt to identify its relevance in the present-day context, partly because
we see that “today’s world” finds itself in a significant impasse, as is
becoming increasingly apparent in our economy, environment, society andpractically all aspects of our lives. The awareness we share – a sense ofcrisis almost – is that we are entering an era of turmoil.
When we turn our attention to the economy, we are bombarded by daily
media coverage of the collapse of global financial markets, which began withthe subprime mortgage crisis in the U.S., their repercussions on businessand industry, and on the plight of the people who work there. In this era ofglobalized economy, its effect has not been contained within the epicenter,the U.S., but has spread to other advanced countries like Japan andcountries of Europe as well as to other countries and regions like China,
India, South America, and Africa, jolting people’s lives and society as a whole.
The effect, on the surface, is reflected on the considerable fluctuations instock prices and currency rates. On the other hand, it has also led to a rapid
decline in consumption and to corporate bankruptcies, bringing about
confusion and misery to those who have lost their jobs and thrown out onto
the streets.
In the past, most workers in Japan could be secure in the knowledge that,unless they commit a serious crime or misdeeds, they could count on working
at the same company that hired them until their retirement age. Today,
however, even big companies are not immune from bankruptcy and even if
the companies did manage to survive, workers could be fired any time withstreamlining and corporate restructuring, raising their anxiety level everhigher. In the U.S., the world’s financial superpower, Lehman Brothers, acompany with a history of more than 100 years, filed for bankruptcy almost
out of the blue, and even big-name companies like GM and Ford, which1seemed impregnable only just recently, face an uncertain future.
Turning our eyes to the environment, the climate change caused by global
warming is affecting all living creatures, leaving indelible scars in many
parts of the world. There are reports of changes in rainfall patterns withtyphoons, hurricanes, and other tropical cyclones getting even more powerful,increase in frequent forest fires around the world triggered by dry conditions
and the Arctic ice and glaciers that remain on continents melting at an
alarming pace. Japan is no exception. We have heard news on environment
problems and global warming: rainfall patterns are changing; the numberof deaths from heat waves and the risk of infectious diseases are on the rise;
the spring is arriving earlier, as are cherry blossoms; and risingtemperatures of Japan’s coastal waters are altering the distribution ofmarine products and causing the whitening and death of corals in Okinawa.
This is a country people thought that had always been blessed with plentiful
water supply. Now there are concerns over the availability of water
resources and the stability of domestic food production.
When we look at our society, we see the rise in the number of the so-called“working poor” at a frightening pace around the world, including Japan.
Perhaps for the first time since the end of WWII, economic disparities havewidened to an extent as to rock our society. There has always been a gap
between the rich and poor, but probably never an era of poverty like the one
today where disparities have become structured into the economic system
under the banner of neo-liberalism, exposing a large number of people toexceeding difficulties. This issue of poverty and economic disparity is anotherfactor that has shaken the people at the bottom of society like a time bomb
waiting to explode.
These cataclysmic changes are upsetting people’s values and their outlook on
the future. It appears that underlying these changes are market
fundamentalism and other similar values that are based on Western logic.
We cannot hope to respond effectively to the social turmoil if we continue tostand by idly. Professor Joseph Stiglitz of Columbia University, the Nobel
Prize laureate in economics, said: “I think this crisis should prompt an end to
neo-liberalism. The notion that deregulation and liberalization will bringabout economic efficiency has come to an impasse. As everybody understood2

that communism was a flawed ideology when the Berlin Wall fell, mostpeople now understand that neo-liberalism and market fundamentalism areflawed notions. My research has been explaining this, and now it is provenby experience” (“The Future of the Economic Crisis,” Asahi Shimbun,
November 3, 2008).
In the last three years, we put together the eight-point traditional wisdom ofsustainability in Japan, which had evolved over centuries in an environmentof confined space and limited resources, and examined ways to make this
wisdom known to more people. We also found that such wisdom is not
peculiar to Japan but can be found in many parts of the world. We believe
this wisdom can help us overcome the difficulties we face as an important
intellectual asset that can guide in us in realizing sustainable development
for our society.
We have come to this conclusion based on the recognition that the traditional
wisdom of sustainability in Japan has been tried, refined, and strengthened
over the ages, as something deeply trusted by the people. This may belikened to a deep sense of peacefulness one feels inside a solid, darkly
lustrous wooden temple that has stood for centuries and to the pleasantrelief one feels when placing one’s hand against its wooden pillar that musthave been touched by countless others.
There is also a more constructive reason to this. As already mentioned, thefact that much of this wisdom developed in a semi-closed world during theEdo period enables us to draw an analogy between the Edo period andtoday’s global world. During the Edo period, Japan adopted a policy ofnational seclusion in a nation that was geographically separated from andprotected from the Asian continent, building a unique world within its
borders. This, of course, does not mean that Japan had absolutely no contact
with the Asian continent, but compared with today, it was a far moresecluded environment. And it was in this environment that the Japanese
kept to a sustainable way of life.
On the other hand, we might postulate that today’s world is approaching asemi-closed state. The world’s population, which stood at around 1.6 billion3

at the beginning of the 20th century, now exceeds 6.7 billion and is estimatedto reach 8 billion at around 2025. And to a large extent, each person making
up that population is fervently pursuing the goal of living a more prosperous
life, marked by consumption of large amounts of energy and commodities.
Forests are being cut, seas, lakes and swamps are reclaimed, cities are
expanding, and farmland is being reduced, all in the name of “development.”
As a result, we are now living in a world where all frontiers have virtuallyvanished. We have come to believe that in such a semi-closed world without
frontiers, the traditional wisdom developed in Japan will carry a greater
meaning.
If we were to see the wisdom of sustainability in Japan simply as a way toreturn to tradition, that would be nothing but praise of the past. More
important, we need to find positive meaning such wisdom for application in
today’s world and to spread the centuries-old wisdom to the rest of the world
as a guide to overcoming the current crisis and to building a sustainable,
eco-conscious society. There are many things we need to do to turn this into
reality. As a first step, we believe it will be meaningful to gather anddisseminate information on the case studies for applying the wisdom ofsustainability in Japan in today’s world.

4

1-2. Outline of research on case studies(1) Objective of research
In this research, we gathered and analyzed some case studies in which theparticipants actually practice and apply the traditional wisdom of Japan in
their activities involving community organization, product manufacturingand management. Our aim has been to identify how the traditional wisdomof sustainability is being applied in our modern society and their message
sent to the new generations based on our awareness of problems outlined in
1-1.
Looking at the daily life in today’s Japan, the traditional wisdom ofsustainability seems to have been lost on surface. If we look deeper,
however, we find quite a number of instances in which people take advantageof traditional wisdom in their struggle to face up to the present-day
challenges. Some of the examples include the efforts to revitalize the local
community through nature preservation, passing of traditional skills anddevelopment of eco-friendly technology.
We believe that the act ofidentifying and examining such case studies will enable us to give
contemporary meaning to traditional wisdom and enable us to reaffirm thevalue of traditional wisdom in Japan. We are confident that the applicationof such wisdom in the predicted turmoil of the 21st century should provide us
with an opportunity to open up a path to revive our nation and make a global
contribution.

(2) Selection of research subjects
We kept the two points shown below in mind in the course of selecting the
research subjects:* Future-oriented cases that give hope for the world and new generations
instead of simply returning to the past.
* Cases that highlight our idea that traditional wisdom of sustainability inJapan is linked to the creation of a sustainable society.
Specifically, we chose the 13 cases as shown below:5(1) Reviving traditional culture and nurturing people who will shoulder the future
responsibilitie-Attempts to revive the Nakao kabuki in Hase district, Ina, Nagano Prefecture(2) Promotion of local production and consumption – Challenges of Hyakusai Gekijo(3) Residents of Toyooka City taking off with Oriental white stork(4) Potential for the future as seen in traditional grazing on Sado Island(5) Corporate management with emphasis on sustainability rather than on profits- Mukoyama Paint Company(6) Eco-friendly farming and pursuit of inconvenience -Mori Farm Services Company(7) Integration of the spirit of mottainai (waste not) and technology– Kawasaki Eco-Town(8) New recycling channel created with locally produced wood
– From “.”(Ten) Pod to eco-town(9) Development of a Compact City following the lessons of Shogunate Tokugawa
Ieyasu(10) Practice of “eco-village” movement - Kobunaki Ecovillage Project(11) Applying the traditional handicraft skills in contemporary society– NEC access technica, Ltd.
(12) Challenging the World Skills Competition and passing on cutting-edge skills– Hitachi Plant Technologies, Ltd.
(13) Cultivating a sense of pride among children in the local community- Use of locally produced farm products in school lunches prepared at Hase School,
Ina, Nagano Prefecture⑤(3) Research method
The case study research was conducted primarily by members of JAES21(Ms Hisako Ito, Mr. Osamu Jumonji, Mr. Kennichi Narita and Mr.
Kazumitsu Matsuo) and the secretariat. Our research was conducted basedon interviews and study of various reference documents.

61-3. Observations of case studies
The application of traditional wisdom certainly was not on the minds ofpeople who participated in the case studies surveyed when they began theirprojects. Most were moved by a sense of mission after they were confronted
with challenges in their respective field. Driven by a strong sense of crisis oranxieties about the situation they were in, they embarked on their projects
by trial and error and accomplished results. In our analysis of case studies,most participants seem to have promoted their projects along certain values
they held dear – values that share a common thread with the traditional
wisdom of sustainability, in our view (see the Figure and Table).
The underlying sense of crisis and anxieties, found in the case studies, werewide-ranging. For example, from the perspective of the environment, theproject for the preservation of the white storks started out of concern about
the deterioration of the local environment. A sense of crisis about global
warming was the centerpiece of the Kobunaki Ecomura Village Project.
Programs initiated by local communities were often motivated bydepopulation and anxieties over the prospects of the survival of theircommunities. On the other hand, it was uncertainties about the prospectsof economic survival that prompted many businesses to embark on theirprojects. From the perspective of humanity and society, projects developedout of a sense of crisis about eroding ties among people and concern over the
Past

Present

FutureSustainable society

Projects
Wisdom forsustainability
in JapanAchievements
New challenges
Emphasison
Challenges

Sense of crisis, anxieties,
and sense of mission

Figure: Relation between the case studies and the traditional wisdom of sustainability

7

survival of communities and continuation of regional cultures and skills aswell as a reaction to the prevailing trend towards excessive pursuit ofconvenience. A common strand that runs through all of the cases is that ineach, challenges are set to correct the distortions in today’s world, mentioned
in 1-1 as shown above. Instead of returning to the past, forward-looking
projects are being carried out to remedy such distortions.
Specifically, in the case of Hase district in Ina, Nagano Prefecture, the local
community has worked to revive local kabuki and launch a school-lunch
project that promotes local consumption of local produce. Their challenge has
been to stem the eroding sense of unity within the community resulting fromdepopulation. On the Hyakusai Gekijo farm, the organizers have tackled thechallenge of involving more people in supporting self-sufficient agriculture
with the aim of raising the awareness of food as a down-to-earth, real-life
issue. In Tomioka City, the project for saving white storks from extinction
has resulted in revitalizing the local community. On Sado Island, the local
community has explored the potential of traditional grazing in an effort toovercome their dependence on “imported” energy and food. Mukoyama Paint
Company and Mori Farm Services Company eventually discovered thatbusiness management based on the wisdom of “learning to be fulfilled” wasthe way to meet the challenge of securing an adequate level of profits while
enhancing the satisfaction of employees and other stakeholders. In
Kawasaki Eco-Town, a regional material-cycle system was introduced
through the cooperation of the industry, government and academia under thebanner of building a sound material-cycle society and to meet the challengeof reviving the regional economy. G-PROJECT Inc.’s initiative in restoring
self-sufficiency in wood resulted in the construction of an entity named “.”(Ten) Pod and in recycling of locally produced wood in Kobunaki Ecomura
village. In the case of Shizuoka City, the urban development philosophy of
Shogunage Tokugawa Ieyasu has been translated into today’s concept of theCompact City. In Kobunaki Ecomura village, the planners are engaged inlocally rooted housing development as they attempt to create new lifestyles
under the banner of ideal, sustainable community building. Hitachi Plant
Technologies has successfully utilized the World Skills Competition as ameans to pass on the skills to the next generation.

8

If we look closely at the projects’ underlying concepts and ideas participants
hold dear, we find that the projects generally share the ideas shown below.

(1) Connection
Today, with the proliferation of a visual world represented by cell phones andPCs, our connection with others and with nature seems to be crumbling. As if
to counteract such tide, we are witnessing moves by some concerned people
seeking to rebuild “real” ties. Many of the cases we surveyed were based on a
deep awareness on our connection with nature and others as well as the local
climate and culture.
In many aspects of our lives, we receive blessings from nature. In the worldof science, these blessings are called the “ecosystem services,” which are
categorized into (1) provisioning services: production and provisioning offoods and water; (2) regulating services: control and regulation of climate; (3)cultural services: recreation and other mental and cultural benefits; (4)supporting services: nutrient recycling and production of oxygen by
photosynthesis; and (5) preserving services: preservation of diversity andprotection of the environment from unforeseen events.
Many of the cases we surveyed sought in particular to build a connection
with nature in pursuit of spiritual and cultural benefits. For example,
Hyakusai Gekijo farm, which sees their farm as a stage on which living
things exercise their creativity, has worked to create a mechanism where
people can actually sense their connection with living things throughfarming that aims to achieve self-sufficiency in food. In Tomioka City in
Hyogo Prefecture, the local community has worked to restore a balance inthe region’s ecosystem by introducing agricultural methods conducive towhite storks’ development. The community leaders run a project in which
they tell children stories on how the white storks were saved and life of local
poplar trees, giving them an opportunity to learn about the importance ofconnection underlying the web of life. These efforts provide a setting forpeople to reaffirm their ties with nature in the course of community
development. The use of locally produced wood in the “.” (Ten) Pod projectencourages people to feel the warmth of wood and discover their connection

9with local forests and Lake Biwa through events based on hands-on
experience. These efforts are valuable in that they encourage people toexperience the spiritual and cultural blessing of nature as well as theecosystem services mentioned earlier.
On the other hand, in the case of the Nakao kabuki, ties between people ofdifferent ages were strengthened in the course of passing traditional culture
down to the next generation. These efforts have spread to the wholecommunity as people worked to restore person-to-person connection bothvertically and horizontally. In Kawasaki Eco-Town, their implementation ofa regional material-cycle system is based on person-to-person contact. One
may get to know others through the Internet, but project leaders believe in
the importance of meeting others in person in building a relationship of trust.
In the case of Hitachi Plant Technologies, the firm uses such mechanisms as
the World Skills Competition to pass on skills and technology frompredecessors to their successors. Through these efforts, the company
maintains their technological edge, which in turn helps to build a relation oftrust among people. In the case of Hase district in Ina, Nagano Prefecture,
the passing down of food culture through school lunch project has developed
into an inter-generational undertaking involving three generations ofgrandparents, parents and children. These are nothing but attempts torestore and regenerate connection between people.
In the case of Toyooka City in Hyogo Prefecture, local businesses successfully
used the image of white storks and the its traditional bag manufacturingindustry as local symbols to promote a shopping district named the “Kaban(bag) street” in their community development. The development of the
Kobunaki Ecomura village, while embracing a new lifestyle, is also an
attempt to promote integration and fusion with the existing town,
accommodating the local climate.
The phrase “Think globally, act locally” has been around for some time now.
As the force of globalization becomes stronger, there are active moves to shed
new night on our connection with nature and with others as well as the local
climate and culture, and act on such newfound resources. In this age ofglobalization, projects based on such “ties” have become all the more

10

important.
It can indeed be said that these efforts are today’s version of symbiosis withnature, harmony, survival of the community, and respect for the forerunners,
embodied in the traditional wisdom of sustainability in Japan.

(2) Consistency with laws of nature
Amartya Sen, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for economics in 1997,
called those who depend on economists’ assumptions of economic rationality
as the “rational fool.” It means that “social good cannot be achieved by selfish
behavior.” If sustainable society is one that strikes a balance among economy,
the environment, and the human society, then the humankind needs
behavioral principles that transcend economic rationality. Some of the cases
we surveyed were not bound by such economic rationality, but instead gave
“emphasis” to genuine rationality, in other words, to thoughts and actions
consistent with the laws of nature.
In Japan, nature takes two faces: One gives rich harvests through thepassing of the seasons, and the other takes on a severe form of typhoons,volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes. In the past, adjusting to this nature’s
cycle was a way to live congruously with the principles of nature. The
progress of modern science and technology, however, allowed us to carry out
activities that disregard nature’s cycle. Supermarkets stock foods that areout of season; housing development is carried out in once flood-prone areas.
All this has been made possible by the cultivation of plants in greenhouses
equipped with boilers, long-distance transportation system, and large dams.
In return for this convenient lifestyle that relies on the use of massive
amount of resources and energy, we now face the critical problems of global
warming and depletion of resources. Against this background, more andmore people are trying to explore ways to make a livelihood that is moreconsistent with nature’s cycle, while securing a certain level of convenience.
Specifically, Mori Farm Services Company’s eco-friendly agriculture,
traditional grazing on Sado Island, and “.” (Ten) Pod’s regional recycling ofwood are all examples that utilize the nature’s cycle. Farming, forestry and11fishery have always been a form of livelihood that deals with nature, and themaking the most of nature’s cycle is both fundamental and effective in termsof harvests and risk management. In all of the three cases, people are trying
to open up new paths by incorporating the wisdom they learned from life andsocial experiences into that baseline of drawing the best from the nature’s
cycle. While all of these cases are in the primary industry, there are also
moves to grow local foods in season. Others have moved to the countrysideafter retirement to appreciate the changes of the seasons in a slower lifestyle.
What these people share in common is appreciation of typically Japanesesensibilities and valuing a way of life that is consistent with nature’s cycle.
In industry, we are witnessing examples of companies that achieved rapid
gains in their resource efficiency after originally starting their operations inpursuit of economic rationality – of reducing waste and creating higher value
from fewer resources. In the same way that living things in nature sustain
life by using resources and energy in the most efficient manner in a finite
environment, industrial activities seem to be approaching the law of nature.
For example, in Kawasaki Eco-Town, the community used to pay money tohave their waste disposed in the beginning because that was the
economically rational alternative. But after their system was reformed torevise the waste disposal law and introduce the recycling law, recycling
waste within the region became a more economical option. The review of
the changes led to the introduction of a regional material-cycle system in
Kawasaki Eco-Town. Other examples include the case of Mukoyama Paint
Company, which has worked on cost savings under the strong leadership ofthe company management, and the case of NEC Access Technica, which has
reduced waste in an effort to strengthen competitiveness. In recent years,
biomimicry, or mimicry of the natural mechanisms in industrial activities, isbecoming active. The book Natural Capitalism predicts that “companies will
mimic living creatures and the processes of the ecosystem, and chemical
products, raw materials, compounds, and, eventually, even microprocessors
will be manufactured using methods of production and processing that areconsistent with nature.”Moreover, keeping the size of businesses and business activities moderate is12also consistent with the principles of nature in this finite global environment.
Whereas many firms tend to see efficient expansion of business and profits
as their ultimate motive, Mukoyama Paint Company and Mori Farm
Services Company are, out of their concern for the finite global environmentand resources, tackling the challenge of realizing environmental business
management that enhances the satisfaction of their employees andcustomers while making profits sustainably, keeping their businesses inoperation, understanding what is appropriate in terms of business size withthe “courage not to make their businesses too big.”
Many keen observers now say that both advanced and developing countries
cannot maintain social sustainability if people continued to pursue“economic growth” on the basis of quantitative expansion. The above cases,
which are nothing but attempts to change the concept and substance ofeconomic growth, show the direction of future business management. Also
they are congruous with environmental principles based on the “finiteness”
of the global environment and the corporate principles of the “survival” ofcompanies. They are also consistent with the Japanese wisdom of “symbiosis
with nature,” “learning to be fulfilled,” and “reincarnation and sustainable
material cycle.”(3) Spiritual abundance
Another point that characterizes these cases is their high esteem for
spiritual abundance, with particular emphasis on joy and growth as humanbeings. William Butler Yeats, the Irish poet and dramatist who received theNobel Prize in Literature in 1923, aptly noted: “Happiness is neither virtue
nor pleasure nor this thing nor that but simply growth. We are happy when
we are growing.” Even today, a great number of intellectuals contend thatthe reward for the work we do is growth, not salaries or revenues. This
realization, which has struck a chord in the hearts of many, seems to havebeen present in the minds of people engaged in our case studies.
For instance, in the case of Nakao kabuki, the dedicated efforts to pass on
the traditional art of kabuki served to provide an excellent opportunity for
growth for youngsters who took part in the act and supporters in the local

13

community. Mr. Nishimura of Nakao Kabuki Preservation Council says,“As we do more and more performances, we can visibly see that participants
have grown considerably as actors, as behind-the-scene assistants and as
human beings.” World Skills Competition medalists are expected to display
leadership qualities in passing the skills on to future generations, in addition
to the mastery of skills as individuals. In fact, people have noted that these
medalists have exhibited signs of personal growth in the course of theirtraining. The school lunch project at Hase district in Ina, Nagano
Prefecture represents a practical case study that helped to uplift humanqualities through food preparation. These activities supported by a wide
range of people in the community have also helped to enhance people’s
awareness as community members.
Also, people feel a sense of joy when they accomplish a challenge after they
have invested much time and energy on it.
The local-production,
local-consumption practice advocated by Hyakusai Gekijo enables people toenjoy enriching moments by carefully and slowly preparing the farm
products that have been grown with painstaking care and over long periodsof time. Some of the popular events organized by Mori Farm Services aredesigned to let participants experience inconvenience. Far detached fromthe daily life based on the pursuit of convenience, the participants seem toenjoy spiritual affluence that can be gained by expending much energy andtime on certain projects. The same thing can be said of Kobunaki Ecomura.
In a break away from materialistic and artificial affluence brought by
convenience, speed and efficiency, more people are being lured by and findreal joy in the abundance than can be gained by personally engaging in andenjoying each of the processes, even if that requires more time and energy.
New, unconventional activities borne of such moves are emerging, striking a
responsive chord in more and more people. These changes seem to indicate
the potential for the resuscitation of the traditional wisdom of sustainability
based on spiritual affluence, freedom of the mind and value of education.

14

1-4. What we can do to accelerate the move
To us, the 13 case studies introduced in the previous sections seem to move inthe same direction towards the building of a sustainable,
environment-conscious society by the application of traditional wisdom ofsustainability in Japan, although they are separate and independent
programs. Also, we are witnessing transformations on a level of tectonic
plate shift beyond what is represented by the now-popular term “eco.” In
addition to programs introduced here, NPOs and social entrepreneurs are
gaining ground, a slow way of life symbolized by the word LOHAS (Lifestyles
Of Health And Sustainability) is spreading, and substantive CSR (Corporate
Society Responsibility) projects – as well as other similar activities -- areunder way in various parts of the country.
However, these nascent moves still represent a minority, waging a solitary
battle. We will need to identify a clear social vision and launch whatevermeasures possible to accelerate these moves and develop them into a solid
movement. As a step in this direction, this will require: (1) Supporting
information-related efforts, for instance, gathering data on best practicecases and communicate them to others, and building data networks; (2)Finding ways to apply the idea underlying such moves at home, school,
workplace and at different occasions; and (3) Developing an institutionalframework to support such activities.

(1) Information
As noted earlier, people engaged in the case studies did not initiate action
with the aim of building a sustainable, eco-conscious society. Most were noteven aware of the traditional wisdom of sustainability in Japan, but merely
worked to tackle the challenges they faced in earnest. More often than not,a social revolution takes shape after a great number of people expend efforts
in a certain direction, without any hint of revolution in the minds of theparticipants. It is the historians in later days who termed it revolution.
Many intellectuals say we are in a transitional period in environmental
evolution. The major players of this revolution are ordinary people, battlingwith challenges at home, workplace, and the local community. It is15

important for us to support their efforts in the information arena to shedlight on the activities of such people and illuminate the direction in which
they are headed.
As an important step in this endeavor, we will need to gather and analyze
the Best Practices as we have done for our cases studies this time, and letthem be known to the world at large through all media channels including
books, magazines and Internet. As seen in the impact of the Japanesemagazine SOTOKOTO had on spreading the idea of LOHAS, taking
advantage of media in one form or another would be of help in spreading the
traditional wisdom of sustainability.
Another powerful tool is the use of awards. An institution framework forawarding individuals and organizations has a great potential to spur
promising activities by setting an example for those that follow andencouraging those being awarded. Based on this understanding, JAES21
launched the “Environment Award for Managers” in 2008 to support
managers waging a challenge to apply the traditional wisdom ofsustainability for the integration of environment and economy. Identifying
excellent activities and introducing them through the media and awards will
inspire those endeavoring towards the same direction to develop a network.
Qualifications of Managers as Leaders of 21st Century Society
1. Courage to disclose information and stand up for fair competition.
2. Foresight to formulate corporate values with prospects for a 100-year,
vision enthusiasm to spread those values, and strategic prowess toaccomplish them.
3. Ability to see through and anticipate the trends of the era in Japanand abroad.
4. Willingness to fulfill responsibilities on social challenges incollaboration with other companies.
5. Ability to bring higher motivation towards work to all employees
based on recognition of the value of labor.
6. Readiness to value ties with the local community and to respect its
tradition and culture.

16

7. Commitment to integrate economy and environment.
8. Determination to refrain from making business too big.
9. Capacity to understand science and promote the application of
traditional wisdom in management.
10. Potential to constantly grasp technological trends and link them withmanagerial development.
11. A sense of awe towards higher beings and things beyond human
intelligence.
12. Faculty to communicate with all stakeholders including NPOs.
Many NPOs have their own networks and links beyond the border, which canbe used to introduce programs and projects as outlined above. This may be
an effective way to effect change in Japan, a nation often described as being
highly vulnerable to and easily influenced by foreign pressure.

(2) Education
Our research done in the past has led us to believe that education that
redefines people’s values plays the most important role in nurturing andspreading the wisdom of sustainability. For people who have reached acertain age, the traditional wisdom of “learning to be fulfilled” and“mottainai” (waste not) represents worn-out values handed down from theold generations. Fortunately, however, these ideas may sound totally new
and fresh to children and young people. Depending on how they arepresented and communicated, such ideas have a great potential to arouse
sympathy among the younger generation.
Education in Japan today has been developed basically with the aim oforienting students to fit a fast-track society based on rapid economic growthin the post-war period. For this reason, it has failed to offer systems or
methods that ease our adaptation to the new, 21st century era. There is aneed to regenerate our education as a system that responds to the needs ofthe new epoch, while maintaining its unchanging objective of “perfection ofcharacter.”
Needless to say, regeneration of education requires a society-wide

17

commitment. Reforming the current educational system and institutionalframework is a must. Redefining our values on education – people’s values
and social values – also plays an integral role. As an NPO, we also suggest
utilizing the private sector, primarily community power, to provide informal
education in various forms in addition to the regular school education. We
came to this conclusion following our research on education during the Edo
period when terakoya schools and private schools were built and run by theprivate sector. Unlike today’s uniform education, teachers in those days
gave one-on-one instruction to their students, teaching the knowledge andskills that are believed to be essential in the future life of each student. It
was an unofficial education system where people with high virtue and desire
to teach instructed students with passion. This is a far cry from thestandardized teachers’ license system in place today.
Also, in today’s Japan, less emphasis is being placed on on-the-job training
and education following the erosion of the life-time employment practices.
On-the-job training assumes an important role in a different way from school
education. The role of NPOs is to communicate to the corporate world,
through various opportunities, that the traditional wisdom of sustainability
for “nurturing the next generation” and respecting communal ties would help
shore up their sustainable management practices, and that these ideas form
the real starting point of CSR, or corporate social responsibility. This is
more important today than ever, when we are being seriously affected by thefinancial crisis and accompanying job insecurity. One way for NPOs tosupport on-the-job training is to introduce and communicate information oncompanies that emphasize such environmental management.

(3) Institutional frameworks
An effective means of supporting the extraordinary efforts to preserve andpass on the traditional wisdom of sustainability is to build institutionalframeworks and mechanisms for such endeavors.
For instance, companies located inside the Kawasaki Eco-Town recycle
resources by utilizing wastes and byproducts. This was facilitated by thesubsidy system targeted on the construction of recycle facilities based on

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recycling laws including the Law for Promotion of Sorted Collection andRecycling of Containers and Packaging and the Eco-Town Policies introduced
in 1997. In addition, the pressure of CO2 reduction by the Kyoto Protocol isbelieved to have induced and accelerated corporate efforts to recycle
materials.
The revival of local Nakao kabuki in Hase district, Ina City led to theconstruction of a fine kabuki house in a rustic farming village, which wasrealized by subsidies by the government (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries). The construction of this facility is believed to haveencouraged people concerned and further reinforced the support of village
residents.
The project for the protection of Oriental White Stork in Toyooka City also
took advantage of subsidy system offered by the national and local (Hyogo
Prefecture) governments. Such grants no doubt have served to facilitate
and motivate people’s protection activities.
As we have seen, the existence of institutional frameworks and mechanisms(including laws and regulations, subsidy systems and remuneration systems)
is effective and indispensable in drawing wise thinking and motivation to act
from citizens and businesses as well as encouraging and supporting suchactivities. As the number of such systems in place is still small in Japan,
NPOs will need to work on the society to build systems and frameworks topreserve the intangible assets of traditional wisdom and spiritual culture in
Japan.

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2. Future Challenges and Outlook for Application of the Traditional Wisdomof Sustainability in the 21st Century
This project is beginning to attract attention at a deeper level and wider
range than we had expected. However, it is undeniable that the project would
involve some challenges if it is to be applied as a spiritual foundation forovercoming the difficulties affecting the world today.
First and foremost, we need to evolve Japan’s traditional wisdom ofsustainability into a new value system suitable for the twenty-first century
by examining the traditional wisdom from historical and scientificperspectives to explore the meaning of the value systems developed in the
Edo period (1603–1867) in the current context.
The traditional wisdom of sustainability, which we compiled into eight points,
was primarily formed, shared and sustained among people in the Edo period.
As such, the wisdom was perfectly adapted to the political, social andeconomic conditions of the time when people depended on such values. On
the other hand, traditional wisdom does not encompass the prerequisites ofour modern society, as represented by scientific research, notions of freedom
and equality -- which constitute the pillar of democracy -- and the principlesof transparent and open governance under the rule of democratic
government. These values were neither suited to nor were they necessary
under the social, political and economic conditions in the Edo period.
Mr. Shizuka Hashimoto of the National Institute for Environmental Studies
argues: “The reason why the Japanese have accepted and maintained theirtraditional wisdom over a long period of time is because living on the basis ofsuch values was considered a rational and reasonable alternative, given thenatural and social restrictions of the time, and not because such values wereconsidered ideal. In other words, people placed emphasis on spiritual
affluence and shaped the norm of learning to be fulfilled precisely because
they had to devise and develop skills and ingenuity to survive by dealing
with nature and because technological standards then were not powerfulenough to handle the forces of nature. This also applies to the social tendency
to seek harmony. For example, in traditional rice-growing societies in Japan,

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villagers worked together to plant and harvest rice, renovate roofs and doother works that required vast amount of labor under a collaborative
framework term the yui. People valued harmony and maintained it as asocial norm because they had to depend on others for mutual support andcooperation to accomplish much of their daily work.”
As we accept these facts of life with all sincerity, we need to translate thesewords of wisdom into contemporary language to recreate them into a rational
value system suitable for the borderless global world of the 21st century.
Second, another challenge we face is to restructure the traditional wisdom inJapan into a global value system of sustainability. To make this happen, we
need to start by developing international communication tools to gather,
extract and condense such wisdom from around the world, while
disseminating information on the traditional wisdom of sustainability inJapan.
We have found that the traditional wisdom of sustainability we surveyed infact was not something that is peculiar to Japan but one that can beconsidered to have been shared by many different races and peoples of theworld. At our meetings in cooperation with the United Nations University(UNU) and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES),
participants from France, India, China, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Britain andother countries examined traditional wisdom in Japan with a critical eye incomparison with that in their own countries. At the same time, many
participants noted with much empathy that traditional wisdom akin to thatin Japan had also existed in their countries. This suggests that thetraditional wisdom in Japan, which developed in the Edo period, is not a
product of particular conditions of this country. Rather, the wisdom may
represent values many people in the world can share and identify with.
Since what we perceived as the traditional wisdom of sustainability in Japannow seems to have more global roots, we may need to delete the word “inJapan” from our previous expression, “traditional wisdom of sustainability inJapan.” This would enable us to reconstruct the value system as a form of
wisdom crystallized by different races and peoples through life experiences21

accumulated prior to the first half of the 20th century.
Third, we need to develop effective communication tools to gain a broad
public understanding of the traditional wisdom of sustainability andencourage many people to act on its principles.
Most eco-minded, good-natured people approve of the idea of traditional
wisdom of sustainability, at least on the surface, but those who actually put
it into practice are few. As a matter of fact, most of us know these issues areimportant but often find it difficult to put them into action. Solving thisdilemma may be the key to winning greater acceptance of the wisdom ofsustainability among the public. We need to analyze the factors that hamper
understanding and obstruct action, and develop more effective
communication tools by examining the factors affecting people’s
understanding and actions.
Based on this recognition, we at JAES21 launched jointly with Waseda
University a project this year to globally promote our traditional wisdom ofsustainability beyond language barriers and different customs. Our aim is tointegrate wisdom that exists in many parts of the world in different forms.
As part of this project, we started a self-propagating type of forum as a newcommunication tool designed to gather and promote the wisdom ofsustainability in Japan and the rest of the world. More specifically, we plan
to develop web contents that capture the essence of our wisdom in the form ofcomputer graphic animation, manga cartoons, digital picture-story shows
and other easy-to-understand format. To tap the response to such contents,
we will run a forum that calls on visitors to send in their ideas andobservations on the subject in their own part of the world. At the same time,
we will launch an online questionnaire to gauge how such contents are being
understood, how they are being translated into action as well as factors thatthwart their action. The data collected through the forum will be examinedin the contemporary context from the perspectives of society, culture, custom,social convention (social science), history, technology and environmental
behavioral psychology. Our aim is to restructure such data into the wisdomof sustainability with global ramifications and perspective. Furthermore,
we will develop environmental education tools in the form of instructional

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materials and text based on the wisdom of sustainability for all sectors
including schools, companies and families, to prompt people into action.
As it is not easy for our NPO to conduct such surveys and research on ourown, we envisage working together with UNU, IGES and other organizations
to share the achievements of case study research in the area of the wisdom ofsustainability, and if possible, run a joint project to further refine our forum.
In addition, we hope to collaborate with universities, other NPOs andresearch institutions in the compilation of web contents, forum managementand development of communication tools. Our vision is to assume a role of a
global center for gathering, analyzing and disseminating case studies thatshow how the traditional wisdom that has been passed on around the worldis being applied in present-day living and economic activities.

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