Environmental Problems in Japan and Developing Countries : A Comparative View from World System Theory

Research Project

Project/Area Number	06801024
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Research Field	社会学(含社会福祉関係)
Research Institution	Nara University
Principal Investigator	HIRAOKA Yoshikazu Faculty of Social Research, Nara University, Assosiate Professor, 社会学部, 助教授 (40181143)
Project Period (FY)	1994 – 1995
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 1995)
Budget Amount *help	¥1,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000) Fiscal Year 1995: ¥500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000) Fiscal Year 1994: ¥700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000)
Keywords	world system / comparative study / copper-mining / social mobility / Asio case / PASAR case / 環境問題の加害構造 / 電化 / 比較研究 / 足尾鉱毒事件 / フィリピンの環境問題 / 被害民の移住 / 労働移動 / インフォーマルセクター
Research Abstract	From world system perspective, this study tries to compare environmental problems in Japan and developing countries. Since the Industrial Revolution, various environmental problems have been caused by the industrialization process. Figures of environmental ploblems depend on their historic and geographic location in world system that shapes theprocess of industrialization. Guided by this idea, following two cases are compared and considered : the pollution ploblem in Asio copper-mine during Meiji era, and a similar ploblem caused by PASAR (Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Company), a copper refining factory in LIDE (Leyte Industrial Estate) in the contemporary PHilippines. The following findings are obtained about the causes and consequences of the above two ploblems. First, as a backgroud of the problems, demand for the copper wire was increased due to the expansion of world wide electrification. The expansion took place in Europe and U.S.a. in the former, in Asia in the latter case. The way pollution occured was different as well. The Asio pollution was due to the lack of anti-pollution technology at that time. On the contorary, PASAR company did not adopt the adequate technology for the sake of cost reduction that, in turn, can be attributed to the intensified competition in world system. In spite of these differences, in both cases the government approved the company's action, and oppressed the victims' protest movement. Second, the farmers and fishermen were pushed out from their homeland, because of the pollution in both cases. Although farmers moved to new places to continue farming in the Asio case, those who were expelled away had to change their jobs and became part-time unskilled workers in the PASAR case. The discrepancy between the two is attributed to different phases in world system.