Negative Aspects Of Japan's Economic Development

In Japan's culture and history, the Tokugawa (Edo) period appears to be the prelude of the new industrial country, before the significant changes had roots. It was named by Edo city, which constituted as the main residence of the shogun and concurrently was the political-administrative core of Japan. This period can be characterized as a relatively stable and peaceful life for the Japanese population roughly during 260 years (1603-1867), thriving off the samurai and urban culture and the prohibition of Christianity and its connection with the Western side of the world. Later, the Meiji restoration (1868-1889), played an essential role in the country's turning into a well-developed state that was organized by Samurai and using their ethics, which turned Japan into a leading economy country. Hence replacing the undeveloped agricultural nation by focusing on their fledgling political, military, social and economic reform complexes "at any cost".

Throughout the centuries, country has attained incredible achievements and still have been keeping 3 major goals: eliminate feudal classes, open Japan to the West and compound a powerful nation containing "eastern (samurai)" ethnics with "western" scientific knowledge. The action of further economic development of Japan, despite its relatively high level of life-expectancy has negatively reverberated towards country's environmental and population's health conditions. Consequently, giving up moral, humanity issues.

To begin with, the main catalyst caused by increasing economic status constitutes a growing indexes of polluted and contaminated air in urban societies. From historical archives, it can be clearly seen, that growing propensity to pollution has been commenced since Tokugawa period. According to Peter N., during period of Edo there appeared to be a significant expansion of exploiting transport systems, that meant the results from rising urbanization (Oxford University press,2008). By the first half of the 17th century, japanese population experienced an immense growth from 18 to 30 million people in 1600 and 1720 respectively.

In contemporary society, two thirds of whole population live only on 1% of state's area, it means that there is not enough space for people and percentage of parks on territory created only 11%, consequently, the pressure with population density have an upward trend. There has been documented a precedent, when special materials for constructing architectural and sealed buildings released an "indoor air pollution" (Kenichi Azuma, 2008). In the other words, this Sick House syndrome caused diverse health problems in human' s organism such as annoyance in eye, throat and nose spheres, simple sickness, confusion etc. However, individuals from the government strived to tackle this issue in order to stabilize synthetic materials, government altered components by including formaldehyde-highly toxicated poison emission. As a result, due to abundance of chemicals within architectural details, given measure was almost futile.

A before mentioned disease negatively affects on all population involving infants, retired people of all genders. Furthermore, incidents associated with air pollution took place after the second World War, when knowledge of pesticides was expanding. Although exploitation of chlordane or dieldrin-incredibly harmful for human health pesticide was inhibited in 1986, due to its bioaccumulating attribute, hence ingestions in vast amounts could bring damage to human's immune system. Conclusively, fledgling manufactured materials are blamed due to its dangerous consequences towards japanese people, that cause a tremendous discomfort in their lives.

Another one evidence supporting argument that economic growth of Japan in most cases poorly reverberates on its population health condition is Minamata disease (Rober J.R., 2016). A disease of toxification from methyl mercury, that caused plethora neurological problems of Japan's population. The root factor appeared to be the chemical compounds from factories near to the Minimota bay. When the indefinite amount of mercury was consumed by fishes, it has gone through the entire food chain until it reached directly to the top-human. Moreover, the Minamata disease touched not only human race and amphibianas, cats,dogs,birds were also psychologically sick. The main reason for this disaster was illegally dumping mercury for decades.

Interestingly, a person, whose name is Rachel Carson wrote a book named "Silent Spring", and who warned people about this incident, but nobody listened to her. As a result, according to Ministry of the environment, quantity of deaths accounted to 1542 people and roughly 100 billion yen were devoted in order to indemnify the physical damage for victims of disease per year. Even throughout centuries, Japan has not dealt with air pollution and water contamination issues despite their economic status. In contrast with environmental disasters from air and water pollution associated with economic development of Japan, considerable radiation scale from explosion of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant hast brought plethora significant damages both physically and mentally to its population and environmental health in 2011.

Firstly, this phenomenon appeared to be a catalyst of a massive underwater earthquake, that spurred an emergence of great Tsunami, which reached approximately 35 meters at the top. Consequently, Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant in Tohoku region was demolished by environmental power and stimulated unexpected evacuation of easter part of Japan's population in order to bolster people not to get under nuclear fallout impaction despite that it has already affected 100000 people by radiation (Sasha Davis & Jessica Hayes-Conroy ,2017). Moreover, merchants of producing and manufacturing meat commoditiessuffered from inability to sell their products due to the either probability of contaminated by radiation meat or people's altered preferences as even products were healthy, there is always could be a risk of getting poor effect on immune system. Furthermore, according to Sasha Davis and Jessica Hayes, Nuclear Plant's meltdown has made a lot of farmable areas unsuitable for crop for many decades. Finally, it is evident that Nuclear plants represent more risks than was initially assumed and that such developments can turn people's life into the "agonie".

In summary, three points have been analyzed here. To what extent was Japan's economic growth a danger to its population and environment "at any cost". Firstly, it has been found that air pollution constitutes one of the earliest issues in Japan and its still have not solved, hence the Japanese people are still suffering from this phenomenon. Secondly, water contamination in Minamata Bay, which led to a plethora of hazards to the country's flora, fauna and humanity’s social life as catalyst of factories' emissions. Thirdly, Nuclear power plants represents high risks mainly to nearby areas, making it completely futile for a living.

Taking everything into consideration, it must be concluded that most objects of modernization in Japan negatively affected on social-environmental health and I do not agree that japanese should follow development "at any cost". Moreover, Samurai ethics, while producing a great economy, also allowed other problems and issues to arise.