Green Branding in Japan Is Underpinned by a Strong Environmental Ethos

The Conservation Mindset of the Japanese People
As discussed in our July article The Changing Energy Landscape of Post-Fukushima Japan, the Great East Japan Earthquake radically altered the country's energy equation. Most importantly, renewable energy resources -- which had formerly been seen more as a social good rather than a solution to energy shortfalls -- became central to the discussion of how to ensure a safe, sustainable, and affordable power supply.

Fortunately, in meeting its energy challenges, Japan builds on a strong tradition of environmental consciousness that should ease the path to boosting supplies from alternative sources. An April 2009 Gallup survey ranked Japan first among 127 nations in awareness of global warming, with an almost astonishing 99% of Japanese people saying they knew "something" or a "great deal" about it. In an Ipsos MORI survey conducted one month before the Earthquake, when asked, "What are the three most important environmental issues facing your country today?," some 48% of Japanese respondents said global warming -- placing Japan third among 24 countries in its concern about greenhouse gas emissions...

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