This chapter provides an overview of the history of life, industry and the environment in the Tokyo Bay area during the 20th century. Throughout this period, much of the Tokyo Bay area was reclaimed and large factories which consumed a great deal of imported resources and energy were built. This contributed to Japan's rapid economic growth, a precursor to the East Asian miracle, but it also brought environmental destruction, such as air pollution and destruction of the natural coastline, as well as keeping ordinary citizens and fishermen away from the seashore. However, there have been some attempts to correct these external diseconomies, and this chapter also introduces some of these attempts to provide some hints for achieving sustainable growth in the 21st century.

Introduction

Tokyo Bay is located at the center of Greater Tokyo, the world's largest megacity with a population of 38 million people. The bay has a total area of 1,380 km2 and a total coastline of 775 km. It is sandwiched between the Bōsō Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture to the east, the Miura Peninsula in Kanagawa Prefecture to the west, and the Kanto Plain including the Tokyo metropolis and surrounding areas to the north. More precisely, the sea area is north of the line connecting Sunosaki in Tateyama City, Chiba Prefecture, on the Bōsō Peninsula and Kenzaki in Miura City, Kanagawa Prefecture, on the Miura Peninsula. The area north of the line connecting Cape Futtsu in Futtsu City, Chiba Prefecture, and Kannonzaki in Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture, is called the Inner Bay, and the area to its south is called the Outer Bay. Tokyo Bay has a variety of sights, such as a group of factories including a petrochemical complex, a fish market in Toyosu (formerly located in Tsukiji, near Ginza) in Tokyo, Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu City, Chiba Prefecture, New Tokyo International Airport in Haneda, Ota Ward, and a beach in Miura City, Kanagawa Prefecture. Yokosuka City in Kanagawa Prefecture is also home to a US Navy base, the only non-US homeport for an aircraft carrier.