What do readers imagine when they hear the words “environmental history in Japan”? Many people might think first of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The air pollution in Yokkaichi or Itai-itai disease in Toyama are also well known. However, this book does not deal with the above case studies head-on. Rather, it actively focuses on themes that are not necessarily well-known outside of Japan and may not even be well-known within Japan. Using this approach, we believe we can present a more vivid picture of Japan's environmental history to our readers, moving away from clichés.

This book, compiled with these intentions in mind, would not have been possible without the contributions of many people, of course.

First, the contributors to this book responded sincerely to my difficult request that they write a chapter that explains their unique issues and perspectives in a way that readers—specialists and non-specialists alike—would understand and value.

Second, the reviewers of this book read through the draft and appreciated the fact that it was written largely by Japanese speakers who had little experience presenting in English on a variety of fascinating topics.

Third, I would like to thank Mark Gresham, Managing Director of MHM Limited. He supported me, anxious about editing a book in English for the first time, by his meticulous editing work down to the smallest detail. I will never forget the beers we drank together at the yakitori restaurant “Saezuri” in Kyoto and the conversations we had about our lives.

Notes on the Romanization of Japanese

The Hepburn system of romanization has been used for Japanese terms, including the names of persons and places. Long vowels are indicated by a macron, except for place names and words that are in everyday use in English (such as Tokyo). The Japanese custom of placing the family name first has been followed for the names of Japanese persons. In the case of citations of works in English by Japanese authors, we have deferred to the romanization style and name order given in the original work.