11.9.19

Sustainable livelihood and happiness generationin Minamata-city, Japan:

A model for endogenous community development

Takayoshi KUSAGOAssociate Professor

Global Collaboration CenterOsaka University

24-26 November 2008

Session 6: Sociology of Sustainable Development4th GNH International Conference

Thimpu, Bhutan

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Background GNH in Bhutan is a local-grown concept, which leads the country to

achieve one form of endogenous development. If endogenousdevelopment path is critical for realizing a sustainable and happysociety, it is worth while to review a country’s development if it isendogenous or exogenous. How about Japan?

Japan started her modernization strategy more than 120 years ago,after its Meiji restoration. Now Japan has become the secondlargest economic superpower in the world. However, as Kusago(2007, 2008) has reviewed, this economic growth did not improvepeople’s life satisfaction for the last three decades. (Easterlin’sParadox)

Is there any way to transform a development path from exogenousto endogenous?

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Endogenous development:Happiness and Engaged Development

Endogenous development approach wasproposed by Tsurumi in the 1970s in Japan: Development model initiated by local people with their

own ideas and action – full use of local-resource, localcreativity and key persons.

Japanese Modernization after Meiji restoration is seen asexogenous – borrowing concept of development fromoutside.

Community0based development is the center ofendogenous development path.

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Japanese Development: High on HDGDP Growth and GDP per capita

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

YearM

illio

n Ye

n

-4.0

-2.0

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

GDP per capitaGDP growth

School Enrolment for Secondary and Higher Education

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Year

% High schoolUniversity

Life Expectancy at Birth in Japan

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

1947 1955 1965 1975 1985 1995 2005

Year

Years

of l

ife

MaleFemale

ECONOMIC GROWTH:Per Capita GDP

EDUCATION: Enrolment RatesHEALTH: Life Expectancy

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Japanese Development: Problems

Industrial pollution Air-pollution Noise problems Water-pollution

Environmental Degradation Stress (commuting, less

time with family, etc.)

Suicide cases per 100,000

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

1947

1950

1955

1960

1965

1970

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

Year

AllMaleFemale

SUICIDE CASES: Sharp increase

Trend on Overall Life Satisfaction

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

100.0%

1978 1981 1984 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005

Year

Share

of re

spond

ents (

%)

Never SatisfiedNot SatisfiedNot sureSatisfiedVery Satisfied

11.9.19平成23年 9月 19日

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

1978 1981 1984 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999

Year

million Yen

0

25

50

75

100

Share of population with satisfaied and very satisfaied

with their life（％）Per Capita GDP

Share of Population with satisfied

Income vs. Happiness (Easterlin Paradox)

Could we find a clue to solve the paradox? Is there a real case at the community level based on

endogenous approach to challenge this problem?

(Subjective data from Survey of Lifestyles and Needs, Cabinet Office)

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A story from Minamata

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Minamata: Expectation Despair Hope

Minamata is a city benefitied from themoderbnization through industrial developmentin Japan Chisso company set up its factory (1908) This company had been one fo the few leading

chemical companies in Japan by the 1950s ideal job creation with the economic development

strategy local people first welcomed before thedisease was discovered!

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Minamata: Expectation Despair Hope

Minamata Disaease occurred in the 1950s by thedischarged polluted water from the chisso company tothe sea through food chain, and people’s long strugglestarted and continue for more than four decades. Thismade the Minamat community less viable, demise of agood old community atmosphere and conflicts seenfrequent among people in the same neighbourhood overcompensation, etc,.and the city became full of hatredand hopelessness among people. Destroyed psychological well-being of the disease patinets, and

deprived ordinary people’s dignity and idenity as a Minamatan.

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Minamata: Expectation Despair Hope

However, people and local government tookaction to change the city with their own ideas,plan, actions since the early 1990s.

Let us look at how Minamata turned around itscommunity from despair to hope

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Turning point:Elected a good leader: Mayor’s Action in 1994

From the 1950s to the early1990s, government – central,prefectural and city governments – did not assist much forthose who suffered from the Minamata disease.

However, in 1994, Mr. Yoshii Masazumi was elected as theMayor of Minamata-city. He delivered a historic speech atthe memorial ceremony for the victims of the Minamatadisease. His message was contrition and apology, and he stated that the

city’s past actions on Minamata disease had been mistaken andproposed a solution for dialogue as Japanese people did in the olddays to solve a problem at the community level. This made a hugeimpact over the course of the Minamata disease issues.

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Mr. Yoshii’s action Solving compensation issues for the Minamata disease patients Change the style of the local government: from people

participation to government participation (into people) Promoted some who used to be regarded as eccentric in the city

hall

From exogenous (central-gov led) to endogenous (own development goals and agenda) approach

Turning point:Elected a good leader: Mayor’s Action in 1994

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A Minamata vision:coexistence with environment

Minamata-city’s strategy to become a leading city onenvironment. The city formulated its development plan with citizen’s

participation and it came up with the environmental model cityidea.

Environmantal meister in Minamata – key persons inenvironmental management and healthy food production

Voluntary Women’s group to reduce waste at home and at shops Community currency introduced by the women’s groups Eco-business industrial zone

In 2008, Minamata is selected as one of the six leading model cityon environment in Japan

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Innovative rural community revitalization and empowermenttool: Neighborhood Study Method

Neighborhood Study Method (JIMOTOGAKU): effectivetool to restore and empower rural communities inMinamata. A tool to promote communication among local people by

interaction with visitors. Balance in three types of ECONOMY: self-consumption, community

currency, national currency Aware of local ENVIRONMENT and local CULTURE as wealth GOVERNANCE: local action and empowerment

A community in Minamata with this method has received aaward from the central government as one of the most viablecommunities in Japan.

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Vision:

Alternative Development Path and Action

Action:

Innovation with Local Ideas

Plan:

Environmental Model City

Minamata’s path and goals

Ultimate goals: SUSTAINABLITY, HAPINESS, HOPE at the local level

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GNH and MinamataEndogenous Development Practice

Minamata has changed its priority among differentdevelopment goals by placing less on monotoniceconomic gains and more on people’s positiveatmosphere (joy, happy, and hopeful)

GNH’s Four pillars are the keys of Minamata action Three types of economy Environment preservation Transfer local cuktural heritage from the elderly to the youth Good leadership and local empowerment

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Concluding remarks Minamata has given us:

lessons related to material prosperity and lopsided growth model; Minamata is not someone else’s problem for countries to strive for economic

growth with technology – somone call GNP as gross national pollution. a good pratice to turn things around to people-led sustainable community

development. It is hard to start a endogenous path in the middle of the pursuit of

economic prosperity. However, as Minamata shows, visionary leader,people-initiated social design, participation through dialigue andcommunication could lead change in the direction.

GNH’s Four pillars are the keys of Minamata action Three types of economy Environment preservation Transfer local cuktural heritage from the elderly to the youth Good leadership and local empowerment

There must be many like Minamata and it is importace to search for suchgood practice in line with sustainable well-being enhancement.

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On-going GNH-related activities in Japan(sustainablity, happiness, hope)

In Japan, some unique initiatives are on-going: Minamata’s initiative (and other community based activities in Japan) Arakawa-ward in Tokyo:Gross Arakawa Happiness E’s Japan and JFS (Japan for Sustainability): Ms. Edahiro and Mr.

Oda A lecture series on happiness and sustainability

GNH-institute and Japan-Bhutan Freidnship Association: Mr.Hirayama andMr. Yuge

Slow Life Movement and GNH

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Thank youKadrinche

tkusago@gmail.com