Research on Eco-Towns in Japan - UNEP

3. Case study1: Kawasaki Eco-Town
3-3 Background
3-3-1 Socio-Economical Background
(1) Development of Keihin Industrial Area
Land reclamation of the Kawasaki Coastal Area began in Meiji Period (1868-1919), and the
area began to be industrialized with the full-scale reclamation in 1913. The policies to
invite industries since Meiji Period made rapid progress in heavy chemical industry, such as
steel, machineries, electricity, oil or shipbuilding, which concentrated in the area.
In 1950s, after the World War II, Japan enjoyed high economic growth, and Kawasaki
Coastal Area was not an exception; large-scale industrial plants became more and more
concentrated in the area.
On the other hand, accelerated industrialization of the coastal area resulted in a
phenomenal increase in fuel and industrial water consumption, and also caused air and
water quality degradation due to the discharge of pollutants from factories. The air pollution
caused by smoke and soot discharged from factories was especially serious; sulfur oxide
concentrations of 0.09ppm was observed, which threatened the health and living
environment of the public.
In such a situation, popular protests against industrial pollutions became common in the
coastal area as well as all around Japan. The national government hesitated to initiate
bold actions on pollution issues, however, because of its priority to pursue further economic
growth. Meanwhile, being at the center of the problem, the municipalities who could reflect
the needs of the citizens more easily than the national government began to launch various
measures to solve the issues ahead of the national government. The Kawasaki City
Ordinance for Pollution Prevention was formulated in 1972. Kawasaki deployed progressive
approaches such as setting the environmental targets stricter than those used nationally, or
introducing a new system of regulation of total emission. The industries in Kawasaki kept
developing innovative technologies to deal with these regulations, which resulted in a
considerable decrease of the pollutants discharge (See fig.3-3). Going through the history
described above, Kawasaki City established a basis for cleaner and safer technologies,
strong awareness of the public and administration, and public-private partnerships.
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