Japan: The Land of Tea
According to these statistics, Japan is very well off as a country according to their SDG's. The sustainable development goals were implemented by the government establishing a new cabinet body called the “SDG Promotion Headquarters.” The Prime Minister is the head of this agency in which he establishes and monitors cooperation among other ministries and government agencies to ensure the understanding and effective implementation of the SDGs. (SDG, 2017) The cost of implementing the SDGs overall for the United Nations is estimated to be approximately $11.5 trillion, including $1.5 trillion per year and that is just for the first SDG alone. This is not specific to Japan itself, but includes all members of the United Nations. (Giddens, 2018)
Although Japan deals with about 1,500 seismic occurrences a year, as well as threat of tsunamis, they have a decent climate. Despite their slight struggle with air pollution from power plant emissions which causes acid rain, thereafter affecting water quality. They planned on straying away from nuclear power. (CIA, 2011) This is no longer an issue for the country since there has been a change. Although Japan lacks natural energy resources, they have fish, coal, liquified natural gas and oil. These resources promote a more green living environment. This is being addressed by the country, resulting in the “achievement of good health and longevity.” (SDG, 2017)
Citations
Giddens, M. (2018, May 25). The SDGs Are An Opportunity, Not Just A Challenge. Retrieved December 7, 2019, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/michelegiddens/2018/05/24/the-sdgs-are-an-opportunity-not-just-a-challenge/#2ec9cee43ef5.
Japan .:. Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform. (n.d.). Retrieved December 7, 2019, from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/memberstates/japan.
Pariona, A. (2017, August 1). What Do the Colors and Symbols of the National Flag of Japan Mean? Retrieved December 7, 2019, from https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-do-the-colors-and-symbols-of-the-national-flag-of-japan-mean.html.
The World Factbook: Japan. (2018, February 1). Retrieved December 7, 2019, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ja.html.
Hi Ma'k'la,
ReplyDeleteI would like to start off by saying that I really enjoyed your post. Very organized and the layout is appealing. Your post is also well written. Japan has done well overall for good health and well-being. This says that Japan takes the health and well-being of their people seriously and has taken the steps to keep it that way. According to Kume (2017) from the Japan for Sustainability Newsletter, Japan leads the world in terms of longevity and has aimed to build Smart Wellness Cities (Kume, 2017). The Smart Wellness Cities project will help encourage residents to walk; especially among the aging population that Japan has in order to achieve health and longevity. Japan keeps working on projects and is still holding strong to being a country that values health and longevity. Japan is definitely a role model when it comes to the goal of Health and Well-being.
Reference:
Kume, Y. (2017, June). Lets Enjoy Walking for the Benefits of Better Health--Smart Wellness Point Project. Japan for Sustainability. Retrieved from: https://www.japanfs.org/en/news/archives/news_id035856.html
Hi Ma'k'la
ReplyDeleteYour post was magnificent. I have always heard such good things about Japan and China. Especially in academics. It seems that Japan is doing well compared to Russia which is what I used for my final blog. There was not a lot for me to go on for Russia. I wish the United States was a role model like Japan. We would be much better off. The United States is doing the least it can to complete sustainable development goals. I love Japan. My moms best friends mother was Japanese. She would always tell me stories about where she grew up. The last time she went back and came back she told me about all the improvements that had been done. She said her home town was doing the best it had ever seen it. I am glad Japan is doing so well.
Hello Ma’k’la,
ReplyDeleteEven though I know Japan is a very good country based on all the analysis you did, there is also another side of the story, specifically how its youth look for the future. Young people’s tobacco use is high, and 67% of the young people that were surveyed related how stressful they feel about their lives. Another scary statistic is how many there participate in self harm; the statistics show 25 deaths per 100,000 young people, when the index average is 16 deaths. The last surveys in Japan shows a trend in how countries with very well being status have a very weak youth perception of the future. In addition, surveys show that young Japanese are worried to be bullied or fear violence at school or at work. Only 16% said they feel they are going to have a better living standard than their parents. I think the government needs to work more so the youth population can have a better participation, as the youth surveys shows that only 24% feel the government cares about their needs. This is a very low percentage in comparison to the 32% average. If the government does this, it will improve the overall opinion the youth population have about all topics.
The Global Youth Wellbeing Index (2017). Despite the country’s strong economy , young people surveyed in Japan worry about their future standard of living. Retrieved from
https://www.youthindex.org/country/japan
Karina Aguirre
Hey Ma’k’la,
ReplyDeleteloved your post, Japan's culture is well known for being at the top of the charts when it comes to self-care and life expectancy. And the main reason I think that is is simply due to the fact that their cultural food is always made up of wholesome foods that provide necessary nutrients that citizens of other countries never get just by eating, that is why you see a lot of Americans taking dietary pills to make up for the many deficiencies. Diet is one reason for the country's population of "centenarians," or people older than 100 years. When the Japanese eat meat, they eat mostly heart-healthy fish, rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Other popular foods include tofu, seaweed, and octopus, all of which carry a low risk for some cancers and arteriosclerosis. Not to mention that Japan's health care system is one of the most accessible in the world. The government pays 70 percent of the cost of all health procedures and up to 90 percent for low-income citizens.