Introduction to Environmental Economics and Policy in Japan

This textbook demonstrates how economic theories can be used for environmental policy evaluations. A notable feature of this book is that, unlike most textbooks in environmental economics written in English, it draws on examples from Japan’s policy on energy, resource, pollution, and carbon emissions. Policy measures discussed in this book include controls on motor vehicle emissions, pricing of waste disposal,  deposit-refund scheme for recycling, carbon taxes and emissions trading schemes. With topics involving transboundary environmental concerns such as climate change, air pollution, and waste management and recycling, the book also integrates international perspectives and provides comparisons of policies across regions and countries. A major objective of this book is to present a concise and accessible introduction to environmental economics as applied to policy evaluations in and beyond Japan. The knowledge available from this book must be very useful for students, policymakers and practitioners who seek environmental policy solutions from an economic point of view.

This is an open access book.

Dr. Toshi H. Arimura is a professor of Political Science and Economics and Director of the Research Institute for Environment Economics and Management at Waseda University in Tokyo. Prior to joining Waseda, he was a professor at Sophia University in Tokyo and was a visiting scholar with George Mason University and Resources for the Future as a recipient of the Abe Fellowship. His research interests include climate change, energy policies, air pollution regulations, and voluntary environmental actions. Dr. Arimura holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Minnesota, an M.Sc. in environmental sciences from the University of Tsukuba, and a B.A. in history of science from the University of Tokyo. He has served on a number of Japanese government committees on environmental issues including the committees on carbon pricing (2018)  of the environmental council under Ministry of the Environment and on GX-ETS (2022) under Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry. He is currently a visiting Scholar to Paris School of Economics and Sciences Po. 

Dr. Akira Hibiki is a professor at Graduate School of Economics and Management and a director at Research Center for Policy Design at Tohoku University. He also serves as a head of a Research Group at National Institute for Environmental Studies and a consulting fellow at Research Institute of Economy, Trade, and Industry (RIETI). Prior to joining Tohoku University, he was a professor at Sophia University, a head of Environmental Economics Section at National Institute for Environmental Studies, and an associate professor at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan. He also served as a president of Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies in Japan (2018–2020). His research centers on topics related to environmental and resource economics.