Japan is a nation committed to green energy projects, especially after the Triple Disaster of 2011 which resulted in significant nuclear fallout impacts. The Japanese government has funded numerous new renewable projects including solar panels, biomass and hydrogen fuel. The Japanese dream of the hydrogen society will be achieved through a combination of all these renewable sources.

For a ‘hydrogen society’ to exist and function efficiently, it would require in-situ production to alleviate transportation problems (Marbán 2007). This entails establishing within a given region, a hydrogen production facility connected to all hydrogen consuming structures via an underground network of pipelines capable of sustaining peripheral energy demands. This model has already been put into practice experimentally in the town of Kitakyushu in Japan (World’s Largest… 2009) and will be established in the Chuo Ward of Tokyo which will be home to the 2020 Olympic Village (Matthew 2015). In both situations, the pipeline supplies hydrogen fuel to hydrogen stations that will fill fuel vehicles with their required propellant, as well as supplying buildings equipped with fuel cells.

Hydrogen is a form of energy which if produced efficiently, can contain large amounts of power and is versatile in that it can provide power to both buildings and vehicles. The production of this hydrogen fuel can be done cleanly through the process of electrolysis, due the fact that this process only requires an electric current. Because Japan is investing in so many new renewable power sources, they could theoretically be able to produce large amounts of hydrogen in a clean fashion. If their efforts in solar panel construction, and biomass fuel are successful, then hydrogen too becomes more of a reality. In this way, hydrogen power is reliant on other power sources which could be considered its largest drawback, and is a large reason that Japan has decided to import large amounts of it.

Unfortunately, hydrogen fuel has not fully caught on globally, in part due to the limitations of the technology. Japan does not produce a large amount of hydrogen, yet instead relies on import from competing nations, such as Australia and Norway (Karagiannopoulos 2017). Marbán (2007) presents an interesting model for the eventual adoption of hydrogen fuel in which different regions develop hydrogen fuel with different methods specialized to a specific region. For example, electrolysis could be used in an area like British Columbia where hydroelectric power is abundant, however, there may be a lack sufficient abundances in a Japanese landscape. It is in this circumstance in which the development of Japanese renewable energy sources become key. Because they already draw most of their power from nuclear reactors, they might be inclined to utilize them for new hydrogen production. This practice would of course be considered less impactful than Australia’s coal fuelled hydrogen production, for example, but nuclear power comes with its own set of risks which the nation of Japan knows all too well.

Japan has proven themselves a committed proponent in the interests of environmental degradation prevention. This has been shown particularly through their efforts in the solar energy field, in which they have constructed the third most amount of solar capacity in the world behind China and Germany (Pentland 2017), and they are not slowing down. By the end of 2017, they plan to have installed 8GW worth of solar panels. Biomass energy is also gaining momentum, as Japan’s output is expected to increase by 50% by 2020 to a significant 1.7GW (Japan’s Biomass 2017). This is a huge amount in both fields, especially considering much of it could potentially be put towards the production of hydrogen, further reducing reliance on nuclear and fossil fuels.

References

Japan’s biomass power capacity seen growing 50% by early 2020s. (2017, September 07).

Retrieved November 30, 2017, from https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Trends/Japan-s-

biomass-power-capacity-seen-growing-50-by-early-2020s

Marbán, G., & Valdés-Solís, T. (2007). Towards the hydrogen economy?. International Journal of

Hydrogen Energy, 32(12), 1625-1637.

Mathew, J. (2015, January 06). Japan plans to develop 2020 Olympics Village into ‘hydrogen

town’. Retrieved November 23, 2017, from http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/japan-plans-

develop-2020-olympics-village-into-hydrogen-town-1482091

Pentland, W. (2017, January 23). Japan’s Solar Boom Is Accelerating. Retrieved November 30,

2017, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/williampentland/2017/01/23/japans-solar-boom-

is-accelerating/#7269645332c9

Worlds Largest Hydrogen Town Project Starts in Japan｜JFS Japan for Sustainability. (2009,

January 29). Retrieved November 23, 2017, from https://www.japanfs.org/en/news/

archives/news_id028694.html

Okinawa is a region which has seen adversity in almost every era of its existence. Originally known as the Ryukyu Empire, it was colonized by Japan, which then attempted to destroy its culture and force it to assimilate with the rest of the Japanese Empire. Okinawa then struggled through the Pacific War as Americans and Japanese troops fought over the island’s strategic location. Postwar, Okinawa has suffered through extensive American occupation and a lack of support from its Japanese colonizers. The Okinawan people have held together though with the help of a popular public figure who, through his performances and teachings, has given the people of Okinawa hope.

In 1879, after brief negotiations fell through with the Chinese and Americans, the Meiji government of Japan officially annexed the Ryukyu Empire, declaring it the Okinawa Prefecture. It wasn’t long before the people of Ryukyu began to resent their new Japanese leaders as there was a deliberate attempt to destroy their culture and language. This was primarily done through schools in which a student caught speaking their native dialect was forced to wear a ‘dialect card’ or plaque around their neck to shame them. Any student wearing one at the end of the school day was punished by their teacher. Despite their mistreatment, some Ryukyan people were happy to be a part of the Japanese Empire, especially in the decades following the annexation in which Japan grew rapidly and began to establish its dominance over Eastern Asia (History of…).

Then, in 1943, the Chinese and Americans again turned their attention towards Okinawa. After both parties expressed interest in eventual control over the islands, they decided to invade. The Battle of Okinawa was one of the last large battles of WWII and it was the largest that took place on Japanese soil. Around 120,000 soldiers were killed in addition to 300,000 civilians which accounted for about one third of the island’s population. The large civilian death toll was due to the fact that propaganda had led Okinawans to be anti-American and to join militias and fight alongside the Japanese forces. There were also mass suicide events as Okinawans feared that American occupation would be worse than death. Eventually, American troops overcame the Japanese and began to establish their new base of operations (History of…).

At the end of the Second World War in 1945, the Americans officially took control of Okinawa, governing it under the United States Military Government of the Ryukyu Islands. Numerous new bases were established on the islands which are still in operation today. The occupation of mainland Japan ended in 1952, but the Americans maintained control over Okinawa until 1972, when they officially returned the territory to Japan. However, as part of the 1952 treaty, the US Military bases remained; they still control about 19% of the island. Although the bases provide some economic activity for Okinawa, including jobs for locals, the relationship between Americans and Okinawans has been less than perfect. There were two separate documented cases of sexual assault between American soldiers and minors, resulting in a large amount of distrust in the presence of Americans. The Japanese government did not provide much support either. Directly after the first sexual assault case, they announced that Okinawan landowners would be forced to lease their land to the Americans for a new base (History of…).

As a result of the island’s rough history, the emergence of a positive public figure was extremely beneficial. Fujiki Hayato is an artist of many mediums who set out to improve the lives of the Okinawan community through his work. He primarily gained support through his storytelling and stand up comedy which revolved around local struggles and conditions. However he is successful in other fields as he has played roles in film, theatre and television, performed in musical groups, hosted radio shows, and published his own newspaper (Nelson 2008). The main reason for his large following in Okinawa is his performance titled “Hitori Yuntaki Shibu,” which is a storytelling act. It revolves around the principle of celebration of life rather than mourning. He believes that the tragedies Okinawa has suffered are of great importance, but if people are not able to move past them they will be forever held down by them and cannot succeed. To shed these tragedies, one must celebrate what they have: life. Fujiki’s stories draw from his own experiences growing up in Okinawa City and traditional Okinawan culture. He attempts to give his audiences “kari,” which is a traditional concept which essentially means ‘a feeling of value,’ which people can hold with them that gives them the strength to endure the struggles of everyday life. It is this concept which has helped him become so popular in Okinawan pop culture. Fujiki is able to reach his specific audience by catering to their experiences and giving them hope that their situation can improve.

Tragedy and hard times can often lead to a gravitation towards positive figures, as is the case in Okinawa with Fujiki Hayato. He was able to fill this role through his important cultural performances after the island of Okinawa was put through seemingly endless suffering by colonization, war and occupation.

References

History of the Ryukyu Islands. (2017, November 05). Retrieved November 08, 2017, from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Ryukyu_Islands

Nelson, C. T., & e-Duke Books Scholarly Collection 2008. (2008). Dancing with the dead:

Memory, performance, and everyday life in postwar okinawa. Durham: Duke University

Press.