Major Changes In Japan's Assimilation Of Western Civilization

Japan began its avid assimilation of Western civilization in 1800, this led to major changes in developments. Initially architecture styles from abroad were imported to japan for example, the buildings made of stones and bricks were built on the sites of the mansions of feudal lords and major roads were paved with round stones. In 1869 Japan build its first telecommunications line between Tokyo and Yokohama, this led to population increase in the area exceeding a million in 1870. Moreover, many industries stationed their business in the area, and provided raw materials conveniently to the people. This led to demand of transportation means and in 1872 the first steam locomotive started running from Shimbashi to Yokohoma. Other major developments included, in 1882 Japan’s first zoological gardens were opened in Ueno. In 19th century the population had drastically increased to 5

Various types of hazardous waste such as synthetic resin waste, oil and sludge were generated by factories as a result of active production . Most of which was discarded without proper treatment into rivers. Also, due to demand of modern architecture there was a lot of construction waste (soil and debris) generated in large amount, and was left unattended or dumped in vacant lots. Many people used products made of plastic and burned them after use. Which caused acidic gases to be released into the atmosphere causing air pollution. In 1970, in order to eradicate the problem the Japanese government enacted the waste management act, which defined the responsibilities of municipalities and waste industrial operators to manage waste. However in 2000, the problem continued to increase forcing the government to find more comprehensive ways of dealing with waste by introducing the eco town