Acknowledgments
This book arises from my doctoral research in legal studies undertaken at Kyoto University. After successfully defending my dissertation, I was fortunate to be able to deepen and refine my thinking while working in the Kyoto Climate Change Adaptation Center, a joint endeavor supported by Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto City and the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN), where I took my first position. This position at RIHN, which is one of the six institutes forming Japan’s National Institutes for the Humanities (NIHU), provided several unusual advantages that enabled the publication of the present volume. RIHN’s particular cultural approach to environmental study and deeply transdisciplinary research structure brought me into communication with a wide range of scholars interested especially in the human dimensions of environmental change. Through NIHU, in addition, RIHN’s studies are framed at the national level by the humanities, underlining the challenge of climate change to human cultural beliefs and institutions in Japan and beyond. In this context I hope this study is most engaging, as the reader understands how climate change is challenging Japan’s civil society and legal system in unprecedented ways. While there is much discussion of climate and environmental change within Japan, very little of it is known or understood by non-Japanese speakers. NIHU’s newly established book series with Brill therefore provides a precious platform for international discussion of the Japanese perspective on the human and environmental changes that define our time. It is a particular honor and privilege to publish my research within it.
Looking back over my research career, I am deeply grateful to my dissertation supervisor Professor Makoto Usami for his insightful guidance and sustained encouragement. At Kyoto University, I also thank Associate Professor Gregory Patrick Trencher for his valuable suggestions and Professor Jane Singer for her detailed and constructive feedback on Chapter 4.
My research, including the surveys and interviews, would not have been possible without the collaboration of Professor Koichi Hasegawa, president of Morioka University, nor the lead plaintiff in the Sendai case. I also benefited greatly from the advice of Professor Jusen Asuka at Tohoku University. I am indebted to Mr. Rikuro Suzuki, the lead plaintiff of Yokosuka case and Ms. Takako Momoi (Kiko Network, Tokyo Office) for their consistent support and cooperation.
I wish to acknowledge the attorneys and plaintiffs involved in the Kobe cases; their openness allowed me to observe hearings and participate in meetings. Thanks also go to Mr. Naoki Ikeda, lead attorney in both Kobe cases; Ms. Mie Asaoka, attorney in the Kobe and Yokosuka cases and president of the Kiko Network; and Mr. Hajime Yamamoto of Kiko Network’s Kyoto Office. Moreover, I am grateful to Mr. Yutaka Hirooka, the lead plaintiff of both Kobe cases, as well as all survey participants for their time and input.
In preparing this manuscript for publication, I was fortunate to receive generous support from many individuals and institutions. Professor Takahiro Hattori facilitated my postgraduation enrollment as a research trainee at the Kyoto University School of Law, and Professor Keisuke Kondo kindly accepted my candidacy. Professor Koichi Hasegawa, the president of Morioka University, who supported my initial survey, once again provided indispensable assistance in the design and implementation of follow-up surveys. I also extend my gratitude to Professor Daniel Niles and Ms. Nozomi Kawabata of RIHN for their patient, generous support throughout the publication process. Furthermore, I express my heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Jon Wilcox, who patiently and meticulously adjusted and revised my manuscript within an extremely limited timeframe.
On a personal note, I owe much to my close friends Dinita Setyawati, Bahareh Ghafouri, Kumie Hattori, and Lilia Shahar Griffin for their unwavering friendship. Finally, I thank my husband and three daughters, whose love and support have sustained me throughout this journey. This work would not have been completed without them.
This study was generously supported by the Sumitomo Life Women Researchers Encouragement Prize and the Asahi Glass Foundation. I gratefully acknowledge receipt of a Publication Grant for Early Career Researchers provided by the Institute for the Future of Human Society, Kyoto University. Support for Open Access publication was generously provided by the National Institutes for the Humanities, Japan.