rthermore, at the same time, Japan has actually become a more efficient energy consumer. During the last 20 years, its energy intensity (the amount of energy required to produce a unit of gross domestic production) declined 30%. Of the developed nations, Japan has the lowest energy intensity.
One area of resource use where Japan may be at fault though involves agriculture. In 1987, the country supported over 10 people per hectare (2.47 acres) of cropland. The world average is only 3.5 people per hectare.
This level of agricultural production is only maintained through massive government subsidies; Japan's rice producer subsidies are the highest in the world. This government intervention encourages farmers to produce as much as possible. As a result, Japanese farmers tend to use a lot of fertilizers and pesticides. This exploitation of farmland can have serious consequences for the environment.
Another less than perfect area of Japanese resource use involves natural wildlife. In 1991, the country contained 4.6% of
globally threatened and 8.1% of nationally threatened bird
species. It was also responsible for 2.7% of globally threatened
and 7.4% of nationally threatened mammal species; this includes the
The World Resources Institute, World Resources: 1992 93 (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992), 10 181.
amami rabbit which is endangered by hunting. In addition, the country is host to a number of endangered plant species.
While, compared with many other nations these numbers are rather low, Japan's whole approach to endangered species is at fault. The nation is among the world's 12
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