KOGAI 公害 is the collective term for environmental destruction, such as air pollution, water contamination, acid rain and even noise. It will literally mean "Public harm", which is including an even more specific concept than its English counterpart.
Japan has gone through various types of KOGAI. The first outcome was in 1885, the infamous pollution by Ashio Copper Mine during the "cultural enlightment" period in the Meiji Era. The most serious KOGAI boom will be in the 1970s, during the rapid growth after WW2. The four major KOGAI will be "Minamata desease" (mercury-contamination), the two "Itai-itai desease" (cadmium pollution) and "Yokkaichi asthma".
So it will be Japan's major responsibility to communicate how awful these KOGAIs can be, and to help other countries prevent going through the same history. There are many countries now just about to face the same issue. We hope they will take some time to listen to others' experiences and learn from it.
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