Definition and Transformation of Resource Concept in Japan

Abstract

　This paper examines the formation and transformation of resource concept in Japan. The concept of resource is instrumental to connecting nature and society with certain technological intervention. Therefore, to look into the evolution of resource concept is to examine the interactions between technology, nature and society within a given context. A number of scholars have investigated how technology transformed certain elements of nature into resources; however, few have examined the concept of resource itself and its role in our understanding of nature and environment. The paper argues that the present definition of resources as understood particularly by the general public is biased with an overemphasis on the material dimension of resources. History of the evolution of resource concept reveals that its definition is a function of human perception and agency, and the material dimension constitutes only a part. The paper explains why this narrowing of definition occurred by exploring transition in dictionary definitions as well as published documents. To address the present environmental problems in a holistic manner, re-appreciation of resource concept cannot be more timely.