2001 Volume 7 Pages 129-144
Environmental protection has become an important social issue. However, the burden of protection can be excessive and painful for a small group of people, calling into question the benefits of such protection. The case of the “Nara-no-Shika” can be seen as an example of burdens of environmental protection overwhelming the benefits. The “Nara-no-Shika” is a type of deer (icervus Nippon) inhabiting the area in and around Nara Park in Nara city, the capital of Nara prefecture. There are estimated to be a total of 1200 of these deer. They are protected as a national monument and are one of the most important tourist attractions in Nara. But in Nara, the damage to the crops caused by them, called “rokugai”, has been an ongoing problem. In 1979, farmers living around the park filed a lawsuit demanding compensatory damages from those responsible for protecting deer: the national and local government, Kasuga
Taisha shrine, and the protection association. This paper provides an overview of the agricultural damage and a background to the conflict, focusing on the protection of various profits generated by the deer, the vagueness of responsibility for those responsible for protection and the differing purposes for which they pursue protection, and the separation of burdens and benefits. The trial and its resolution (1985) resulted in measures to alleviate the suffering of effected farmers. However, the measures that were developed have yet to live up to their intentions. The current state of the problem is examined, along with the process of problem solving.
