2025 Volume 51 Issue 2 Pages 2-11
Litigation has played a major role in the process of resolving pollution problems. How pollution lawsuits are structured, including the defendant and the content of the claims, influences the subsequent resolution process. Therefore, the process of formulating a complaint, which determines these factors, is an important research topic. However, research on pollution lawsuits and the resolution process of pollution problems has not focused on the process of considering a complaint before it is filed.
In this paper, we use primary sources to elucidate the process of formulating complaints of pollution lawsuits, based on our case study of the Nishiyodogawa Lawsuit filed by air pollution victims in Osaka City in 1978. Then, we make clear that the origins of today’s movement for the regeneration of pollution-devastated areas and community development can be found in the preparation process of the Nishiyodogawa Lawsuit.
