2018 Volume 11 Issue 2 Pages 1-14
Environmental Policy Integration (EPI) refers to the strategy and the process of ensuring that environmental objectives are reflected in all policy areas. In recognizing the importance of the concept with reference to EPI literature, this paper analyzes EPI practices in Japanese climate policy from institutional, political and cognitive perspectives. Key findings are: 1) the concept of EPI can be found in principles, organizational structures, and plans in Japan, and mainstreaming of the climate agenda was occasionally seen; 2) however, implementation of institutional and organizational EPI that can lead to coordination and harmonization between different policy areas and that can ensure the effectiveness of climate policy is limited, with each ministry keeping its policy area independent. As a result, the study found that EPI from political and cognitive perspectives, including political engagement and modification of actor interests, could play an important role in accelerating EPI from an institutional perspective.
