Since the United Nations proposed the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) in 2006, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) investment, which considers a company's contribution to sustainable development through its activities in these three areas, has gained high attention. Especially since the United Nations introduced the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, ESG investment, which can effectively promote the realization of SDG strategies, has garnered increasing support from many countries. In China, although the adoption of ESG investment was slower compared to Europe, the U.S., and Japan, interest in ESG investment and ESG management has been growing in the financial and industrial sectors since the Chinese government introduced its dual carbon goals―carbon peak and carbon neutrality―in 2021. However, challenges remain in several areas, including the rate and quality of ESG-related information disclosure, the reliability of evaluation mechanisms, and international cooperation and global dissemination of ESG evaluations. To fulfill its role in the national SDG strategy, Shanghai, the most important international trade and finance city in China and its largest economic hub, bears a strong sense of responsibility. Through ESG-related initiatives, Shanghai has demonstrated significant leadership, leveraging its city characteristics and the exemplary roles of multinational and international companies to improve the ESG management levels of major enterprises in Shanghai and China.

View full abstract

Worldwide, 154 countries and one region have pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by specific deadlines such as 2050. Together, these countries account for 79% of global CO2 emissions and 90% of the world's GDP. In the financial sector, international ESG investments reached $35.3 trillion in 2020 and are on the rise. This work presents various policies and approaches implemented by the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom, Germany, and France to achieve decarbonization and transition to a more environmentally friendly economy.

View full abstract

This paper provides an overview of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Japan and, as an example of a major city, GHG emissions in Kitakyushu City. It highlights issues in current methods for estimating GHG emissions at the municipal level. Specifically, the current approach, which allocates national or prefectural emissions based on local activity levels, fails to appropriately reflect or analyze the impacts of municipal policies and citizen initiatives. In response, the paper reviews efforts and technological trends aimed at detailed monitoring of energy consumption across the residential, commercial, and transportation sectors. Achieving carbon neutrality requires starting with the collection and analysis of accurate data.

View full abstract

In the 1970s, Japan experienced a sharp decline in urban-bound migration, paralleled by a precipitous drop in the country's economic growth rate. This paper aims to qualitatively identify the causes of this decline in migration in the 1970s. Possible causes of migration to metropolitan areas include (i) the decline in the rural population, (ii) the narrowing of income and living environment gaps between metropolitan and rural areas, and (iii) short-term fluctuations in effective job vacancy rates. This paper qualitatively shows that in the 1970s, the decline in the rural population was not the main factor in the decrease in migration to the major cities, both for all age groups and for new graduates from junior and senior high schools. For all age groups, the main factors are the narrowing of income and living environment disparities between urban and rural areas, and the narrowing of inter-regional disparities in the relative job-applicants ratio. Secondly, for new graduates, the relative improvement in per capita income in rural areas and the relative improvement in social capital stock are major determinants of the migration decline. Finally, the paper indicates that it is likely that the ‘policy of balanced national development’ in the 1960s and 1970s reduced regional disparities in income and social capital stock in the 1970s, leading to a sharp decline in population migration to metropolitan areas.

View full abstract

This study is a case study of Garage+, one of the leading startup accelerators in Taiwan, and its parent organization, Epoch Foundation. Epoch Foundation (1991~) was initially established for the purpose of promoting international industry-academia collaboration between major Taiwanese companies and MIT, and has eventually expanded its business to include human resource development for university students (Epoch School, 1998~) and startup support (Garage+, 2008~). It can be said that Epoch Foundation has three business divisions, although it is a non-profit organization. Since most of the representative Taiwanese companies participated in the international industry-academia collaboration project with MIT, a community of major Taiwanese companies and business people was derived from it. Graduates of Epoch School’s training program also formed an alumni community. The accelerator program by Garage+ was originally intended to help Epoch School graduates actually start their own businesses (Subsequently, the scope of support was no longer limited to graduates of Epoch School). Garage+ not only encourages the entrepreneurs it supports to build a community among them, but also uses the communities derived from the other two divisions of Epoch Foundation as a resource to achieve an excellent track record in fostering startups. Epoch Foundation as a whole has also developed through the synergy of the three communities derived from these divisions. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the community-based management and development mechanism of Epoch Foundation and Garage+.

View full abstract