Notable activities against climate change by Japanese youth in 2020

Young people worldwide are no longer tolerating a lack of action on climate change. They are taking action to ensure they can have a safe and sustainable future. The most notable example is Greta Thunberg, one of many leading climate activists in the world, but there is a growing amount of activism among the youth in other countries as well.

What are Japanese young people doing to fight global warming? Thunberg’s initial protests in 2018 led to the creation of a movement, Fridays for Future movement, including in Japan. The Tokyo branch has been involved in various activities to bring more attention to climate change. They are well known for protesting against Mizuho Bank’s investments in fossil fuels, among other things.

Inspirational Climate Crisis Youth Summit

In February 2020, about 100 young people gathered at the first Climate Crisis Youth Summit in Tokyo. The event, held for three days just outside of Shibuya station, was meant to facilitate discussion about important issues surrounding climate change. True to the event’s themes and purpose, there were no plastic bottles or meat products used, with only vegan food on the menu.

High school and college students in attendance brought up their own ideas to help combat climate change. One notable example was a group who proposed that Tokyo Disneyland could switch to renewable energy, saying that it would greatly influence other companies. Others had ideas for facilitating discussion and promoting vegan diets in their schools.

Movement by youth continues with the pandemic

The Climate Crisis Youth Summit happened before the coronavirus pandemic became more serious in Japan. However, COVID-19 has not slowed down young Japanese activists. They have found ways to take the climate fight to virtual space and creative methods to protest in real life.

The hashtag #ClimateStrikeOnline, as well as a Japanese version #気候も危機 has trended on social media in 2020. Fridays for Future also organized its own Climate Strike Online on April 24. It was an online discussion that was viewed by over 300 people.

Activists are finding a way to protest offline as well. On September 25, young protestors left around 100 pairs of shoes outside of the National Diet Building in Tokyo. This was to spread their message while socially distancing and avoiding large gatherings. The shoes were accompanied by messages stressing the urgency of the climate crisis.

Designing our future together

Large scale demonstrations are not the only way that Japanese young people are trying to enact change. During the Climate Crisis Youth Summit, some participants expressed worry that they wouldn’t be able to continue their activities after finding a full-time job. The idea of “ethical job hunting,” or “ethical shukatsu” in Japanese, came up in these discussions. Ethical job hunting is the idea of choosing companies that are in line with one’s climate activities or goals. To connect interested job seekers with such companies, there have been two online events organized by a group called Allesgood.

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The impact of the COVID-19 outbreak has been devastating, leading to tragic deaths and slowed economic activity worldwide. However, one of the silver linings has been a rethinking of how we approach certain things in our lives. Just as work from home became more widespread this year, young activists have come up with clever solutions to keep fighting in the worst of circumstances. Such ingenuity is a much-needed asset as we work for a future that is safe and comfortable for all and future generations.