"Voyage to the Future" Raises Environmental Awareness in Asia

The Japan Broadcasting Corporation (Nippon Hoso Kyokai, or NHK) aired a special television program called "Voyage to the Future," a special project for 2003 that commemorates the 50th anniversary of television broadcasting in Japan. The project involved 42 junior high school students from seven Asian countries who embarked on an oceanographic research vessel in Okinawa for a 10-day voyage through Japan. They stopped at Yakushima Is., a Natural World Heritage Site, Minamata, site of an infamous mercury poisoning pollution incident, and Teshima Is., an illegal dump site. They learned and discussed environmental issues in Asia and around the world, while witnessing at each port of call the richness of Japan's natural environment and the negative consequences of development such as pollution.

The children had studied about the state of the global environment through educational programs in their home countries before taking part in the project. Following their heated debates on board, they presented a joint resolution at the grand finale ceremony at the end of the voyage.

Nowadays more and more TV programs are covering environmental issues in Japan. Commercial TV stations also provide programs focusing on environmental activities, and NHK, Japan's government television station, has been airing a 30-minute program entitled "We Love the Earth: Environmental New Age" every Saturday morning staring in April this year.

Also, this July, the radio division of the Tokyo Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS), a Tokyo based commercial station, promoted awareness among its listeners by taking up environmental issues as part of an environmental campaign. This campaign was initially launched in July 2002, and has been conducted biannually. This year's theme was "garbage and recycling."
http://www.nhk.or.jp/voyage/

Posted: 2003/09/27 11:51:50 AM
Japanese version