The Day the Green Slope Cried: Unauthorized Development and the Cycle of Environmental Destruction -- April 1995

The Day the Green Slope Cried: Unauthorized Development and the Cycle of Environmental Destruction -- April 1995

In April 1995, an unauthorized development project in the mountains of Seto City, Aichi Prefecture, developed into an incident that seriously damaged the local natural environment. A local residential land developer cleared the slopes of a mountain forest without obtaining permission from the local government and proceeded to develop residential land, resulting in landslides and contamination of the water source. The residents noticed something unusual in their daily lives and complained to Seto City Hall. An on-site investigation confirmed the illegality of the construction and the city issued a cease-and-desist order, but the damage to the natural environment had already spread. This incident triggered a nationwide debate as it exploited a blind spot in the environmental impact assessment (assessment) system of the time. Inadequate regulations for developers, a weak monitoring system on the part of the government, and the inability of residents to have their voices heard co
mpounded the problem, raising the question in society, "Who will protect nature? At the same time, it should be noted that protests and petition campaigns by residents became more active, and awareness of the need for community-wide environmental protection rose dramatically. This case widely demonstrated that environmental destruction is not merely a development mistake, but in some cases can be recognized as an environmental crime. It was a symbolic case that triggered the redevelopment of the system.