Fuji, the battle over groundwater - June 2004

Fuji, the battle over groundwater - June 2004

Fuji, which straddles both Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures, there was a serious conflict in 2004 between companies and local residents over groundwater resources used for bottled water and other products. With the expansion of the mineral water market, major beverage manufacturers and trading companies rushed to the area and began large-scale extraction of groundwater. For the companies, this was an opportunity to do business in the water business with the brand name "famous water from Mt. Fuji," but for the local residents and farmers, it was a serious problem that threatened their ability to sustainably secure water, which is the lifeline that sustains their lives and agriculture.

At this time, commercial approaches to water resources were attracting nationwide attention. Even at the foot of Mt. Fuji, the decline of the groundwater table due to excessive pumping, the depletion of spring water, and the impact on the ecosystem were becoming a reality. Local people became increasingly aware that water is public property and should not be monopolized by anyone. Resident movements against water extraction by companies, lawsuits against the installation of wells, and parliamentary pursuit of the issue arose in many areas.

This issue was not merely a local dispute, but raised social questions such as "What is the ownership of water?" and "What should be the balance between public resources and private interests? Furthermore, the possibility of foreign companies acquiring water source lands emerged around the same time, which was also linked to global concerns over water resources. In response to these developments, some local governments, including Yamanashi Prefecture, enacted groundwater conservation ordinances and established councils.

Fuji has been an object of worship and culture since ancient times, and has also supported people's daily lives. Fuji has been an object of faith and culture since ancient times, as well as a source of livelihood for people. The situation in which this water was caught between the pursuit of corporate profits and the protection of the livelihood of local residents became a symbolic event that will determine the future of environmental resources in Japan.