The air pollution problem in China has been well publicised. As the country has developed into an industrial superpower, the number of large factories and buildings producing pollution has skyrocketed to unprecedented levels. This has left many of the big cities with dangerously high levels of pollution, found in thick smog that often blankets the urban sprawl. However, while it has been a huge problem for China, it has been contained in the country – that is until now.
Increasingly we are seeing air pollution being blown toward China’s neighbour Japan, causing panic and problems in major cities there. Japan’s environment ministry’s website has been overloaded as worried citizens log on to try to find out what is coming their way and work out the best way to deal with it.
With pictures of smog covering Beijing fresh in the minds of many Japanese people, it’s no surprise that there has been widespread panic concerning the possibility that the pollution could come the way of Japan. News programmes have made things worse by broadcast maps showing a swirl of pollution gathering strength across China and then showing that it will head towards Japan.
According to Japanese authorities, access to the country’s air pollution monitoring system has been almost impossible since last week. However, the reality is that air pollution levels in Japan have been growing steadily for a long time. This is in part due to the influence of China’s intense industrial growth, but Japan too has caused problems itself.
The authorities have now advised people with respiratory problems to take extra care and also for families to pay close attention to their children and elderly relatives as they can be affected especially badly by problems in the air.
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