Format:
31 Seiten
ISBN:
978-3-9812131-5-7
Content:
Ethical Consumption in Japan: A New Trend? Social and ecological responsibility is of increasing importance for the economy and society on a global scale. Japan seems to have woken up to this challenge only recently, with a number of notable trends and initiatives. This article focuses on ethical consumer behavior (i.e. taking into account environmental and social responsibility of products and their production during consumers’ decision-making processes), which has become known in Japan as sōsharu shōhi, rinriteki shōhi or more recently eshikaru shōhi. As part of an international comparative study, 2000 individuals age 20 and older in Japan were surveyed on their attitudes toward ethics, the environment and corporate responsibility, as well as their actual ethical consumer behavior. 835 usable questionnaires were received for a response rate of 41 %. The article first gives an overview over ethical consumption in Japan, with a special focus on the ‘eco point’ program and the fair trade market. It then analyzes various influencing factors determining ethical consumer behavior in Japan, based on the empirical data. Results show that ethical consumption is a rather new and still small trend in Japan, but with a certain potential indicated by increasing media coverage and growth rates among certain product categories. The data also reveal the well-known phenomenon of window-dressing/mere intentions vs. real action/behavior as well as individual differences along demographic variables such as age and gender. Finally, implications for further academic research as well as for business practitioners and policy makers are discussed.
In:
Japan 2011 : Politik, Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft, 2011, (2011), Seite 227-257, 978-3-9812131-5-7
In:
year:2011
In:
pages:227-257
Language:
German
Keywords:
Japan
;
Verbrauch
;
Ethik
;
Konsumgesellschaft
DOI:
10.48796/20231012-032
URN:
urn:nbn:de:0308-20231012-032-9
