• Call that progress?: In the city of Kumamoto, a Meiji Era house and its beautiful old Japanese-style wall were knocked down recently, with 90 percent of its trees torn down too. The small area left at the back gives an idea of what the trees were like in the main garden. The plot is now a car park. | SEAN MICHAEL WILSON
    Call that progress?: In the city of Kumamoto, a Meiji Era house and its beautiful old Japanese-style wall were knocked down recently, with 90 percent of its trees torn down too. The small area left at the back gives an idea of what the trees were like in the main garden. The plot is now a car park. | SEAN MICHAEL WILSON
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To Environment Minister Masaharu Nakagawa,

One surprising thing about Japan, given that its people are said to have a deep love and respect for nature, is that there appears to be little thought given to some basic environmental issues in this country. The example I would like to focus on here: When new houses are constructed, all the trees that were growing on the site are usually knocked down!

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