Five years after the release of the book "Satoyama Capitalism," its co-authors spoke about the background behind its publication and shared their thoughts on the ensuing developments at a symposium in Tokyo on May 16.
The authors — Kosuke Motani, chief senior economist at the Japan Research Institute Ltd., and Kyosuke Inoue, executive producer at NHK Enterprises, Inc. — were invited to speak at the opening session of the Japan Times Satoyama Consortium symposium, under the title "Why was satoyama capitalism introduced to the world?"
Satoyama originally described woodlots adjacent to agricultural communities, but has evolved to refer to a natural environment that remains stable because of usage and maintenance by area residents. Satoumi and satokawa feature similar concepts, referring to those of seas and rivers, respectively.