Japan's miraculous postwar recovery and spectacular economic growth earned it worldwide admiration and led many to view it as a growth model. Subsequently, however, it became clear that Japan's economic growth came at a huge cost in terms of environmental degradation and human health.
The environment and economic development have emerged as major issues of international concern in recent years, particularly in the wake of the 1992 Rio summit on the environment. The search has continued for a role model that will permit sustainable economic development.
In the backdrop of environmental insecurity and unsustainable growth prospects, analysts emphasize the need for a model that integrates biophysical, philosophic and economic approaches. Conceptually, such a model envisages an orbicular ecosystem model for a bridged analysis of elements, states and relationships in a framework of scientific and moral approaches. An overwhelming concern is to bring systems of technology, policies and interactions together in a single coherent framework so that nature and its creations can coexist in harmony.