Japan's Plastic Addiction: The Human Rights Consequences of Waste

Blog by Tamy Seguiya Ohls

Walk into any convenience store in Japan and you’ll see it right away: bananas sealed in plastic wrap, cookies packed one by one inside a bigger plastic bag, and then that bag gets shoved into yet another plastic carrier at checkout. It’s like packaging inside packaging inside more packaging, for stuff that really doesn’t need it.

Japan’s love for individual wrapping is intense. A lot of it comes from cultural values like cleanliness and how things are presented. People like things to look neat and tidy. What used to be about care and attention to detail now just feels like overkill. Japan is actually one of the top countries in the world when it comes to how much plastic packaging it uses per person and the environmental impact is hard to ignore. (Lee, 2022).

The global plastic waste trade is an environmental injustice, and Southeast Asia is paying the price. Countries like Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam have become dumping grounds for plastic waste from wealthier nations, including the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Japan. This isn’t recycling, it’s exploitation. After China’s ban on plastic waste imports in 2018, other countries in the region were left to deal with the massive surge of waste, much of which is illegally dumped or burned. This causes severe pollution, contaminates water supplies, destroys crops, and exposes local communities to health risks, from respiratory diseases to long-term environmental damage. What’s even worse is that many of these countries have weak regulations, allowing the waste trade to flourish unchecked. Developed nations feel good about “recycling” their waste, but in reality, they’re just shifting the burden onto nations that lack the resources to properly manage it. This isn’t a global solution, it’s a global problem, and it’s time for wealthier countries to stop passing their trash off to others. (World Economic Forum, 2019).

This problem goes beyond just environmental damage, it’s also a human rights issue. Much of Japan’s plastic waste ends up being exported to countries in Southeast Asia, where it’s often dumped or burned in unsafe conditions. This puts local communities at risk, exposing people to polluted air, contaminated water, and serious health problems. These communities usually have fewer resources to protect themselves, making it a clear case of environmental injustice. (World Economic Forum, 2019). On top of that, there’s a bigger responsibility we all share: protecting the planet for future generations. If we keep producing and consuming plastic at this rate, we’re leaving behind a world filled with pollution, climate disasters, and fewer natural resources. Acting now isn’t just about fixing today’s problems—it’s about making sure tomorrow is still livable.

Recognizing the human rights of future generations is essential in guiding our environmental responsibilities today. The Maastricht Principles on the Human Rights of Future Generations (Maastricht Principles, 2023) affirm that human rights, including the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, apply fully to future generations. This perspective aligns with the concept of intergenerational justice, which emphasizes that our actions should not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Additionally, humanity should acquire collective responsibility to protect the environment for the well-being of future generations. By acknowledging these principles, we uphold the rights of those who will come after us, ensuring they inherit a planet capable of sustaining life.

The grammar of this text was reviewed and corrected using an AI language model, ChatGPT. Additionally, suggestions were made regarding the structure and organization of the text to enhance clarity and coherence.

OpenAI, 2025. ChatGPT . https://chat.openai.com

Google DeepMind, 2025. Gemini 2.0. https://gemini.google.com/

References

Lee, C., 2022. Plastic Atlas Japan Special Edition: A Closer Look at Japan’s Plastic Waste Management. [online] Heinrich Böll Stiftung. Available at: https://kr.boell.org/en/2022/05/30/plastic-atlas-japan-special-edition-closer-look-japans-plastic-waste-management [Accessed 10 April 2025].

World Economic Forum, 2019. Dumping plastic waste in Asia found destroying crops and health. [online] World Economic Forum. Available at: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/04/dumping-plastic-waste-in-asia-found-destroying-crops-and-health/ [Accessed 10 Apr. 2025].

Maastricht Principles on the Human Rights of Future Generations, 2023. The Maastricht Principles on the Human Rights of Future Generations. [online] Available at: https://giescr.org/en/our-work/on-the-ground/maastricht-principles-on-the-human-rights-of-future-generations [Accessed 10 Apr. 2025].