This publication is a pioneering work in environmental and Asian history as well as an in-depth analysis of the influence of science on domestic and international environmental politics. The Meiji Restoration of 1868 ended Japan's era of isolation- created self-sufficiency and sustainability. The opening of the country to Western ideas and technology not only brought pollution problems associated with industrialization (including acid rain) but also scientific techniques for understanding and combating them. The publication provides an overview of nature, culture, and the acid rain problem in Japan to complement the general set of concepts developed to analyze the interface of science and politics in environmental policy-making. The publication concludes with a discussion of lessons from Japan's experience that can be applied to the creation of sustainable societies worldwide.