Japan: A country where SDGs has become a part of daily conversations.

This morning, I read an interesting New York Times article titled "Why is This Colorful Little Wheel Suddenly Everywhere Japan?" This article talks about how a few years ago SDG logos started appearing on the lapels of salarymen across Japan and then spread to being put up in shops, playgrounds, and also on Buddhist temples' websites. The presence of these logos nearly everywhere has shown Japan's national commitment to achieving SDGs.

This large presence of SDGs in Japanese society also highlights how they are one country that has truly embraced the campaign of promoting awareness about SDGs. Japan has made sure that this awareness starts all the way in the classroom and continues through life, with children being taught about SDGs in their social studies classes and companies adopting SDGs in their charters.

Unfortunately, this enthusiasm about SDGs has not translated into much direct action and impact. A UN report last year also talked about Japan's great job in raising awareness about SDGs but stated that Japan was still "lagging behind" in the development of "objective" and "science-based" program targets. Some other reports also talked about how Japan is lacking in gender equality. It shows how even though awareness about SDGs is an important area, it is more important to make sure that there is progress on all of them.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/25/business/japan-sdg.html#:~:text=It's%20the%20logo%20of%20the%20United%20Nations'%20Sustainable%20Development%20Goals.