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"SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)"

Publish: November 26, 2020

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  • Norichika Kanie

    Graduate School of Media and Governance Professor

    Norichika Kanie

    Graduate School of Media and Governance Professor

While we hear the term SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) more frequently today, this is a very recent phenomenon. Until a few years ago, knowing about the SDGs was limited to a small group of interested individuals. This was exactly the situation in 2017 when I first began thinking about writing a paperback (shinsho) on the basics of the SDGs. When I approached several publishers, the responses were consistently, "No one knows what the SDGs are. A book on this theme won't sell, so we decline."

In the midst of this, Professor Fumitoshi Kato¡ªa colleague I have known since my student days when he was a teaching assistant¡ªintroduced me to Takahiro Sakai, an editor at Chuko Shinsho. Mr. Sakai showed interest in the new framework of the SDGs, which led to the publication of this book.

As social interest in the SDGs grew afterward, I became extremely busy, and it ultimately took about two years from planning to publication. However, as my schedule was cleared by the COVID-19 pandemic, I was finally able to find the time to sit at my desk and write, eventually finishing the manuscript.

Today, numerous books with "SDGs" in the title have been published, and some bookstores even have dedicated "SDGs sections." To be honest, while some of these books contain questionable content, I wrote this book with the sole desire to demonstrate what the true essence of the SDGs is.

I once heard a story from my colleague and senior, Professor Jun Murai, about when he published his book titled "The Internet." As the internet became widespread and various people began talking about it, the promotional copy for his book was "The front-runner who is a lap behind." At that moment, I thought, "That is exactly what my book aims to be!"

The SDGs are not just a list of targets. Governance that begins with goal-setting, as represented by the SDGs, has the potential to significantly change the nature of global governance. I hope that reading this book will deepen people's understanding of the SDGs and serve as a way to repay Mr. Sakai, who recognized the importance of this issue early on.

Norichika Kanie

Chuko Shinsho

304 pages, 920 yen (excluding tax)

*Affiliations and titles are those at the time of publication.

Writing Notes