According to The New York Times, Asia currently accounts for 64% of global asbestos use, a nearly five-fold increase from the 1970s. In light of these numbers, researchers are predicting a massive rise in asbestos-related diseases in the coming decades. The Asian Pacific Society of Respirology recently published a study on asbestos use in 47 countries, and found that Cyprus, Israel, and Japan had the highest age-adjusted mortality rates in Asia. Some of the diseases that have killed hundreds of thousands of people include mesothelioma cancer, lung cancer, and asbestosis. “Despite concerns of the more...While more than 50 countries have banned asbestos, many developed nations like the United States, Canada and Japan continue to use and/or mine the material today. While BAN! is based in the United States, Japan has gained coverage recently for the country’s comprehensive efforts to stop the importation and mining of the material in Asia. Many of the processes and struggles in Japan’s fight to ban asbestos mirror those in the U.S. As the number of deaths resulting from asbestos-related diseases grew in the 1990’s, a Japanese activist group brought to light the health hazards of occupational asbestos exposure more...