Japanese environmental sociology has developed many original perspectives, including the social structure of victims, the benefit versus victimized zone theory, and life environmentalism. Developments in the field can be divided into three stages. The first, to 2001, is characterized by the early organizing of environmental sociologists, including the establishment of the Japanese Association for Environmental Sociology (JAES), and its accompanying journal, and a focus on local environmental destruction case studies. The second, to 2011, is characterized by the institutionalization of the field, while the third was triggered by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The third stage is currently one of diversification and a crisis of academic identity.

日本环境社会学已发展出许多原始观点，包括受害人的社会结构，受益与受害区理论以及生活环境主义。该领域的发展可分为三个阶段。第一次是在2001年，其特征是环境社会学家的早期组织，包括成立了日本环境社会学协会（JAES）及其随附的期刊，并着重于当地环境破坏案例研究。第二次是2011年，其特征是该领域的制度化，而第三次是2011年东北地震和海啸以及福岛核灾难引发的。第三阶段目前是多元化和学术认同危机之一。