Why Is This Colorful Little Wheel Suddenly Everywhere in Japan?

On a recent rainy afternoon, a group of children gathered in the atrium of an upscale Tokyo high-rise for a series of talks and games meant to familiarize them with the goals and how their country is working toward achieving them.

It was a vacation day, but the 20 elementary schoolers — parents looking on — gamely answered trivia questions about the lives of children in less privileged countries before playing an S.D.G.s-themed board game, somewhat reminiscent of the Game of Life. Investments in programs like wind farms moved players up one of 17 rainbow-colored tracks. Events like a recession or a pandemic set players back.

One mother, Mayuko Yamane, who had brought her two sons from nearby Chiba Prefecture, said the older one, 11-year-old Kotaro, was learning about the goals in social studies class.

“He knows more than me,” she said, adding that her children had begun peppering her with concerns about sustainability and gender equality.

“I was a little surprised that they’re learning about this stuff,” said Ms. Yamane, 41. “Thirty years ago, we weren’t doing anything like that.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/25/business/japan-sdg.html