Experts
Research Fellow
Mengyao Zhu
Affiliation
Ocean Policy Research Institute
Division of Ocean Vision and Action
Expertise/Areas of interest
Fisheries Resource Assessment and Management／Marine Policy Evaluation／Marine Biodiversity Conservation
Languages
English／Japanese／Chinese
Academic/Professional Background
Mengyao Zhu is a research fellow of the Ocean Policy Research Institute (OPRI), Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) since 2020. She received Ph.D. in Aquatic Bioscience at The University of Tokyo. Her research field is marine management and policy, especially focuses on the fishery stock assessment by using models, such as the spatio-temporal models, marine ecosystem models, the recruitment forecasting models, et al. From 2017 to 2019, she successively served as a Project Researcher in the University of Tokyo to participate in the Coastal Ecosystem Complex Project supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, and an Assistant Professor in Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China).
（For more details: Researchmap- https://researchmap.jp/mengyaozhu)
| 2017 - 2019 | Successively served as a Project Researcher in the University of Tokyo and an Assistant Professor in Shanghai Jiao Tong University |
| 2020 - | Research Fellow, Ocean Policy Research Institute, The Sasakawa Peace Foundation |
| 2021 - 2022 | Collaborative Researcher, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo |
| 2022 - | Part-time Lecturer, Graduate School of Marine Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology |
| 2022 - 2024 | Visiting Research Fellow, Research Organization for Nano & Life Innovation, Waseda University |
Projects
- Ocean visualization
- Promotion of the Ocean Digital Society
- Ocean shot
- Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research, Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
（Research Project Title: Development of a Detection Framework for “Blue Policy Washing” as a New Policy Evaluation Method）
Papers
| Papers | Date of Papers |
|---|---|
| Yoshitake Nobuyuki, Kotaro Tanaka, and Mengyao Zhu (2025), “Strengthening Japan’s Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) Capabilities: Satellite Utilization, In-situ Observation, and Implementation Frameworks,” Defense Technology Journal, 10–19. (in Japanese) | 2025 |
| M. Zhu, K. Tanaka, T. Akamatsu (2023) Visualizing the annual transition of ocean policy in Japan using text mining. Mar. Policy, 155, 2023, 105754 | 2023 |
| Zhu MY, M. Kuroki, T. Kobayashi, T. Yamakawa, T. Sado, K. Kodama, T. Horiguchi, M. Miya (2023) Comparison of fish fauna evaluated using aqueous eDNA, sedimentary eDNA, and catch surveys in Tokyo Bay, Central Japan. Journal of Marine Systems, 240, 103886. DOI: 10.1016/j.jmarsys.2023.103886 (access free: - May 24, 2023) | 2023 |
| K. Tanaka, M. Zhu, K. Miyaji, T. Kurokawa, T. Akamatsu (2022) Spatial distribution maps of real-time ocean observation platforms and sensors in Japanese waters. Mar. Policy, 141 (2022), Article 105012 | 2022 |
| Zhu, MY. (2021) Current Situation for Research into the Marine Issue of Microplastics, and Future Challenges. Reprinted in The Marine Engineers (in Japanese) (original article is published in "OPRI Perspectives", and translated in English). | 2021 |
| M. Zhu (2020) Current Status and Future Issues of Research on Microplastics as a Marine Problem. The Marine Engineer No.867 2021 14-23 (in Japanese) | 2020 |
| Zhu, MY., T. Yamakawa, T. Sakai : Combined use of trawl fishery and research vessel survey data in a multivariate autoregressive state-space (MARSS) model to improve the accuracy of abundance index estimates. Fish. Sci. 2018;DOI: 10.1007/s12562-018-1190-9 | 2018 |
| Zhu, MY., Yamakawa, T., Yoda, M., Yasuda, T., Kurota, H., Ohshimo, S., Fukuwaka, M. Using a multivariate auto-regressive state-space (MARSS) model to evaluate fishery resources abundance in the East China Sea,based on spatial distributional information. Fish Sci. 2017; 83: 499-513 | 2017 |
| Zhu, MY., Sakuramoto, K., Suzuki, N. Recruitment forecasting model of the Japanese Pacific walleye pollock Theragra chalcogramma, incorporating the ocean environment factors. International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic studies 2013;1(1):32-38 | 2013 |
Publications
| Publication | Publishing company | Date of Publication |
|---|---|---|
| Co-authored a book on "Introduction to Satellite Remote Sensing of the Oceans" | SEIZANDO-SHOTEN PUBLISHING CO.,LTD. | 2024 |
| M. Zhu (2022) Chapter 2, Section 2: New developments in Japan and abroad concerning the marine plastics issue. White paper on the oceans and ocean policy in Japan 2022, pp37-41 (in Japanese) | 2022 |
Reports
| Papers | Date of Papers |
|---|---|
| M. Zhu (2022) The evolution of UNEA's discussion of the marine plastics issue. Ocean Newsletter, No.524, 2022 (in Japanese) | 2022 |
| M. Zhu (2021) The United Nations Environment Assembly's (UNEA) Efforts to Address Marine Plastics and Future Prospects. OPRI Perspectives No.24 (in Japanese) | 2021 |
| M. Zhu (2021) Current Status and Future Prospects of Fisheries Resource Monitoring Methods. OPRI Perspectives No.21 (in Japanese) | 2021 |
Lecture
- The eDNA Society International Meeting 2023
Title：Comparison of fish fauna evaluated using aqueous eDNA, sedimentary eDNA, and catch surveys in Tokyo Bay, central Japan - Autumn Conference of the Japanese Society of Fisheries Science 2023
Title: Visualization of Japan's ocean policy transition through text mining using ocean-related white papers
Others
Press Release
- Report for the Symposium "Future of Remote Sensing Applications in Ocean Observation"
（https://www.spf.org/opri/news/20211216.html） - Report for the Symposium "Building Ocean Big Data for Ocean Policy Formulation"
（https://www.spf.org/opri/news/20220304.html）
As of April 9, 2026