With the aim of establishing appropriate resource management as well as working to make fisheries a growth industry, the Revised Fisheries Law was enacted in December 2018, effecting a comprehensive revision of fisheries that includes resource management measures and a licensing system. Through fair and effective application of this law, which aims at the recovery of fish stocks and improvement in worker earnings, Japan, as befits a great ocean state, seeks to revive its fishing industry, conserve its fishery resources, achieve sustainable fishing, and play a leading role in international society.

In order to protect the ecosystems that have developed along the features of Japan’s offshore ocean floor (seamounts, hydrothermal vent areas, ocean trenches, etc), the Ministry of the Environment is taking the lead in the movement to establish MPAs, in which mining and dredge fishing activities, where equipment is in contact with the ocean floor, are regulated. This article provides background information from Japan and abroad as well as introduces the latest initiatives.

In an effort to promote a sustainable fish diet in Japan, the Uogashi Concierge certification course teaches the tradition of quality assessment techniques passed down at the Tsukiji fish market, long the focus of Japan’s fish cuisine culture. The wholesalers at the market are “mekiki,” or connoisseurs, of fish, carefully guarding the professional techniques passed down from the Edo era. We plan to continue to protect the Tsukuji brand and carry out activities to conserve our seafood resources in order to promote a sustainable fish diet into the future.