On March 7, 2024, the "UN Ocean Decade ECOP Japan Symposium" was held as the second symposium from the national node of the Early Career Ocean Professional (ECOP) Programme for Japan. Organized by the Ocean Policy Research Institute (OPRI) of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, the event was conducted in a hybrid format with simultaneous interpretation (see the recordings of the symposium in Japanese and English). Approximately 300 people registered for the symposium, including in-person and online.
 
The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (UN Ocean Decade) is an international framework for the sustainable use and management of the ocean using ocean science to achieve the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. In this context, the Early Career Ocean Professional (ECOP)Programme was endorsed under the UN Ocean Decade in June 2021, with the aim of empowering the next generation of ocean leaders. In January 2022, the first ECOP Japan Symposium (online) was held in Japan. With the aim of building a national network of ECOPs in Japan, ECOPs who are active in various fields and sectors such as universities, research institutes, and NGOs/NPOs were invited to exchange opinions on their current activities, challenges, and expectations for the UN Ocean Decade.

In response to the issues (funding, employment, lack of mentors, etc.) identified in the previous symposium and subsequent online survey, this second symposium invited ECOPs who are engaged in activities related to the seven outcomes of the UN Ocean Decade to share how they are solving these issues, linking them to their own professional activities. In addition, through the creation of an ECOP Japan poster on the seven Ocean Decade outcomes, the symposium aimed to identify issues and countermeasures that Japanese ECOPs consider important for the ocean, and to deepen common understanding among ECOPs toward the achievement of the UN Ocean Decade.
 
Dr. Yushi Morioka, Senior Researcher at JAMSTEC and one of the coordinators of ECOP Japan, was the master of ceremony. In his opening remarks, Dr. Hide Sakaguchi, President of the Ocean Policy Research Institute of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, stated the original purpose of the UN Ocean Decade and his concern about how low the level of awareness in Japan remains. In order to achieve long-term goals, involving both decision makers and younger generations in goal setting is essential. He emphasized the importance of creating a casual and deep network for a comprehensive understanding of the ocean, rather than implementing separate initiatives within the extremely diverse ocean field.

The first session of the symposium consisted of a series of presentations about the overall picture, including the introduction of the UN Ocean Decade, the ECOP Programme, its regional node for Asia, and the activities of ECOP Japan.
　Prof. Yutaka Michida, from the Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute of the University of Tokyo, introduced the importance and vision of the UN Ocean Decade, current initiatives and officially endorsed actions, and explained IOC-UNESCO's central role in coordinating and promoting the UN Ocean Decade. While introducing the current situation, Decade Advisory Board, and social goals, he mentioned the increasing participation of ECOPs and the expectations for such young people. Finally, he stated that it is essential to cooperate with diverse stakeholders under the concept of “One Planet, One Ocean”.
 
Mr. Raphael Roman, a consultant at the IOC-UNESCO and the regional coordinator of ECOP Asia, presented the objectives and current status of the ECOP Programme, before introducing the ECOP Asia node, its activities and achievements to date, and its vision and strategy for 2024. The global ECOP community continues to grow, with four regional nodes, 46 national hubs, four task teams, and nine endorsed projects at the time of the symposium. Furthermore, several reports examining the status, needs, and challenges of ECOPs in each country in Asia were published. A dozen workshops, three symposiums, four webinars, and one free online training session on ocean data analysis for Asian ECOPs have been actively conducted since the launch of ECOP Asia in late 2021. Mr. Roman expressed his aspirations to expand ECOP Asia’s dynamic "network of networks" through further development of national hubs and thematic working groups, sustain the internship scheme with UNESCO, establish and strengthen new partnerships in 2024 for capacity development and funding, and enhance Asian ECOPs’ sense of ownership of the UN Ocean Decade.
 
Dr. Kotaro Tanaka, OPRI Research Fellow and another coordinator of ECOP Japan, introduced ECOP Japan, which was launched in early 2022 as the first national hub under ECOP Asia. He presented ECOP Japan’s objectives, activities, and the results of a recently conducted survey. Throughout the presentation, he reiterated the goal of ECOP Japan to be a "casual" network of ocean-related interdisciplinary activities, with no explicit mandates or deliverables, in order to create a broad range of connections. The online survey provided very important information for future planning, as respondents were mainly from the scientific community, had heard about the Ocean Decade, but were not sure how to get involved, and were looking forward to a webinar to facilitate interaction among ECOPs in Japan. In closing, Dr. Tanaka expressed his hope that this symposium would ignite new partnerships that have never existed before.

In the second session of the symposium, seven speakers introduced their activities in line with the "Seven Outcomes" of the UN Ocean Decade, and talked about the challenges and expectations for the future.

Under the theme of "A Clean Ocean," Ms. Yukino Kinjo, representative of Manatee, Inc. introduced activities such as "coral-friendly sunscreen" and "Project Manatee”. Project Manatee, based in Okinawa, is an initiative that allows tourists to participate in beach cleanups  by working with local partners. As for the current issues of marine litter, she talked about the situation where, even if people are willing to pick up marine litter, they are required to go through the procedures of sorting and disposing of it by the local government. As a result, even if they collect marine litter with good intentions, they are not able to dispose of it, and instead, it becomes a nuisance. She expressed her wish to achieve "A Clean Ocean" by establishing new connections between people and the local contribution of picking up trash through Project Manatee.

Ms. Kazura Koda, of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), spoke about mangrove restoration and conservation projects in Indonesia in relation to "A Healthy and Resilient Ocean”. She started this project after the 2020 stranding accident in Mauritius, and is currently engaged in mangrove planting and conservation activities in South Sumatra, in cooperation with local companies and communities. In addressing future challenges, she mentioned not only the relatively easy-to-measure value of CO2 fixation, but also how to measure social values such as biodiversity and contribution to local communities, and how to increase the number of people who support such efforts.

Mr. Tatsuya Sato, representative of Zakko Club, is a freelance curator, underwater photographer, and fisherman based in Toba City, Mie Prefecture. Among his activities, he introduced the development of a technique to preserve spiny lobsters (“ikejime”) and discussed the creation of the Red List of Toba City’s local sea ecosystem. He mentioned that the Red List was completed through cooperation with experts in various fields, including many young people, which made it possible to collect and write comprehensive information about endangered marine fauna and flora. In addition, in connection to “A Productive Ocean”, he shared his future vision of reviving the island of Toba, which has lost its greenery, by combining environmental conservation, economic growth, and cultural values through the cooperation of ECOPs.

Mr. Yusuke Tanaka, CEO of Ocean Eyes, Inc., gave a presentation on the company's initiatives and future business development based on the keywords "A Predicted Ocean" and "An Accessible Ocean”. Utilizing its core technologies of ocean simulation and image analysis, his company aims to provide information for a safer, more efficient, and sustainable use of the ocean through "ocean weather forecasting". In the future, the company stated its goal to connect data and value chains not only with those who are working on the ocean, but also with those who support ocean activities from land, and those who are indirectly affected by the ocean, aiming to create an "An Accessible Ocean”.

Mr. Ryo Ueno of the Japan Lifesaving Association gave a talk on the actual activities of lifesavers and the current status and issues of lifesaving under the theme of "A Safe Ocean”. Although lifesavers are often associated with rescue activities, the most important thing is to prevent accidents from happening in the first place, which is why beach cleanups, educational activities, sports, and other outreach activities play an essential role. While the number of waterfront accidents has not decreased and the number of lifesavers is limited, it is important for various stakeholders, including the national and local governments, and general public to work together to prevent accidents before they happen. This can be achieved by providing information and safety education to the public, and to prevent recurrence by improving the safety system and environment of beaches. 

With regard to the outcome on "An Inspiring and Engaging Ocean," Ms. Miki Inoue of Shimonoseki Aquarium “Kaiyokan” introduced the aquarium's marine education programs and fish-eating promotion, as well as the challenges and vision of the aquarium that they aim for. The aquarium embraces the world's largest number of pufferfish species displayed, as Shimonoseki city is famous for those fish. The aquarium also offers programs to learn about the relationship between pufferfish and the local community, as well as activities aimed at preventing people from "turning away from fish," such as a class on cooking simmered fish. While it is still difficult for aquariums to be recognized as places of learning, she emphasized the importance of integrating learning into the entertainment experience and fulfilling the aquarium's societal role in a well-balanced manner.

In the seven Ocean Decade outcomes, goals related to "value (= money)" are not directly included, but it is certainly one of the important factors. From the perspective of the financial sector, and in relation to "A Valuable Ocean", Dr. Tsukasa Dobashi of Mizuho-DL Financial Technology gave a presentation on blue carbon and impact finance . In his opinion, if quantitative impact assessment becomes more widespread, the economic effects, or "value," of ocean-related projects can be compared, and more investment will be flowed in through increased competition. He also said that he would like to build ties with ECOPs and others in the marine industry to help with the analysis and design of such system.

In the third session, a general discussion was held, including a Q&A on the presentations given in the previous sessions, followed by an introduction of the ECOP Japan poster, and other discussions.
　First, as an output of the symposium, Dr. Morioka introduced the draft of the ECOP Japan poster. This poster provides a graphical summary of actions that can be taken for each of the seven Ocean Decade outcomes, from the viewpoint of ECOPs. The speakers first exchanged ideas via e-mail, then elaborated on the draft further through intense discussions prior to the symposium. The two initial design proposals received an equal number of votes from the audience, so it was decided to create a design that combines elements from both proposals.

Dr. Morioka then introduced ECOP Japan's future activities, such as webinars, social networking service (SNS) or social media accounts for ECOPs to interact with each other, and information exchange with overseas ECOPs at international conferences. Other topics discussed by the speakers in the morning of the same day included the search for new ways to express and interact with the ocean (music, gardens, artworks, “ocean literacy”, etc.), the consideration of "valuing" the ocean, and the creation of mutually beneficial feedback between ocean science and the ocean.

During the Q&A session, the importance of ocean education in primary and secondary education curricula was discussed in response to a question about how to reach the next generation of ECOP members. In addition, Mr. Roman expressed his hope for the future of ECOP Japan in the context of an ever-growing network of national ECOP hubs around the world, and recommended that ECOP Japan starts promoting information exchange, networking, and community building through social media platforms that are commonly used in Japan, such as LINE. In the process, it will also be crucial to engage, invite, and reach out to Japanese ECOPs based outside of large metropolitan areas like Tokyo.

In his closing remarks, Prof. Yutaka Michida summarized the session by highlighting two points: 
(1) the concept of “safety”, and (2) the quantification of value. Specifically, he said: ‘Regarding "A Safe Ocean", while the UN Ocean Decade tends to focus on relatively large scale "disaster prevention" such as tsunamis and storms, it made me realize that the perspective of familiar "accident prevention" such as lifesaving mentioned in Mr. Ueno's presentation may be lacking. In addition, regarding the quantification of value, it would be ideal to be able to make quantitative evaluations in addition to qualitative ones when assessing the UN Ocean Decade, and I would like to consider this as an issue for the future.’ Finally, he closed the symposium by stating that he would like to see the "casual" network expand to non-professionals, and that he himself would like to continue to participate as a supporter.