The sharp drop in arctic summer ice coverage due to global warming, the maritime transport industry's worries over fuel costs due to unprecedented oil prices, heightened interest in development of arctic resources due to increased need, the provisions in UNLCOS concerning the continental shelf and EEZ: these and other issues are intertwined with the fact that an arctic sea route would mean a drastic reduction in voyage distance. The result is that Russia's Northern Sea Route (NSR) and Canada's Northwest Route have lately received much attention and concrete steps towards route development are starting to be seen in Europe and North America. This article gives an overview of these trends.
Selected Papers No.11(p.11)

As a photographer, I have followed the ocean and those whose lives and work are centered on it, the 'uminchu,' as they are called in Okinawa. Ocean scenery changes yearly, and sometimes drastically, as after the recent coral bleaching phenomenon. When the scenery changes so do the lives and livelihoods of the people, and, before they realize it, their hearts and minds as well. 2008 has been designated the International Year of the Reef. I'm sure Okinawa will be much in the spotlight, but I hope people will remember that not only is the beauty of reefs important, but that the ocean is also the habitat for fish. This is a good time to realize again our links with the ocean.

Many of Japan's outlying islands are in distress over a variety of intractable problems, such as unceasing migration to the mainland, children's education, lack of successors to family businesses, and medical and welfare facilities. "This will be a deserted island someday, E is a comment often heard. There is a big difference between islands as seen from the ocean and the ocean as seen from islands. This may prove a useful hint when thinking about the future of our islands.