In December 2007, Japan's first ecolabelling scheme for fishery products was launched. Under the marine ecolabelling scheme, labels are attached to fishery products harvested by sustainable fisheries. When consumers select those products, they are in effect promoting sustainable fisheries. In this paper, I explain why Marine Ecolabel Japan took the step of launching a Japanese scheme, and describe the basic structure and characteristics of the scheme.
Selected Papers No.12

This paper considers, from a naval perspective of Japan-USA alliance, the significance of Japan-U.S. security arrangements in light of the new security environment characterized by the collapse of the former Soviet Union, which was their common strategic focus throughout the Cold War, and the resulting unipolar power structure, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and international terrorism. In concrete terms, the author proposes that anti-submarine warfare capabilities, in which JMSDF excels in regional waters, and the capabilities of U.S. Navy has let diminish, will serve as a bonding agent to create a new Japan-USA strategic posture which complements each other.

The sea gives dynamism to Japan. This energy can be felt in the small fishing boats that start from their northern capes to traverse the length and breadth of the Japan Sea, in shipbuilding yards that dot the Inland Sea, and Japan's shipping industry, which operates around the globe. The more people that move about the country via the sea, the more animated it will become. In addition to the fishing, shipbuilding, and maritime transport industries, whose dynamism derives from the sea, new industries must also be created to take full advantage of the unique benefits the sea affords.