Hakodate is celebrating its 150th anniversary as one of the country's first international trading ports this year, after being opened up along with Yokohama and Nagasaki in 1859. In recognition of the occasion, and in response to the many residents who expressed the desire to "Revive Hakodate Eand "Make it a year to remember, Ethe city is collaborating with its residents in hosting a variety of events celebrating the anniversary and looking toward the future with a "reopening Eof the port.

For a seafaring country like Japan, deep sea research capabilities are important, and some critical issues have been resolved by the advanced research capabilities of deep-sea researchers. On the other hand, Japan's capabilities to search the deep sea for marine accidents are insufficient. Therefore, a deep sea crisis management system suitable for Japan should be developed that gives sufficient deep-sea research abilities to the Japan Coast Guard, in cooperation with research institutes and the private sector.
Selected Papers No.13(p.4)

On going to the beach, most people would think that areas with waves are dangerous and those without are safe. However, in most cases just the opposite is true, with strong rip currents leading out to sea from areas without waves. As the number of marine accidents is high in Japan compared to other countries, I believe that in order to reduce them we must give our children a basic understanding of the ocean in our local communities.