We need to broaden the concepts we use to think about water problems, from sole concentration on integrated river basin management (IRBM) to the mutual effects that continental river systems and the ocean have on each other, or integrated coastal and ocean management (ICOM). Since river pollution flows into the ocean by way of international and border straddling rivers, it is not a problem for one country alone. I believe now is the time for Japan to exercise leadership and contribute to solving the problems of the world's water.

The astonishing progress of information technology based on computers and the Internet has spawned databases that can house, analyze and share massive volumes of data. Oceans, the largest biosphere on earth, are home to an enormous number of living species, and a huge amount of data is produced by research on marine life. Marine life has a considerable impact on humans in terms of fishery resources, leisure, and material cycling functions. Databases are powerful tools for furthering an understanding of the relationship between marine life and human beings and setting directions for the future.
Selected Papers No.14(p.6)

To mark the hundredth anniversary this year since the opening of the route between Uno and Takamatsu, debates at three different venues are being held on the overall theme of "Distribution Systems in the Seto Inland Sea and Shiwaku Culture. EWe believe this is a good opportunity to think again on the large role played in Japan's economy and culture by the distribution systems and navigation technologies developed in the Seto Inland Sea and the people responsible for them.