"Coastal Marine Science E a multilateral core university program undertaken by Japan and five Southeast Asian countries over the last ten years, comes to an end this year. Based on the Southeast Asian networks created in this program, I would like to propose that we establish an East Asian Marine Science Consortium based around researchers, which can contribute to cooperation not only in coastal marine science but also to ocean research on a global scale, covering the whole of East Asia, including its outer seas, through an international framework.

There are great expectations for ocean development industries in the "Age of Oceans E but the risks are also great and the support of the general public is indispensable. The most effective way to proceed is to enlist the support of both the public and ocean development industries in a flexible initiative for building "marine forests E By actually creating new kelp forests and increasing fisheries production through aquaculture and fisheries management, crucial coastal fisheries with functioning fishing villages will recover, thus increasing the public's affinity for the sea.

The Toba Sea-Folk Museum, established in 1971, is now approaching its 40th year. As the life-blood of a museum are the artifacts it has on display, we have concentrated on building an ocean collection rich in examples of fishing equipment. Focusing on the 58,000 objects in our collection, we are continuing our efforts to make the best use of information sharing media. Also, viewing the residents of the Japanese archipelago as "ocean people E we are carrying out a variety of activities to revive the "ocean consciousness Ethat has somewhat weakened in recent years.