The Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami brought unprecedented disaster to the Tohoku and Kanto regions. In Ohtsuchi Town, Iwate Prefecture, there was tremendous loss of life and property. On visiting the Town, I heard from one expert fisherman of his miraculous escape by boat to offshore waters. The Benzaiten votive image on Horai Island in Ohtsuchi Bay was not destroyed by the tsunami, and the fisherman said that he saw the god's presence there. The presence of Benzaiten, protector of the Town from the ocean, will undoubtedly be a great source of strength in the reconstruction. It is my hope that the reconstruction will be based on the wisdom of those that live with the sea.

Promoting the transition of the fishing industry to a 6th sector economy would, I believe, be a significant contribution to recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Most of the fishing industry areas affected by the disaster are along ria-type coastlines, which strongly resemble lakes and marshes in inland areas. As a useful instrument to aid reconstruction in these affected areas, I would like to propose making possible the extension of 5th Category Communal Fishing Rights, heretofore limited to inland waters, to ocean areas as well.

In a Japanese trench off the coast of Japan, a survey conducted by a remote operated submarine vehicle has revealed that sea lilies are abundant at depths greater than 9,100 meters. Not only is this the deepest ever observation of echinoderms, to which sea lilies belong, it also proves that life is by no means scarce even on the floor of the deepest ocean.