On February 27th of this year, the opening ceremonies for the Tokyo University India Office were held. The mission for the office is to recruit highly qualified Indian students to Japan and expand academic exchanges between Japan and India. Water shortages are a serious disadvantage for India, and the sparse monsoon this year is now confirming the prediction made by JAMSTEC in January. While these worries remain, it is also the season for festivals, with the Kyoto Gion Festival in July having become a symbol of the exchanges between the two countries. In future, we look forward to cooperation from the public on academic exchanges across a variety of fields between Japan and India.

Research employing a biologging system on the Japanese lates fish in the Shimanto River has revealed some previously unknown behaviors. In order to continue to make use of the rich natural environment of the Shimanto river, the lates' habitat, appropriate mountain and forest management must be carried out not only by Kochi prefecture but in concert with the upstream Ehime prefecture. It is also essential to carry out monitoring of changes in seawater inflow due to riverbed shifts and the rise and fall of sandbars.

Aquatic life forms from around the world are now on display in aquariums. However, the deepsea realm remains largely untouched. The display of deepsea life is a great challenge for aquariums that can't be ignored. That challenge has just begun for the Numazu Deepsea Aquarium.