Interview: Living together with the Ocean

The oceans, which cover 70% of the earth’s surface, are becoming more and more important for the future of mankind’s development. I believe that as human beings benefit from the great bounty of the oceans, international society should come together and work towards their comprehensive management and sustainable use. In order to pass on healthy oceans to the next generation, it is my firm desire that Japan should take the initiative in the field of ocean management.

Ship & Ocean Newsletter No. 300^th Commemorative Issue

―Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with us today. With your support, the Ship & Ocean Newsletter has now reached its 300^th issue, and so I wanted to take this opportunity to ask you, as Chairman of the Nippon Foundation, about your wide range of activities towards co-existence between man and the ocean.

“Three hundred issues already? When the Newsletter was being launched, I thought it extremely important that it be issued regularly over a long period of time. However, I do remember feeling some unease at beginning the venture, not knowing who our readership would be, what kind of people might have an interest in the ocean. So I’m very happy to see, that through the efforts of all involved, beginning with you yourself and other academics, the Ocean Policy Research Foundation’s central role in the creation of ocean policy is being widely understood and appreciated through the Newsletter articles. By all means, make your next goal the five hundred mark!?E/p>

―Thank you for those encouraging words. We on the editorial board plan to continue informing as many people as possible about the importance of the ocean. I want to ask you now about your keynote speech on the ocean at the United Nations on World Oceans Day, June 8^th 2012. The occasion was the UN’s 30^th Anniversary Commemoration of the adoption of UNCLOS and you were the only speaker invited from the private sector.

“It is indeed the 30^th anniversary of the adoption of UNCLOS, but the U.S., essential to its success, has yet to ratify it. The UN has been involved in a wide variety of activities in the 60 years since World War 2, but I believe it’s fair to say that initiatives on the ocean have lagged behind all the rest. Although a global population of 10 billion has now become a possibility, the ocean, indispensable to man’s survival, is being polluted and fish stocks are decreasing. The urgency of comprehensive ocean management is something I believe all informed people around the world should share.?E/p>

―I understand your invitation to give the keynote address was in recognition of your international contributions to capacity development in regards to comprehensive ocean management.

“While I believe comprehensive management is necessary for all fields, that perspective was only applied to the ocean when the introduction of the EEZ regime began an era in which national borders could now be at sea. However, as maritime capacity development had been completely neglected, when those in developing countries were told to manage their EEZs, they found that they lacked personnel and as well as the necessary agencies and ministries. The Nippon Foundation discovered this situation at an early stage and has since then devoted its efforts to long-term capacity development. I expect it was these efforts that were being recognized by the invitation to speak.?E/p>

―I understand that the Nippon Foundation has developed scholarship programs at the World Maritime University and a variety of other institutions.

“To date, we have provided about 400 scholarships to WMU. We are also enabling people to study at the International Maritime Law Institute in Malta, the Seafarers International Research Centre at Cardiff University in Wales, the Division for Ocean Affairs and Law of the Sea at UN headquarters, and the Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans in Canada. Our focus is not limited to developing seafarer leadership, as a variety of ocean programs are helping to develop experts in maritime fields, in ocean observation, and international conflict resolution, etc., with highly qualified personnel as a result. ?E/p>

―How many ocean professionals are now active around the world as a result of the Nippon Foundation’s efforts?

“To date, there are 780. It was rewarding to have our capacity development efforts recognized by the UN, but we still have a long way to go. Fortunately, however, one result of our long-term support is that those who have benefitted by it are now taking the initiative in international conferences and other meetings. With the emergence of these networks, Japan’s presence in maritime capacity development is now being felt around the world. This is something we are proud of.?E/p>

―The Nippon Foundation has long been a leader on the international scene, not limiting itself to a Japanese context. Can you tell me your thoughts on future capacity development efforts?

“A good example is our project to map the ocean floor, of which only about 10% has been completed. At this pace, it will take 100 years to finish. These kinds of extreme long-term programs require the right kind of personnel to continue advancing. There is also the field of maritime transport, which accounts for 90% of the movement of the world’s goods. But there is no end to examples of the ocean’s importance. From this perspective, you could say that we were late in starting our capacity development efforts. I believe we have to do more, so that countries around the world will come to realize the importance of maritime capacity development.?E/p>

―I understand that from a capacity development perspective you want to promote coordination with ocean industries.

“Shipping companies?Eorganization is outdated, and as for seafarer development, we have to say they are behind the times. For example, LNG carriers and other ships must shift to personnel that can fully understand the highest safety standards. To accomplish this, we must carry out seafarer education as quickly as possible. And it is my view that we must promote a common approach to seafarer education based on an international standard. Having established the International Association of Maritime Universities, I would like to see it contribute to seafarer education by producing a textbook based on a common international standard suitable to this age of globalization. Ultimately, my dream is the creation of a systematic curriculum in which its activities would be expanded to provide competence in LNG technology.?E/p>

―In order for Japan to become a true maritime state, ocean education is a necessity and I believe needs to be actively promoted. What thoughts might you have in this regard?

“’Japan is a maritime state?Eand “Japan is a great sea power?Eare expressions often used these days, but to me they sometimes seem to be just empty words. I mean, they are out of touch with actual conditions. This is another reason why we need a proper system of ocean education, which, as far as I can tell, has been almost totally lacking in the sixty years since the end of World War Two. Raising knowledge levels about the ocean from elementary school might at first glance seem a roundabout way toward progress, but I think it might actually be a shortcut.?E/p>

―I agree with you. The guiding spirit behind the Basic Act on Ocean Policy was that we should instill a feeling of familiarity with the ocean. Becoming familiar with the ocean, learning about it, protecting it, and using it, these are all important. The Ocean Policy Research Foundation, in its Grand Design for Ocean Education in the 21^st Century, proposed that an ocean curriculum be developed and included in the National Curriculum Guidelines for elementary, junior, and senior high schools. This seems a step in the right direction.

“A person’s education never ends. Capacity development in the future won’t be up to us alone, but will need broad coordination of the efforts of a variety of people and institutions to succeed.?

Oceanography and Science

―Oceanography is a comprehensive science, so requires an interdisciplinary approach from among existing disciplines. I was at the School of Science of the University of Tokyo until last year, and so able to witness the launching of the Ocean Alliance network which was established there with the support of the Nippon Foundation.

“Is that right? Among all that has taken place in Japan recently regarding the ocean, I believe it was epoch-making when the University of Tokyo established the Ocean Alliance in the President’s Office, setting in motion a powerful linking mechanism. It set out to unify an organization whose members, though part of the same university, had rarely collaborated on common goals. Making this a reality was a great achievement. As it is a model case for intramural collaboration among experts from every field that might be necessary for Japan’s ocean management in the future, I believe it truly marks a new era.?E/p>

―At the time the Ocean Alliance was being launched, I looked again at how many people were involved in ocean-related research and found that there were several hundred within Tokyo University alone. As everyone’s efforts had until then been without any coordination, the Alliance’s trans-disciplinary effect has been wonderful.

“Japan seems to be a little weak in the area of coordination between the natural sciences and the humanities and social sciences, but I think in future an approach based on a broader as well as international perspective will become important.?E/p>

―I believe you’re right. The International Council for Science (ICSU) has joined in an alliance with the International Social Science Council (ISSC), UNESCO, UNEP, the United Nations University, the Belmont Forum, and others to actively contribute to building a sustainable society through promoting useful dialogue between science and society. ICSU is now at the center of a large-scale, trans-disciplinary program called Future Earth that is being planned in response to the outcome document of Rio+20 entitled The Future We Want. Hearing your ideas today, you seem to be working towards a Future Ocean, one that will be sustainable. Aiming at the well being of both humans and the environment we will need a stronger framework for collaboration among experts and all of society’s stakeholders.

“As I understand it, all scholarship, including the natural sciences, is connected to the improvement of human life on the planet. Scholarship should not be allowed to become an end in itself. It is very important that what we do benefits mankind. I believe it is vital to raise awareness in society that the oceans we depend on for our very survival will be severely threatened if we continue our current ways. To accomplish this, I believe the proper stance for scientists is one that works to bridge the gap between themselves and the general public.?E/p>

―I totally agree with you. Research cannot be done for its own sake. We should promote research designed with society in mind and its results should then be used to make society better informed.

“We carried out relief activities for 10 years in Chernobyl, and it was based on this experience that six months after the 3.11 disaster we brought together 32 of the world’s leading radiation scientists for a conference at Fukushima Medical University. We then submitted the proposal that resulted from the conference to the Japanese government. What I felt was the biggest problem then, and which was also one of the conclusions of the scientists participating, is why scientists could not provide convincing explanations to the disaster victims in terms they could easily understand. They were forced to reflect on the fact that even though they are radiation experts and are occupied daily in research activities, they did not have the words to communicate their results to society at large. That’s when, after consulting with the scientists, we decided to begin table talk meetings. We went from house to house, into people’s living rooms, and used everyday language so that they could understand the situation and gain some peace of mind. I believe these kinds of activities will become more important for scientists in the future.?E/p>

―That’s an excellent example of how to facilitate communication. Table talk meetings have lately come to refer to talks in front of an audience, but its original meaning is talk around a dinner table.

“That’s it exactly. Politicians often use the term ?Eable talks,?Ebut when they are held in front of two or three hundred people I don’t everyone comes away with a good understanding of things. But it’s different when, over a cup of tea, you can say to an elderly resident, ‘You really don’t have to worry so much. This is how things are…?E?EI think this kind of communication is extremely important.

Corporate Social Responsibility for International Contributions and the Ocean

―I think it’s very meaningful that the Nippon Foundation, from the private sector, actively pursues cooperative projects around the world. A few years ago, the Nippon Foundation took the initiative in improving traffic safety and security in the Malacca Singapore Straits, and lately it is cooperating in maritime security improvement with the three countries of Micronesia.

“In our project to strengthen the maritime security capabilities of the three Micronesian countries, we provided support for a small patrol boat. Given the scale of the problems in this ocean area however, this was only a small act of cooperation. From a maritime security perspective, Micronesia is one of the most important areas in the world. China is active in the area and America and Australia have a keen interest in the island States of the South Pacific, to the extent of setting up a cooperative framework there. ?E/p>

―What are your views on our national response to security in the South Pacific? For example, how do you evaluate the response of the Japanese government compared with that of the U.S.?

“At the beginning of 2012, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made an official visit to the countries of the South Pacific and political science scholar Michael Green visited nine countries in the region as Director for Asia. In contrast, not even a cabinet minister from Japan has visited the region in the whole of last year. In 2011 former Prime Minister Mori did make a brief visit. It was in the interest of deepening the relationship between the South Pacific island States and Japan that the Nippon Foundation made its modest gesture of cooperation.?E

―The island States of the South Pacific are made up of small islands and large ocean areas. As an archipelagic nation itself, isn’t it important that Japan support and cooperate with those countries?

“Palao is a country of only 28,000 people. Such a small country, acting alone, faces insurmountable problems, not only in security, but in waste disposal, environmental protection, and other areas. Along with security issues, there has long been a need for the Japanese government to establish a working, cooperative relationship with such countries as a matter of national policy.?E

―Participation and contributions by the private sector, especially corporations, are indispensable for activities on the high seas and along the coasts. As a part of that, CSR has been receiving a lot of attention in the last few years. What is the Nippon Foundation’s view of CSR?

“I am not a maritime affairs scholar, but do believe that amateurs can sometimes have valuable insights on things. For example, seven years ago, when the precepts put forth by the 17^th century maritime scholar Grotius that ?Ehe ocean is boundless?Eand ?Ese of the ocean is free?Ewere still the consensus view, I first submitted, as regards the Malacca Straits, that ?Ese of the ocean is not free.?EFrom now on, I said, those who benefit from the ocean should take on an appropriate level of responsibility for it. I especially wanted to bring shipping companies over to this way of thinking, so paid calls on many Western shipping company organizations to ask for their cooperation. However, I’m afraid they were a little taken aback at being told by an outsider, all of a sudden, that they should cooperate and take on an ‘appropriate level of responsibility.?EAlthough CSR on the oceans is still lagging far behind where it should be, we have gotten to the point where the shipping industry voluntarily hosted its on conference on the subject, in April of 2012 in Singapore.?E

Towards Hosting a World Ocean Conference in Japan

―We all benefit from the ocean in a variety of ways, but to manage the ocean and use it in sustainable ways calls for leaders in a variety of fields. I’ve asked you about many different topics in this interview, but could you sum it up by telling us what kind of concrete plans the Nippon Foundation has for the future in this regard?

“The ocean is still far from being the object of concerted attention by the international community. There is a need to raise the awareness of the world’s politicians and others in leadership positions that the world’s oceans are in a perilous condition. What I would really like to do is synthesize the scientific data and present it before an international conference in Japan, to be a warning to the world. And as soon as possible. If a comprehensive international conference on the oceans could be held in Japan for at least five or ten years, the world would recognize, that, ‘concerning management of the world’s oceans, it is Japan that is taking the initiative.?EThat’s the kind of country I would like to make Japan.?E

―I have great hopes for a comprehensive international oceans conference that would address the issues in a trans-disciplinary way. If it could be held regularly, Japan would be known everywhere as a maritime state dedicated to protecting the world’s oceans. I’m confident the Nippon Foundation will continue to demonstrate growing leadership on the international stage. Thank you sharing your valuable thoughts with us today.