In order to pass on the riches of the ocean to the next generation, Obama City, Fukui prefecture, established the Obama City Ocean Promotion Council in September 2014 to facilitate comprehensive coastal zone management. This article introduces what led up to its establishment, its purpose, and what we expect from comprehensive coastal zone management.

At our school in Okayama prefecture overlooking Hinase Bay, we used to focus our Integrated Studies on raising oysters, a local industry, but this had unfortunately become a "hands-on experience, without any learning. EThrough the eel grass bed restoration project, we were able to provide direct contact with the ocean, as well as opportunities to interact with fishermen and to document their work experiences and thoughts on their careers. Through these activities the students now have gained a familiarity with the ocean and the fishing industry, and also developed a rich sensibility to understand themselves better.

In October of 2014 the Maritime RobotX Challenge, an international maritime robotics competition for catamarans will be held in Singapore. Five countries will enter three teams each, whose boats must automatically navigate straight courses, probe underwater, dock at a pier, recognize images, and avoid obstacles. This article introduces the competition and the activities of one of Japan's teams, OUXT-Polaris, made up mostly of students from the Kansai area.