On the seafloor near the island of Amami-Ohshima, mysterious circles of 2 meters in diameter appear every year from April to August. The circles contain numerous grooves in an elaborate radial pattern. It has now been determined that the circles are in fact the spawning grounds of a newly discovered species of pufferfish. While 18,000 new species are discovered every year, this new pufferfish was chosen among the top 10 for 2015.
Selected Papers No.20(p.16)

In the case of ferries, the existence of vehicle decks means that when an accident takes places it often turns into a major one. The IMO has made revisions concerning ferries in the SOLAS Convention but many issues remain, such as the problem concerning ship stability from watertight doors being open depending on each ship's operating conditions. As Japan participates in leading-edge discussions on safety improvement at the IMO and elsewhere, it should continue efforts to actively share the outcomes with other Asian countries.

In the Nakazu district at the mouth of the Yoshinogawa River in Tokushima Prefecture, a manmade seashore was built as a substitute habitat for a rare species of Tiger Beetle. Unfortunately, the level of local residents' interest in the seashore is low, so we provide learning get-togethers for local children on a regular basis in the hope that they will develop a hometown attachment to the seashore and come to think of the waters beyond as "my ocean."