A mammoth seawall 390 kilometers in length is about to be built along the Sanriku coastline at a cost of a trillion yen, paid for from the national budget. Confronting the government plan, residents of the Akahama district of Otsuchi Town, located in the very center of the Sanriku region, decided that they do not need the giant wall. They believe that "Nature cannot be controlled by man. For future generations, we must build our homes on higher ground, beyond the reach of tsunamis". I believe that we must find a way to our future in their wisdom, when we see the limits of controlling everything with power and money and pursuing profit in the short-term.
Selected Papers No.21(p.12)

Since Marine Day was established as a national holiday in 1996, the expressions used in explaining marine industries in the Ministry of Education's (MEXT) Curriculum Guideline for elementary education have changed greatly, from "industries that support the life of the Japanese people" to "industries that connect areas of production with areas of consumption." In September of last year, 7 marine groups signed and issued a joint request to the Minister of MEXT, requesting that the importance of marine industries be emphasized in the Curriculum Guideline. One of these groups, the Japanese Shipowners' Association, in coordination with other marine related groups, hopes to host tours for the general public as well as classroom activities at elementary and junior high schools for the sake of future marine industries.

Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam (CLMV) have gained much attention as new production centers since entering the 21st century due to their low labor costs, the launching of the ASEAN Economic Community, and financial support from the Japanese government, etc. However, construction of global logistics and global supply chains is not easy, given CLMV's underdeveloped distribution infrastructures and legal frameworks. Future construction of CLMV global logistics and global supply chains will make synchronization between shippers and distributors more important than ever.