Given the growing amounts of marine plastic debris worldwide, reduction in plastic waste has become an issue of immediate concern. Against this backdrop, major countries in the world, including the European Commission, are advancing legislation for the comprehensive reduction of plastic waste. Due to Japan’s advanced efforts in separating plastic waste, many people in Japan may think that the dumping of plastic waste into the oceans is only a problem for others. However, there is a need for the public and private sectors in Japan to take on efforts for the comprehensive reduction of plastic waste.

Water taxis are a part of the waterborne transport in and around Tokyo Bay. In an effort to provide customers with new Tokyo discoveries, we have been dealing with the two themes of education and boat design. With the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games coming up, it is expected that more boats will be needed to respond to the increase in customers. In order to do so, planning for effective use of boarding locations is an important issue to be resolved.
Selected Papers No.24(p.15)

Forty years since the birth of fisheries eco-labels, more than 140 labels now exist worldwide. While Japan’s fishing industry used to assert its status as the “world’s best,” it has greatly fallen behind with regards to the worldwide trend of sustainable use of fisheries resources. The holding of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics is a prime opportunity for Japanese society to share ideas and actions on sustainability. MEL hopes to contribute towards the establishment of a sustainable society by being a “world-approved fisheries eco-label from Japan.”