This year marks the 30th anniversary of the "Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control in the Asia-Pacific Region," adopted in Tokyo in December 1993. The Tokyo MOU refers to both this memorandum and an international regional organization for port State control (PSC) cooperation, which was established in accordance with this memorandum. This report covers the background to the Tokyo MOU’s establishment, its initiatives to date, and future efforts toward improving global maritime safety, marine environment protection, and living and working conditions for seafarers.

With the development of underwater exploration technology, famous sunken warships are being discovered one after another around the world, but the reality is that most of these discoveries are being made through the voluntary efforts of NPOs and other organizations. Considering the need for research and analysis, which is expected to increase further in the future, as well as the coordination regarding the organization and utilization of collected materials, the memorializing and honoring of the dead, and the response to various issues under international law, these efforts constitute a new challenge regarding the ocean and so require a shift to an organizational and cross-disciplinary response from the public and private sectors.

When you look at sand grains under a microscope, the fascinating variety of shapes is more than you might imagine. Sand grains come from a variety of sources, including those created by biological activity and those created by molten rock from volcanic eruptions that have cooled and solidified. Currently, most of Japan's coastline is lined with reclaimed land and seawalls, and there are almost no sandy beaches left that maintain a healthy connection with the land. There are probably many species that have quietly become extinct on sandy beaches that are now no more than sparse remnants of their former selves. The duty to preserve for future generations the sandy beaches now in danger of dying rests with us.