The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has launched new information services on Disaster Risk Reduction—including storm surge warnings—designed to clearly link information to specific resident evacuation actions corresponding to Alert Levels 2 through 5. At the same time, JMA has launched new services such as storm surge forecasts that incorporate wave run-up height predictions alongside tide level predictions, as well as regional 3-hourly forecasts including tide level. These services aim to further enhance and strengthen storm surge warning and evacuation systems, enabling more accurate decision-making regarding evacuation from storm surge flooding.

For Japan, surrounded by the sea on all sides, the ocean serves as a vital arena for the economy, industry, and national security. However, the waters surrounding the country have seen numerous maritime accidents caused by factors such as harsh weather and sea conditions and congested vessel traffic. In response, Japan has established a unified public-private maritime search-and-rescue system based on lessons learned from past accidents, ensuring a 24-hour, 365-day operational capability to save precious lives at sea.

The International Maritime Research Center (IMaRC) at Kobe University was selected as the commissioned research institution for the "Project for Building Methodologies to Create Comprehensive Marine Knowledge through Citizen Participation," a five-year initiative starting in fiscal year 2023 under the Ocean and Earth Division in the Research and Development Bureau of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). The project aims to codify a “procedural manual” outlining methods that can be applied generally to encourage citizens to voluntarily take an interest in the ocean. As the project moves from the first into the second half, we are now reflecting on our marine cultural heritage and citizen science.

Starting with the sense of powerlessness felt during beach cleanups—the feeling that "picking up trash doesn't change anything"—students surveyed and analyzed waste in the nearby Tedori River basin to investigate its causes. This learning process evolved into concrete proposals and actions aimed at society, such as a recycling program for used writing materials. The initiative demonstrated that students with intellectual disabilities need not merely be passive recipients of information regarding environmental issues; rather, they can become active agents capable of driving social change based on evidence.

Opportunities to learn about the ocean within the school curriculum are extremely limited. However, when we talk to friends of the same generation about the ocean, many unexpectedly express an interest. Through this experience, we realized that there are indeed others like us who care about the ocean. Through an initiative where middle and high school students create and distribute an "Ocean Textbook" to their peers, our group, Blue Campus, aims to foster connections with the ocean from a "peer-to-peer" perspective. We have taken on the challenge of a new form of ocean education that transforms personal, formative experiences into concrete action.