【Abstract】

55 years have nearly elapsed since Pardo’s declaration in 1967. International Seabed Authority (ISA) established in 1994 has adopted “Exploration Regulations” for 3 seabed mineral resources via the advisory opinion (2011) of Sea-Bed Disputes Chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. The Ocean Conference on the basis of SDG14 proclaimed “Call for Action” in 2017. Hence ISA published “The Contribution of the International Seabed Authority to the Achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” in 2021. SDGs 16 and 17 also request ISA to include various stakeholders to participate in the transparent decision making process concerning drafting “Exploitation Regulation,” cost issues associated with exploitation, and the uncertainty of the protection and preservation of the marine environment. This paper aims to make a proposal how Japan’s related national laws are reconsidered, noting COP 15 of Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Intergovernmental Conference of BBNJ. This paper was originally published in Japanese in September 2020. Much progress has not been made in the negotiations or discussions of a number of international instruments due to COVID-19. Therefore I slightly updated information on the international environmental trends, and added some new sentences to the original version.