No.146

September 5, 2006

●	Japan - A Nation of Rich Marine Resources Tetsuro Urabe Professor, Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo
●	Toward the Establishment of a Guideline for the Improvement of the Barren of Rocky Shore Hiroshi Umezu Construction Division, Fisheries Infrastructure Department, Fisheries Agency
●	See the Nostalgic Future upon Reexamining the Forest, River, and Ocean Koichiro Shimotsu Representative Director, Specified Nonprofit Corporation Eco Link Association

Japan - A Nation of Rich Marine Resources

Tetsuro Urabe
Professor, Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo

Extensive ocean survey has been conducted towards the extension of the continental shelf in Japan. However, the public may wonder why the extension of the continental shelf needs to be achieved and what to do with it? It was found that there are diverse geologic conditions and a wealth of offshore minerals in this area.
By considering the crucial role of mineral resources played in Japanese history, this article takes a whale's-eye view of future of the offshore minerals known on the seafloor surrounding Japan.

Toward the Establishment of a Guideline for the Improvement of the Barren of Rocky Shore

Hiroshi Umezu
Construction Division, Fisheries Infrastructure Department, Fisheries Agency

Seaweed beds which are shaping the society of organism of the bountiful sea around Japan are vanishing.
In order to improve this phenomenon of the barren of rocky shore, at the end of this fiscal year, the Fisheries Agency will establish a guideline for the improvement of the barren of rocky shore.
It is expected that this guideline will be used in the future and efforts to regain a bountiful sea through the cooperation of a variety of people, including the government, researchers, fishermen, and volunteers will unfold around Japan.

See the Nostalgic Future upon Reexamining the Forest, River, and Ocean

Koichiro Shimotsu
Representative Director, Specified Nonprofit Corporation Eco Link Association

The Eco Link Association which is a nonprofit organization is working for the development of a region including the conservation and recovery of the natural environment.
For environment conservation activities, a network of all the people living in that region is important.
To accomplish the image of a bountiful sea, by their own choice, the citizens must deem it necessary to discover a new value and create "a region as a source of pride."