“Setouchi Oceans X” Project to Achieve “Zero Marine Waste” Gets Under Way
I visited Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, in July to attend a symposium to mark the formal kickoff of “Setouchi Oceans X,” a five-year project by The Nippon Foundation and four prefectures that encircle the Seto Inland Sea in western Japan aimed at achieving “zero marine waste.”
The three-hour hybrid event on July 4 was attended by a total of about 500 people, some in person and many others virtually, representing municipal governments, companies, research institutes, NPOs, universities, sports and cultural organizations, and other stakeholders in the four prefectures of Kagawa, Ehime, Hiroshima and Okayama.
In a video message, Japanese Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi pointed out that inland seas such as the Setouchi Inland Sea typically have a relatively small inflow of marine litter from outside oceans.
“So, if we go all out in trying to reduce marine litter to almost zero in the Seto Inland Sea, we will be able to see what we can achieve,” the minister said.
In my remarks to the symposium, I noted that this is the first inter-prefectural project designed to combat and eliminate marine debris in Japan and one of the very few such projects in the world.
“I hope that Japan as an ocean state will lead the way in fighting the world’s ocean debris by successfully carrying out this project, making the Seto Inland Sea a model for the rest of the world,” I added.
Governor Keizo Hamada of Kagawa Prefecture expressed his resolve to promote the Setouchi Oceans X project as one of the prefecture’s top priorities, working closely with the foundation and the three other prefectures as well as business circles and as many residents of the region as possible.
Then, experts from universities and research institutes gave presentations on the mechanism and effects of plastic litter discharge to the inland sea based on their research using cutting-edge technologies. They were followed by live online reports from the four prefectures showing the amount of plastic and other waste washed up on shore and campaigns by local residents to collect it.
According to the foundation’s estimate, 4,500 tons of waste are dispersed into the semi-enclosed Seto Inland Sea annually, of which only 1,400 tons are collected.
The Setouchi Oceans X project aims to slash the amount of marine debris in the sea to “infinitely close to zero” by reducing trash inflow by some 70% and increasing trash collection by a little over 10% over the next five years. The foundation will cover the cost of the project, totaling 1.5 billion yen (about 13.8 million dollars).
Under an agreement I signed with the governors of the four prefectures in December 2020, the four-pillar project calls for:
(1) Researching the origins and flows of marine litter, using a supercomputer, satellites and drones－both aerial and underwater－to draw wide-area maps of marine debris and scientifically visualize the seriousness and extent of the marine debris problem as well as working closely with local fishermen in gathering waste using trawl nets and other means.
(2) Having the foundation assist businesses and organizations in the four prefectures in promoting their programs to combat marine litter.
(3) Undertaking large-scale beach cleanup campaigns across the four prefectures and holding seminars to get across to citizens the importance of tackling ocean waste and how they can contribute to addressing the problem.
(4) Formulating guidelines based on five years of activities under the project for redesigning ways to fight marine waste that can be used by the rest of the country and the world.
I sincerely hope that the Setouchi Oceans X project will produce tangible results in cleaning up the Seto Inland Sea in five years to make it become the role model for redesigning ocean waste policies in other countries.
