The Future of Earth and Biodiversity Week
NIKKEI Blue Ocean Forum
NIKKEI, NIKKEI BP
The world's oceans are in a critical state. Coastal areas are littered with marine plastic waste, and fish stocks are declining due to global warming. Meanwhile, efforts to protect the oceans are increasing across Japan. At this forum, experts and corporate representatives will discuss the future of the oceans. Let's work together to preserve our blue oceans for future generations.
Discussion
- Marine pollution
- Biodiversity
- Climate change
| Transmission of simultaneous interpretation | Provided |
|---|---|
| Language of interpretation | Japanese and English |
Reservations are required for this programme.
Booking typically opens with the '2-month advance lottery.' Click below for details.
* Arrive early; latecomers may not be admitted.
For more information about making a reservation to watch a programme.
Please watch the Virtual Studio if you are outside the venue.
-
Agenda2025
Participation Programme
- * Programme times and content are subject to change. Any changes will be announced on this website and via the ticket booking system.
- * The schedule is subject to change depending on the organiser's circumstances.
- Time and
Date of
the event -
-
2025.09.26[Fri]
10:30 ～ 12:30
(Venue Open 10:00)
-
- Venue
- Theme Weeks Studio
画像提供：日経ナショナル ジオグラフィック
Programme details
The world's oceans are in a critical state. Coastal areas are seeing large amounts of marine plastic waste washing ashore, crossing national borders. Global warming is making fish harder to catch, and seaweed and algae are disappearing, leading to the degradation of rocky shores. Meanwhile, activities to protect the oceans are increasing throughout Japan.
The Nikkei Group has launched the “NIKKEI Blue Ocean Forum” aiming for ocean conservation and the appropriate utilization of marine resources. An expert committee comprising marine specialists and corporate representatives has deliberated over two years. We have now compiled these discussions into proposals and released them domestically and internationally.
Part 1 of this event focuses on the themes of “Resource Circulation” and “Fisheries Resources.” We will carefully introduce the state of the world's oceans, Japan's role, the deliberation process, the spirit behind the proposals, and the latest examples of marine conservation activities. Let's think together about how to pass on blue oceans to our children.
【Program】
10:30–11:20 Session 1: Resource Circulation
Mr. Masaki Ishikawa (Vice President, Dean of the Faculty of Social System Design, Specially Appointed Professor, Eikei University / Representative Director, NPO Gomijapan)
Mr. Yusuke Saraya (2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo Blue Ocean Dome Honorary Director (ZERI JAPAN) / President and CEO of Saraya Co., Ltd.)
Mr. Taku Furuta (Rengo Senior Managing Executive Officer, Head of Research & Development and Environmental Management Promotion Division)
Mr. Shunichi Honda (Program Officer, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP))
<Moderator>
Mr. Shinichi Aoki (Editorial Writer and Editorial Board Member, The Nikkei)
11:20–12:10 Session 2 Theme: Marine Resources
Mr. Michio Kondo (Professor, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University / WPI-AIMEC)
Mr. Akihiko Nishi (General Manager, Sustainability Promotion Department, Nissui)
Mr. Kazuo Hanaoka (President and CEO, Seafood Legacy)
Ms. Yoko Maki (General Manager, Social Impact Department, McDonald's Japan / Part-time Lecturer, Hitotsubashi University)
<Moderator>
Ms. Kaori Fujita (Senior Editor, Nikkei ESG / Professor, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University / Green Future Creation Organization)
12:10–12:30 Special Dialogue :Beyond EXPO 2025: Actions Connecting the Ocean to the Future
Mr. Yusuke Saraya (2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo Blue Ocean Dome Honorary Director (ZERI JAPAN) / President and CEO of Saraya Co., Ltd.)
Mr. Monty Simas (Global Director, Public Affairs, Policy & Blue Finance, The Ocean Cleanup)
Cast
Moderator
Shinichi Aoki
Nikkei Inc. Editorial Writer and Editorial Board Member
Graduated from the Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University in 1991 and joined the Nikkei Inc. Worked in the Industry Department, Nikkei Computer (Nikkei BP), the Science and Technology Department, and Nikkei Science. Appointed Head of the Science and Technology Department in 2019, Editorial Board Member in 2021, and concurrently Editorial Writer from 2022.
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Kaori Fujita
Nikkei ESG Senior Editor / Professor, Green Future Creation Organization and Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University
Born in Uozu City, Toyama Prefecture. Graduated from the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Tokyo. Joined Nikkei BP, serving as a reporter for Nikkei Electronics, deputy editor-in-chief of National Geographic Japan (covering nature and culture), editorial board member of the environmental management magazine Nikkei Ecology, and producer of the Nikkei ESG Management Forum. Currently serves concurrently as Senior Editor of Nikkei ESG and Professor at Tohoku University.
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Speakers
Masanobu Ishikawa
Eikei University Vice President Dean, Faculty of Social System Design Specially Appointed Professor Representative Director, NPO Gomijapan
Graduated from the Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Tokyo in 1978; Doctor of Engineering. Served as Associate Professor in the Department of Food Engineering at Tokyo University of Fisheries before becoming Professor at the Graduate School of Economics, Kobe University in 2003. Retired in 2019 and is currently Professor Emeritus at Kobe University. Appointed Specially Appointed Professor at Eikei University in 2020. Appointed Vice President and Dean of the Faculty of Social System Design at Eikei University in 2025.
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Yusuke Saraya
2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo Blue Ocean Dome Honorary Director (ZERI JAPAN) / President and CEO of Saraya Co., Ltd.
Born in 1951. Graduated from Osaka University's Faculty of Engineering in 1974. Completed a master's degree in Sanitary Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley in 1975. Joined Saraya Co., Ltd. in 1976. Appointed President and Representative Director in 1998, a position he holds to this day. Has served as Chairman of the Japan Junior Chamber and Chairman of the Global Citizens Foundation. Currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Eco Design Network (NPO) and Chairman of Zeri Japan.
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Taku Furuta
Rengo Senior Managing Executive Officer, Head of Research & Development and Environmental Management Promotion Division
1986 Joined Rengo Co., Ltd.
2013 General Manager, Packaging Development Department
2017 Director, Head of Central Research Institute, Research & Technology Development Division
2021 Executive Officer, Head of Central Research Institute, Research & Development and Environmental Management Promotion Division
Concurrently in charge of Environmental Management Promotion Department
2023 Managing Executive Officer, Same
2024 Senior Managing Executive Officer, Same
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Shunichi Honda
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Program Officer
After earning a Ph.D. in Environmental Science from Shizuoka Prefectural University Graduate School, he served as a postdoctoral researcher at Tsinghua University's School of Environmental Science and Engineering, a researcher at the National Minamata Disease Research Center under Japan's Ministry of the Environment, and an International Waste Management and Negotiations Officer in the Waste and Recycling Management Division of the Ministry of the Environment. He has been affiliated with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) since May 2015.
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Michio Kondo
Professor, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University · WPI-AIMEC
Professor at the Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University. Specializes in ecology. Graduated from the Faculty of Science, Kyoto University in 1996; earned a Ph.D. (Science) from the Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University in 2001. Served as a visiting researcher in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom for two years starting in 2001. Appointed Lecturer at Ryukoku University in 2004, Associate Professor in 2008, and Professor in 2014. Assumed current position in 2018. Founding Representative Director of the Environmental DNA Society.
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Akihiko Nishi
Nissui Director of Sustainability Promotion
April 1993 Joined Nippon Suisan Co., Ltd.
March 2007 Frozen Foods Section Manager, Household Foods Division, Nippon Suisan Co., Ltd.
March 2012 Section Manager, Sales Planning I, Sales Planning Office, Nippon Suisan Co., Ltd.
October 2013 Frozen Foods Section Manager, Metropolitan Household Sales Department, Wide Area Sales Headquarters, Nippon Suisan Co., Ltd.
March 2020: Nissui Co., Ltd. - CSR Department, CSR Section Manager
March 2021: Nissui Co., Ltd. - CSR Department Manager
March 2022: Nissui Co., Ltd. - Sustainability Promotion Department Manager
December 2022: Nissui Co., Ltd. - Sustainability Promotion Department Manager
(Due to company name change)
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Wakao Hanaoka
Seafood Legacy President and CEO
After working in marine conservation projects and international environmental NGOs, he founded Seafood Legacy in 2015. He connects diverse stakeholders—including the fisheries industry, financial institutions, government agencies, and the civic sector—across Asia to mainstream sustainable seafood and drive systemic change.
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Yoko Maki
McDonald's Japan Social Impact Department Manager / Hitotsubashi University Part-time Lecturer
Graduated from Hitotsubashi University, Faculty of Commerce. Studied at HEC Paris Graduate School of Management. Holds an MBA from Paris Dauphine University and Sorbonne. Previously worked at Nomura Research Institute, Management Co-creation Foundation, A.T. Kearney, Pernod Ricard, and MHD Moët Hennessy Diageo. Currently serves as Director of the Sustainability & ESG Department and Social Impact Department at McDonald's Japan since January 2023.
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Monty Simus
Global Director of Public Affairs, Policy, and Blue Finance The Ocean Cleanup
A graduate of Yale University and holder of a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University, Monty Simus spent several decades at the nexus of impact investing, catalytic philanthropy, and innovative social finance, building and scaling high-growth, purpose-driven, commercial and philanthropic initiatives that served millions in the Global South. Internationally recognized, he has contributed a range of papers on environmental issues and joined The Ocean Cleanup in 2024 to lead the Global Public Affairs and Blue Finance team’s work with governments and international organizations to rid our rivers and oceans of plastic pollution.
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More Information
The Future of Earth and Biodiversity Week
NIKKEI Blue Ocean Forum
The world's oceans are in a critical state. Coastal areas are littered with marine plastic waste, and fish stocks are declining due to global warming. Meanwhile, efforts to protect the oceans are increasing across Japan. At this forum, experts and corporate representatives will discuss the future of the oceans. Let's work together to preserve our blue oceans for future generations.
-
2025.09.26[Fri]
10:30～12:30
(Venue Open 10:00)
- Theme Weeks Studio
- * Programme times and content are subject to change. Any changes will be announced on this website and via the ticket booking system.
- * The schedule is subject to change depending on the organiser's circumstances.
画像提供：日経ナショナル ジオグラフィック
Reservations are required for this programme.
Booking typically opens with the '2-month advance lottery.' Click below for details.
* Arrive early; latecomers may not be admitted.
For more information about making a reservation to watch a programme.
Please watch the Virtual Studio if you are outside the venue.
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The Future of Earth and Biodiversity Week
