• もっと見る
« LEPROSY | Main | FORGING GLOBAL TIES»
Blog Profile.jpg
Yohei Sasakawa
Profile
Twitter
Google
this blog www
<< 2024年03月 >>
          1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31            
What's New?
Categories
Monthly Archive
Comments
Links
https://blog.canpan.info/yoheisasakawa/index1_0.rdf
https://blog.canpan.info/yoheisasakawa/index2_0.xml
Japan Takes Essential Step in Second Stage of “MEGURI 2040” Project Toward Commercialization of Fully Autonomous Ships (2) [2024年01月29日(Mon)]
On December 12, 2023, ClassNK (Nippon Kaiji Kyokai), Japan’s ship classification society, announced it had issued an Approval in Principle (AiP) for the “Advanced Maneuvering Assistant System,” the core technology for the autonomous navigation system used in the demonstration test by Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) on the 1,600-kilometer round-trip route between Hitachi and Kushiro Ports.

The system automatically generates routes to avoid collisions with other ships on a monitored route when a collision with another ship is predicted due to OZT (Obstacle Zone by Target), and assists the operator in avoiding the collision.

The system takes into consideration COLREGs (International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea) and suggests up to two avoidance routes that will allow the ship to return to its original course line within one hour.

ClassNK carried out a review of a conceptual design of the system based on its “Guidelines for Automated/Autonomous Operation on ships” and issued the AiP upon confirming it complied with the prescribed requirements.

ClassNK, a non-profit, non-governmental organization that works on a range of services involving ships and preventing marine pollution, examines the design based on the existing regulations such as international conventions and ship classification rules and issues an AiP as proof of conformity with requirements.

Under the second stage of the “MEGURI 2040” project, more than 50 Japanese companies, comprising the country’s major shipping and shipbuilding as well as equipment manufacturing, communications, IT, insurance, research and other firms, have joined forces for what they claim to be an “All Japan” team.

In addition to the large RORO cargo ship, they will conduct demonstrations using three other types of ship: a newly-built full-package container ship with fully autonomous navigation, an existing container ship and a remote-island route ship retrofitted with some autonomous navigation capabilities.

I sincerely hope all these demonstrations will be successful, opening the way for putting autonomous ships into commercial service in 2025.

Currently, Japan’s domestic coastal shipping industry is grappling with the problem of an aging population of seafarers, more than half of whom are aged 50 and older, as well as a declining number of crew members working in the industry.

Under the circumstances, autonomous ships are expected to go a long way in reducing workloads and trimming operating costs. Besides, crewless navigation can also contribute to safety by reducing human error, which accounts for about 80% of marine accidents.

(End)
Posted by Y.Sasakawa at 10:00 | OCEAN | URL | comment(0)
Japan Takes Essential Step in Second Stage of “MEGURI 2040” Project Toward Commercialization of Fully Autonomous Ships (1) [2024年01月26日(Fri)]
231127-2.png
Under the “MEGURI 2040” project financed and administered by The Nippon Foundation, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) successfully conducted a landmark sea demonstration test of the autonomous navigation system installed on the 11,413 gross-ton RORO cargo ship Hokuren Maru No. 2 during a 1,600-kilometer round-trip voyage. (Image credit: K Line)


Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line), a major Japanese shipping company, has successfully completed a sea demonstration test of an autonomous navigation system installed on a large Roll-on/Roll-off (RORO) cargo ship on a round-trip voyage of approximately 1,600 kilometers on a commercial sea route.

This marked an essential step in the second stage of the Joint Technological Development Program for the Demonstration of Unmanned Ship, dubbed “MEGURI 2040,” financed and administered by The Nippon Foundation. The project aims at putting autonomous ships into commercial service in 2025 and eventually making half of Japan’s domestic coastal shipping fleet crewless by 2040.

For what’s known as a Proof of Concept (PoC) stage sea demonstration test, the autonomous navigation system was installed on the 11,413 gross-ton RORO cargo ship Hokuren Maru No. 2 operated by K Line.

The test comprised three voyages starting on October 1, 2023, on a 1,600-kilometer round-trip route along the Pacific coast between Hitachi Port, about 100 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, and Kushiro Port in Hokkaido, the northernmost Japanese prefecture−a long-used service route for the RORO cargo ship.

“We confirmed that recognition, analysis and decision-making by the autonomous navigation system are executed with a high degree of accuracy in coastal navigation,” said K Line in a statement.

“In the experimental route, the autonomous navigation system was used to navigate while maintaining the normal crew navigation tasks, and in situations where avoidance was necessary, the autonomous navigation system proposed avoidance routes and controlled steering to safely avoid other vessels.”

The autonomous navigation system has achieved an impressive average system operation rate of approximately 96% in the sea area set as the operational design domain (ODD), the company said.

The ODD is a set of operating conditions for an automated system, including environmental, geographical and time of day constraints, traffic and roadway characteristics. It is used by manufacturers to indicate where their product will operate safely. The concept of ODD indicates that automated systems have limitations and that they should operate within predefined restrictions to ensure safety and performance.

K Line has collaborated with YDK Technologies Co., Japan Radio Co., Ltd. Ltd., and Kawasaki Kinkai Kisen, in developing the comprehensive system that advances the technology of fully autonomous ships.

Using its knowledge of safe maritime operations, the team intends to further improve the autonomous navigation system using the data gathered from the demonstration tests.

K Line also plans to create ship-to-shore and off-board communication strategies to monitor vessel conditions and continuously offer navigational assistance from shore.

(To be continued)


231127-3en.png
K Line made three successful voyages navigating the 11,413 gross-ton RORO cargo ship Hokuren Maru No. 2 retrofitted with the autonomous navigation system on a 1,600-kilometer round trip route along the Pacific coast between Hitachi Port, about 100 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, and Kushiro Port in Hokkaido, the northernmost Japanese prefecture. (Image credit: K Line)
Posted by Y.Sasakawa at 11:54 | OCEAN | URL | comment(0)
Team U.K. Wins Inaugural Litter-Picking SpoGomi World Cup, Host Japan Finishes Second (2) [2023年12月13日(Wed)]
E291A2E3808CE697A5E69CACE7949FE381BEE3828CE381AEE382B9E3839BE3829AE382B3E38299E3839FE38292E4B896E7958CE381ABE5BA83E38191E38299E381A6E38184E3818DE3819FE38184E3808D.jfif
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the inaugural trash-picking SpoGomi World Cup on November 22, 2023, I said: “I would like to see this sport, born here in Japan, to spread throughout the world.”


Winning the first-ever Spo-Gomi World Cup in Tokyo on November 22, team captain Ms. Sarah Parry of The North Will Rise Again from the United Kingdom said: “We had never heard of SpoGomi but we love sport and it’s given us an amazing opportunity to learn so much about Japan, Japanese culture and also the main point, which is the environment, and how we can clean up more to protect the oceans.”

She said they wanted to bring SpoGomi back to the U.K. a bit more and that it would be great to see more people playing. “We only had one (qualifying) round in the U.K. but maybe we could have (one) in Scotland, England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales and then we could have more local competitions.”

Ms. Parry decided to form a team and participate because her brother was a member of Brazil’s team, and she had an interest in Japan. She saw her brother for the first time in two years at the competition.

Team leader Ms. Mariko Tsunamoto of the runners-up Smile Story of Japan said: “We were in the first place after the morning competition, but struggled during the afternoon because we could not find as much trash as we had expected. The British team was stronger. It’s a bit disappointing after our planning and training.”

She added, however, that they were glad to have been able to participate together with teams from other countries “who share our feelings about the Earth.”

I told the event participants: “As you may be well aware, close to 80% of marine litter is generated on land. Once litter is released into rivers or the ocean, recovery is extremely challenging.”

“By merging trash and sports, everyone can participate and enjoy. I would like to see this sport, born here in Japan, spread throughout the world,” I added.

Nippon Foundation Executive Director Mitsuyuki Unno commented at the closing ceremony: “Our aim is for a society in which trash collection and SpoGomi will no longer be needed, with no more trash coming from cities and oceans. This is a difficult challenge, but together with the 1,764 teams from around the world that participated (in the qualifying rounds), this is the future we hope to achieve.”

The 21 countries which took part in the SpoGomi World Cup 2023 were Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States of America and Vietnam.

Together, they collected 548.37 kilograms of trash from the Tokyo streets during the competition.

The Nippon Foundation aims to hold a second SpoGomi World Cup in 2025 with more participants from more countries.

The top three teams in the SpoGomi World Cup on November 22:

 TeamAmount collected
1st PlaceThe North Will Rise Again (Britain)83.70kg / 9,048.1 points
2nd PlaceSmile Story (Japan)55.50kg / 6,154.4 points
3rd PlaceSpoGhetti Team (Italy)44.05kg / 6,082.7 points


(End)
read more...
Posted by Y.Sasakawa at 10:00 | OCEAN | URL | comment(0)
Team U.K. Wins Inaugural Litter-Picking SpoGomi World Cup, Host Japan Finishes Second (1) [2023年12月12日(Tue)]
new_pr_20231124_02.jpg
The members of The North Will Rise Again of the United Kingdom−from left, Mr. Alexander George Winship, Ms. Sarah Louise Parry and Mr. Jonathan Michael Winship−who won the first-ever litter-picking SpoGomi World Cup held in Tokyo on November 22, 2023.


A trio from the United Kingdom has taken home the first-ever SpoGomi World Cup by picking up the most trash from the streets of Tokyo, with host nation Japan finishing second.

In the quest for the inaugural world title, 21 three-member teams, selected through qualifying rounds held earlier this year around the globe, took to the streets of Shibuya and Omotesando in central Tokyo, diligently combing through urban spaces to collect litter.

“SpoGomi”, the conflation of an abbreviation of "sport" with the Japanese word for trash ("gomi"), was invented in Japan in 2008 as a competition to encourage people to clean up public spaces.

By organizing the SpoGomi World Cup, The Nippon Foundation’s aim is to promote the sport internationally, raise awareness of the problem of litter, especially marine litter, 80% of which is generated on land, and provide a platform for those motivated to take action across national boundaries and generations.

The World Cup competition comprised morning and afternoon sessions, with 45 minutes for collecting trash and 20 minutes for sorting it. Points were awarded based on the volume and type of trash collected, with the team receiving the most points declared the winner.

The U.K. team, The North Will Rise Again, clinched the inaugural world title by accumulating 9,048.1 points for collecting 83.70 kilograms of rubbish.

The host nation representatives, dubbed Smile Story, came in second place by earning 6,154.4 points for the 55.50 kilograms they collected. SpoGhetti Team from Italy finished third with 6,082.7 points for 44.05 kilograms.

(To be continued)


new_pr_20231124_04.jpg
Representing Japan, the members of Niigata Prefecture’s Smile Story−from left, Ms. Mariko Tsunamoto, Ms. Tomoe Takahashi and Mr. Hiroyuki Yago−come out runners-up in the inaugural SpoGomi World Cup in Tokyo on November 22, 2023.


E291A0E3808CE382B9E3839BE3829A20GOMI20E383AFE383BCE383ABE38388E38299E382ABE38383E38395E3829A202023E3808DE381AEE6B1BAE58B9DE5A4A7E4BC9AE381ABE381AF21E382ABE59BBDE3818BE38289E4BBA3E8A1A8.jpg
21 teams from around the world participate in the first-ever trash-picking SpoGomi World Cup held in Tokyo on November 22.


E291A1E3808CE382B9E3839BE3829A20GOMI20E383AFE383BCE383ABE38388E38299E382ABE38383E38395E3829A202023E3808DE9968BE4BC9AE5BC8FJPG.jfif
The opening ceremony of the inaugural SpoGomi World Cup held in front of the United Nations University in Tokyo on November 22.
Posted by Y.Sasakawa at 16:01 | OCEAN | URL | comment(0)
3rd Coast Guard Global Summit Held in Tokyo with Record Number of Participants (2) [2023年12月01日(Fri)]
new_inf_20231102_02.jpg
Speaking at the 3rd Coast Guard Global Summit in Tokyo on October 31, 2023, Nippon Foundation Executive Director Mitsuyuki Unno (center) gives an update on the MEGURI 2040 Fully Autonomous Ship Program.


In the course of two days of discussions at the 3rd Coast Guard Global Summit in Tokyo on October 31 and November 1, cohosted by The Nippon Foundation and the Japan Coast Guard, the participants agreed to launch a dedicated website for sharing useful information on advanced best practices, experiences and human resource development.

They supported further development of the online educational program for member countries through the use of the website while seeking ways to increase its educational impact, including inviting specialists from coast guard training institutes and others to give lectures.

The session also featured the latest initiatives by coast guards and related organizations around the world to develop cutting-edge technologies, including autonomous navigation.

A representative of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) gave a presentation on the progress being made in its discussions related to unmanned and autonomous ship navigation.

From The Nippon Foundation, Executive Director Mitsuyuki Unno gave an overview and update on the latest developments in the Joint Technological Development Program for the Demonstration of Unmanned Ship, dubbed “MEGURI 2040,” financed and administered by the foundation.

Involving more than 50 shipping, shipbuilding, telecommunications, and other companies, Japan is taking significant strides toward putting crewless ships into commercial service in 2025. Ultimately, the initiative aims to make half of Japan’s domestic coastal shipping fleet crewless by 2040, he reported.

Representatives of Australia, France, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States also gave updates on initiatives underway in autonomous ship technology development in their respective countries.

Presentations were also given by representatives of Italy on preparing for the next pandemic based on lessons learned from COVID-19, by Turkey on dealing with irregular migrants traveling by sea, and by the Information Sharing Center created by the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP ISC) on strengthening regional cooperation in combating piracy.

To establish a flexible and sustainable framework for the summit, the participants supported proposed revisions to the summit operation guidelines, including allowing for the possibility of holding the summit online or using a hybrid format, and clarifying the method for choosing summit venues.

To sum up, Admiral Shohei Ishii, Commandant of the Japan Coast Guard, who presided over the discussion, noted: “The (coast guard) heads welcomed the further development of this summit as a global and useful platform with more agencies participating, and affirmed the need for this framework to continue making it functional effectively as a platform for cooperation among coast guards at a global scale.

“The heads also recognized the importance of deepening the understanding of shared principles of conduct in the maritime sector and strengthening the capacity of coast guards around the world so that, as ‘first responders and front-line actors,’ coast guards can meet the challenges facing the world and pass on ‘peaceful, beautiful and bountiful seas’ to the next generation.”

(End)


new_inf_20231102_03.jpg
A slide on the progress being made by the “MEGURI 2040” fully autonomous ship program presented by The Nippon Foundation Executive Director Mitsuyuki Unno at the 3rd Coast Guard Global Summit in Tokyo on October 31, 2023.
Posted by Y.Sasakawa at 10:00 | OCEAN | URL | comment(0)
3rd Coast Guard Global Summit Held in Tokyo with Record Number of Participants (1) [2023年11月30日(Thu)]
DSC_5854.jpg
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at a welcome reception for the 3rd Coast Guard Global Summit at a Tokyo hotel on October 30, 2023. The summit brought together a record 96 heads of coast guard authorities and international organizations from 87 countries.


The Nippon Foundation and the Japan Coast Guard co-hosted the 3rd Coast Guard Global Summit (CGGS) in Tokyo for three days from October 30 with a record 96 heads of coast guard authorities and international organizations from 87 countries taking part.

The CGGS is one of the world’s largest platforms for coast guard organizations to coordinate and discuss collaboration on a range of critical maritime issues including maritime security, ocean litter, the depletion of marine resources and the increasing occurrence of climate change-related disasters.

The number of participants in the summit, held for the first time in four years, was nearly triple that of the first CGGS in September 2017, which brought together representatives from 35 countries and regions, and well above the second summit in November 2019 attended by delegates from 84 agencies from 75 nations.

We had the honor of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s presence at the welcome reception on October 30 in which he said that he believed this gathering of coast guard leaders from around the world was an important opportunity to share common values on a broad range of maritime issues through dialogue.

At the opening ceremony on October 31, I said that in an era of rapid globalization, the issues directly affecting the ocean are becoming increasingly diverse and complex. “We need to cooperate and work together to address issues that cannot be resolved by one nation or one region on their own.”

I added that I hope that we will continue to share knowledge from the field and work together to protect the ocean, a “common property of humanity.”

Admiral Shohei Ishii, Commandant of the Japan Coast Guard who presided over the session, said: “To pass on peaceful, beautiful, and bountiful seas to the next generation, it is important to deepen our understanding of common principles of conduct in the marine sector and enhance coast guard functions at the global level.”

(To be continued)

The text of my speech at the welcome reception for the 3rd Coast Guard Global Summit in Tokyo on October 30, 2023, can be seen here.

The text of my speech at the opening ceremony for the 3rd Coast Guard Global Summit on October 31 can be seen here.


E291A0E4B896E7958C96E382ABE59BBDE381AEE6B5B7E4B88AE4BF9DE5AE89E6A99FE996A2E995B7E5AE98E7B49AE3818BE38299E587BAE5B8AD-6b853.jpg
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (front row, center) poses for a group photo with 96 representatives of coast guard authorities from 87 countries and international organizations at the welcome reception for the 3rd Coast Guard Global Summit in Tokyo on October 30, 2023.


E291A2E383ACE382BBE38395E3829AE382B7E383A7E383B3E381ABE381AFE5B2B8E794B0E7B78FE79086E381ABE38282E38193E38299E587BAE5B8ADE38184E3819FE3819FE38299E3818F.jpg
With Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (front row, second from left) at the welcome reception for the 3rd Coast Guard Global Summit in Tokyo on October 30.


E291A1E383ACE382BBE38395E3829AE382B7E383A7E383B3E381A6E38299E68CA8E68BB6.jpg
Speaking at the welcome reception for the 3rd Coast Guard Global Summit held in Tokyo on October 30.


E291A3E7ACACEFBC93E59B9EE4B896E7958CE6B5B7E4B88AE4BF9DE5AE89E6A99FE996A2E995B7E5AE98E7B49AE4BC9AE59088E9968BE4BC9AE5BC8F.jpg
The opening ceremony of the 3rd Coast Guard Global Summit held in Tokyo on October 31.
Posted by Y.Sasakawa at 13:33 | OCEAN | URL | comment(0)
Inaugural ”SpoGomi” World Cup to Be Held in Tokyo on November 22 (2) [2023年11月14日(Tue)]
E784A1E9A18C-ae3d8.png
46 teams comprising 138 people take part in the qualifying event in Tokyo on October 9, 2023, to select the national champion to represent Japan at the first ever trash-picking “SpoGomi” World Cup on November 22.


To select a national team to participate in the first-ever “SpoGomi” World Cup that The Nippon Foundation will host in Tokyo on November 22, qualifying rounds were held in 21 countries around the world starting in March this year.

In Thailand, representatives from 60 teams participated in the contest held at Siam Paragon, a huge shopping mall in central Bangkok on July 2. The winners were the three-member MJ Team that collected 17.7 kilograms of garbage, earning the highest score of 2,572 points based on the amount and type of trash they picked up.

The Bangkok Post quoted the team leader, Mr. Parkpoom Cholpilaiponk, as saying: "Normally, we already acknowledge that Siam Piwat (a chief local organizer of the event) has environmental activities and has good waste management. Organizing a garbage-picking sport is another activity that makes it easier for people to access waste sorting and helps raise awareness for people to pay more attention to waste segregation."

From India, three youngsters from Chennai will compete at the World Cup after beating 28 other teams from various cities in the qualifying round on the sands of Besant Nagar beach in Chennai held on July 9.

Waste segregation was the biggest challenge for the team. “We had strategized on how to go about it. Our focus was on first collecting as much litter as we could, with special emphasis on glass bottles that carried maximum points (a local rule in India),” Mr. Madhusudhan Radha Thanikasalam, a member of the trio, was quoted by the Hindu Times.

The three collected 80 kilograms of waste with glass alone weighing 35 kilograms, scoring 6,500 points, way ahead of their nearest rivals, who scored 2,800 points.

While the SpoGomi litter-picking method is the same the world over, different countries have their own household trash sorting criteria and public trash collection systems.

Nikhil Ravikumar, CEO of Cirqt, chief organizer for the event in India, said they made a few modifications to the competition. “As getting permission to organize the event on the streets is difficult, we choose the sands of the beach where such a practice already exists. The original competition gives more weightage to collection of cigarette butts, but we treated it as regular trash.”

In Vietnam, sorting trash is not routine, and the competitors had to consult the rule book to sort the waste they collected. Before taking part in SpoGomi, many of them said they had never realized that certain types of waste are recyclable resources.

In soccer-crazy Brazil, media outlets reporting on the SpoGomi World Cup never failed to mention how Japanese sports fans have impressed the world by picking up trash at World Cup and Olympic stadiums. They encouraged Brazilians to emulate this positive element of Japanese culture and join the SpoGomi competition.

At the Japanese elimination round in Tokyo on October 9, Mr. Mitsuyuki Unno, Executive Director of The Nippon Foundation, said that when teams from around the world gather in Tokyo to collect litter in the SpoGomi World Cup, and people back home see them on TV and social networking sites, it will raise their awareness of the ocean debris issue and hopefully encourage them to take action themselves.

Goal 14 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) calls on member states to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development by preventing and significantly reducing by 2025 marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution.

According to numerous experts, 70% to 80% of ocean debris originates from cities and towns, so reducing litter on land is essential to preventing marine debris from accumulating. Reducing everyday trash will not only make towns and cities cleaner, it will also make the oceans cleaner.

I sincerely hope that by hosting this world-class tournament, Japan will become the starting point of a global campaign aimed at creating garbage-free cities, rivers and oceans.

(End)
Posted by Y.Sasakawa at 10:00 | OCEAN | URL | comment(0)
Inaugural ”SpoGomi” World Cup to Be Held in Tokyo on November 22 (1) [2023年11月13日(Mon)]
E584AAE58B9DE38197E3819FE696B0E6BD9FE79C8CE4BBA3E8A1A8E381AEE382B9E3839EE382A4E383ABE382B9E38388E383BCE383AAE383BCE6AF8EE69C88E6B5B7E5B2B8E381A7E381AEE6B885E68E83E38292E5AE9FE696BDE38199E3828BE4BBB2E99693E381A7E.png
From left, Mr. Mitsuyuki Unno, Execuive Director of The Nippon Foundation, with the members of Niigata Prefecture’s Smile Story−Ms. Mariko Tsunamoto, Mr. Hiroyuki Yago and Ms. Tomoe Takahashi−who won the qualifying round in Tokyo on October 9, 2023, to represent Japan at the first-ever trash-picking “SpoGomi” World Cup on November 22.


The Nippon Foundation will host the first-ever “SpoGomi” World Cup on November 22 in which teams representing 21 countries will compete to see who can pick up the most litter from the streets of Tokyo.

Starting in March this year, qualifying tournaments were held around the world to select teams to represent their countries, with the winners earning an all-expenses-paid trip to Tokyo for the inaugural world championship.

“SpoGomi”, a combination of “sport” and “gomi” (Japanese for trash), was launched in Japan in 2008 as a competition to encourage people to clean up public spaces.

The SpoGomi World Cup 2023 is being held as part of the Umi-to-Nippon Project (The Ocean and Japan Project) that the foundation launched in 2017 to raise people’s awareness of the issue of ocean debris, with the aim of passing on clean and beautiful oceans to the next generation.

Representing Japan at the World Cup 2023 will be a team from Niigata Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast. It competed against teams from 45 other prefectures (only Shiga Prefecture did not take part) in a national qualifying event held in Tokyo on October 9.

Beginning in April, preliminary rounds took place in all 47 prefectures of Japan, involving 1,175 teams and a total of 3,525 people aged between 6 and 67.

Under SpoGomi World Cup rules, teams of three people, regardless of age or gender, compete for points based on the amount and type of trash picked up in a designated area within a given time. Teams have one hour to gather garbage and an additional 20 minutes to sort it.

Burnable and non-burnable trash items earn 10 points per 100 grams, cans and bottles 12 points, and PET plastic bottles 25 points. Cigarette butts earn the highest score, 100 points.

Braving occasional rain, the team from Niigata, dubbed Smile Story, earned 4,381.9 points for the 37.58 kilograms of trash they collected, over 20 kilograms more than the runners-up.

On earning the honor of representing Japan at the World Cup, team leader Ms. Mariko Tsunamoto said: “We’ve been doing regular beach and river clean-ups for more than three years. The ‘sense of smell’ we’ve developed through this volunteering experience helped us to find and pick up trash on our way to win. As Japanese national champions, we want to test our potential and hopefully win the World Cup.”

The 21 countries participating in the SpoGomi World Cup 2023 are Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States of America and Vietnam.

(To be continued)
Posted by Y.Sasakawa at 10:00 | OCEAN | URL | comment(0)
I Join 400 Cosplayers, Others at Ocean Cleanup Campaign in Yokohama [2023年10月18日(Wed)]
1.jpg
Dressed as Monkey D. Luffy from the popular manga series “One Piece,” the author (left) joins Yokohama Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka (center) and cosplayers in picking up trash at the Cosplay de UMIGOMI (ocean waste) Zero 2023 campaign in the port city on September 16, 2023.


Dressed once again as Monkey D. Luffy from the popular manga series “One Piece,” I joined some 400 cosplayers and other participants at the Cosplay de UMIGOMI (ocean waste) Zero 2023 campaign in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, on World Cleanup Day on September 16.

Also taking part in the event, which kicked off a week-long ocean cleanup campaign, were Japanese Vice Environment Minister Motome Takisawa, Yokohama Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka and Commandant Shohei Ishii of the Japan Coast Guard.

Jointly sponsored by The Nippon Foundation and the Environment Ministry, the ocean cleanup campaign was designed to raise public awareness of the issue of ocean debris with a view to contributing to a reduction in trash inflows into the ocean.

The day’s rally took place at three places in the port city−near the west exit of Yokohama Station, Kannai Station and Rinkai (seaside) Park. An estimated 80% of ocean debris flows into the ocean from cities and towns, meaning that reducing litter on land is essential to preventing marine debris from accumulating.

The foundation provided the participants with environment-friendly plastic trash bags, containing more than 50% biomass plastic made from plants.

A kick-off ceremony at the PACIFICO Yokohama convention center was linked online with cleanup rallies held in seven other prefectures across the nation−Aomori, Yamanashi, Fukui, Kyoto, Tottori, Oita and Kagoshima.

The participants in the Yokohama rally braved the lingering late summer heat and collected about 56 kilograms of trash in two hours.

I expressed my hope that the commitment shown by Japanese cosplayers, who are famous around the world, to tackling the problem of marine debris would help raise awareness of the issue globally.

Mayor Yamanaka said that everyone needs to redouble their efforts if we are to address the global issue of ocean debris, while Vice Minister Takisawa said: “Let’s all join together and work to ensure clean and bountiful oceans and a prosperous future.”

Ocean debris is an increasingly serious issue worldwide with some experts forecasting that at the present rate, the total volume of plastic waste in the world’s oceans will exceed that of fish by 2050.

I sincerely hope that the campaign will demonstrate to the rest of the world Japan’s initiative as a maritime nation in protecting the world’s oceans and serve as a model that can be used around the globe.


2.jpg
Some 400 cosplayers and other participants join the Cosplay de UMIGOMI (ocean waste) Zero 2023 campaign in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, on September 16, 2023.


3.jpg
At the kick-off ceremony at the PACIFICO Yokohama convention center on September 16, 2023, the author (center) dressed as Monkey D. Luffy is joined by Japanese Vice Environment Minister Motome Takisawa (fourth from left), Yokohama Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka (sixth from left), Commandant Shohei Ishii of the Japan Coast Guard (seventh from left) and cosplayers.


4.jpg
The author flanked by cosplayers dressed up as characters from Mobile Suit Gundam, an internationally popular Japanese military science fiction anime media franchise.
Posted by Y.Sasakawa at 19:47 | OCEAN | URL | comment(0)
Japan Taking Significant Strides Toward Commercialization of Fully Autonomous Ships by 2025 [2023年08月23日(Wed)]
en_new_art_20230720_02.jpg
Speaking at a seminar on July 20, 2023, to announce that the “MEGURI 2040” project is entering the second stage toward commercialization of autonomous ship technologies by 2025.


Japan is taking significant strides toward putting crewless ships into commercial service in 2025 under a project financed and administered by The Nippon Foundation.

This forms the second stage of the Joint Technological Development Program for the Demonstration of Unmanned Ship, dubbed “MEGURI 2040,” the foundation announced at a seminar in Tokyo on July 20.

In the first stage of the initiative launched by the foundation in February 2020, five consortia, comprising 51 Japanese companies, successfully conducted voyages through March 2022 demonstrating autonomous shipping technologies. Ultimately, the “MEGURI 2040” initiative aims to make half of Japan’s domestic coastal shipping fleet crewless by 2040.

Building upon the advancements made during the first stage, the 51 companies, comprising the country’s major shipping and shipbuilding as well as equipment manufacturing, communications, IT, insurance, research and other firms, will join forces as a single group in the second stage for what they claim to be an “All Japan” team.

Speaking at the seminar, Mr. Mitsuyuki Unno, executive director of The Nippon Foundation, said what the second stage aims to achieve is equivalent to so-called “Level 4 autonomous vehicles,” which can conduct driving tasks without human intervention within a limited area. (A Level 5 vehicle can drive itself anywhere under all conditions.)

The foundation outlined four primary goals of the second stage to achieve commercialization of fully autonomous ships by 2025.

1.     Demonstration Test: Conducting a demonstration of ship-land operations to simulate the future coastal shipping industry supported by fully autonomous technologies. The group will conduct demonstrations using four different types of ship: a newly built full-package container ship with fully autonomous navigation; an existing container ship; a Roll-on/Roll-off (RORO) cargo ship; and a remote island route ship retrofitted with some autonomous navigation capabilities. Additionally, two Fleet Operation Centers will be set up to monitor and support these crewless vessels from onshore.

2.     Standardization of Developed Technologies: Further refine the autonomous ship technologies developed in the first stage and bring them in line with international standards. The aim is to strengthen Japan’s maritime industry and position it as a leader in fully autonomous ship technology on the international stage.

3.     Reinforcement of Development Process Infrastructure: Upgrade the development process infrastructure established in the first stage. This includes enhancing simulation technology, generalizing risk assessment procedures, and other improvements. These steps aim to ensure the robustness and reliability of fully autonomous ship technology.

4.     Social Implementation: Establish a certification scheme necessary for commercialization of the autonomous navigation function, including land-based monitoring. The project also focuses on improving the environment for social implementation, including the establishment of international and domestic rules for fully autonomous ships, human resource requirements and training methods to accommodate new working styles, deregulation strategies to support continuous commercial use, and assessing insurance and freight rates for autonomous ships.

Currently, Japan’s domestic coastal shipping industry is grappling with the problem of an aging population of seafarers, more than half of whom are aged 50 and older, as well as a declining number of crew members working in the industry.

Under the circumstances, autonomous ships are expected to go a long way in reducing workloads and trimming operating costs. Besides, crewless navigation can also contribute to safety by reducing human error, which accounts for about 80% of marine accidents.

I told the seminar participants that given the high levels of Japan’s IT and AI technologies combined with the country’s years of experience as a leading shipping and shipbuilding country, I strongly hoped that the team would come up with innovations that see Japan pioneer the use of unmanned vessels.

As the Japanese team designs and demonstrates autonomous technologies in the second stage, I hope it will play a leading role in creating international rules governing unmanned shipping in international waters, led by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), an arm of the United Nations that sets rules for international shipping operations.


en_new_art_20230720_06.jpg
Speaking at the seminar on July 20, 2023, Managing Director Mitsuyuki Unno of The Nippon Foundation said the goal of the second stage of the “MEGURI 2040” initiative was equivalent to achieving so-called “Level 4 autonomous vehicles,” which can conduct driving tasks without human intervention within a limited area.


logo.jpg
MEGURI2040 logo
Posted by Y.Sasakawa at 18:27 | OCEAN | URL | comment(0)
| next