Special Discussion in Summer 2025: "Revitalizing the Ocean" at the Osaka-Kansai Expo. Spreading awareness and bringing about change (Part 2)

The EXPO 4 Osaka Kansai Expo will open on April 13th and run until October 10th. Among them, there is a notable private pavilion called "BLUE OCEAN DOME" The theme is "Revival of the Ocean."This pavilion aims to teach the concept of environmental protection, with the aim of promoting the sustainable use of marine resources and protecting the marine ecosystem.

The exhibitor of this pavilion and honorary director is Saraya Yusuke, president and CEO of Saraya Co., Ltd. In the first half of the session, he spoke about his thoughts on exhibiting at the pavilion and how the company is addressing environmental and social issues. Hanaoka from Seafood Legacy, who visited the site, will continue to talk to him. (Part 1Read more

Considering local issues"Tsushima Week"etc.

Hanaoka:In the first part, it was pointed out that few people are aware of marine pollution caused by plastic, and the current situation on Tsushima, where the problem is particularly severe.

Saraie:Yes. In order to let such people know about the current situation, Blue Ocean Dome "Tsushima Week" was held from June 6th to 16nd, and various events were held in cooperation with the United States and South Korea. Tsushima is currently farming tuna, and in addition to large companies like Nissui, local fishing cooperatives are also starting to farm tuna. This has created a motivation within the local community to not only catch fish but also raise them. This is our desire to protect the environment of Tsushima from trash.

"Tsushima Week" was held at the Blue Ocean Dome in June. We discussed what we can do to protect the environment of Tsushima.

Hanaoka:Ideally, large companies would take action to start a movement, followed by local communities starting sustainable initiatives, and Tsushima is a model for this.In addition to Tsushima Week, events are held almost every week.

Saraie:We are also planning a "Kombu Future Week" from July 7nd to 22th. As kelp is gradually becoming scarce in Hokkaido, we have decided to launch an initiative to regenerate Hokkaido's kelp in cooperation with Hokkaido government officials, a startup company established by a former Hokkaido government official, and Hakodate city. We are also planning to announce the concept of a "Hakodate brand." Osaka has had many kelp wholesalers for a long time, has a culture of dashi, and is familiar with the "Miyako Konbu" made in Sakai city, so we have a deep connection with kelp. Seaweed is also blue carbon, so regeneration efforts are important.

A collaborative event with Seafood Legacy will also be held.

Hanaoka:From September 9th to October 25th, Seafood Legacy will be holding an event called "The Future of Sustainable Seafood." In addition to lectures and discussions, we plan to broadcast TSSS sessions live. TSSS will be attended by people from Japan and abroad, so we hope that this will be an opportunity for them to learn about the Blue Ocean Dome.

A collaborative event with Seafood Legacy will also be held at the Blue Ocean Dome, and live broadcast of the TSSS session is also planned.

Saraie:The theme of Dome C of the Blue Ocean Dome is "Wisdom." I hope we can bring together wisdom from not only Japan but also overseas and share it through broadcasts, archives, YouTube, etc.

Speaking of overseas, Japanese sushi is popular in Hong Kong and other places, but there seems to be a strong demand to "eat the same sushi as in Japan, made with fish caught in Japan" rather than local sushi. This requires technology to transport Japanese sushi ingredients overseas in chilled or frozen form without compromising their flavor, and then reprocess them locally. The other day, someone from the Tottori Ice-On Association came to this pavilion, and they have developed an amazing technology to mature fish at a temperature of about -3 degrees Celsius, where it does not freeze completely. It would be great if we could combine this technology with sustainable seafood and work to establish a new standard.

Hanaoka:Fish caught in Japan have brand value. If sustainability and traceability are added to that, they can be sold in overseas markets, and the addition of such technology will increase their competitiveness.

by the way,Saraya Co., Ltd.Blue Ocean Initiative General Incorporated AssociationWhat kind of activities does the company carry out here?

Saraie:The Blue Ocean Initiative was established in 2022 as a platform that aims to solve ocean issues through business co-creation with all stakeholders related to the ocean. The initiative aims to realize ideas for solving problems by having large companies provide financial support to small and medium-sized enterprises and startups, and currently has about 100 companies participating.

At the Nikkei SDGS Festival, a session on the issue of marine plastic was held with a representative from Tsushima City, a local government partner of the Blue Ocean Initiative.

This is"NIKKEI Blue Ocean Forum'We are working in cooperation with the NIKKEI Blue Ocean Forum, which also makes recommendations to the government from a media perspective.The Blue Ocean Initiative also has the advantage of being easy to implement.

Hanaoka:IAs the head of the Fisheries Resources Subcommittee of the NIKKEI Blue Ocean Forum, I have had many discussions with Mr. Saraya. What are your thoughts on fisheries?

Saraie:Japan's fishing industry has been overfishing in the past. I am afraid that this history will be repeated in other countries. For example, Mauritania has a large number of Japanese fishermen dispatched by JICA and other organizations.Masaaki Nakamura introduced the technique of octopus fishing, "Takotsubo fishing," and octopus fishing became popular, but in recent years the catch has fallen by nearly half. Japan needs to systematically manage fisheries resources, including providing guidance to other countries.

Three keywords to bring sustainable seafood into the mainstream

Hanaoka:So Japan needs to teach people not only how to utilize resources, but also how to protect them.

Incidentally, last year TSSS set a goal of "making sustainable seafood mainstream by 2030." What do you think is needed to achieve this goal?

Saraie:First,It is important for everyone to know what sustainable seafood is. And it is important for distributors and processors to find ways to make their products more acceptable to consumers, without being limited by cost. Consumers are tight on cash these days, and even if new fish species or deep-sea fish are used, they will not be accepted if there is no understanding of sustainable seafood.

Another major theme is local production for local consumption. Nationwide distribution is important, but there are also ways to create local brands and add value to local foods. There is also demand for people who want to eat a little bit of something tasty. I would like to see efforts to encourage people to enjoy local fish while closely watching consumer reactions.

"Local production and consumption is also a way to increase the value of Japanese food," says Saraie.
"First of all, we need to raise awareness of sustainable seafood. That's also your job."

Hanaoka:I agree. With the increase in inbound tourists, there is growing demand for experiences unique to each region of Japan, so you could target that.

In addition, in order to make sustainable seafood mainstream, there are many other issues that need to be resolved, such as IUU fishing, human rights issues, and the destruction of biodiversity. What is the key to overcoming these challenges?

Saraie:To address such issuesIt is the role of the government to decide the rules. The government must clearly show how things should be, and we, the private sector, can act in accordance with those rules and use them to create new businesses.

Europe has begun to regulate the use of floats in fishing, but Japan and neighboring countries still use them. This is because they are cheap, but we bear the cost of disposing of the waste. This needs to be corrected, and I would like the government to set clear rules for this, and I also think that we, the private sector, should speak out more.

Saraya Co., Ltd. is a sponsor of the Sustainable Seafood Summit in Osaka. President Saraya will also be speaking at the summit.Keynote speech on Wednesday, October 10stPlease register and join us.

Interviewed and written by: Shino Kawasaki
After planning and editing corporate advertisements at a design office, she became a freelance writer, copywriter, and food coordinator in 2016. She writes for a variety of media, including women's magazines published by major publishers, food and beverage magazines and websites, medical information websites, and medical books.