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| Sea Area Utilization Technology
Development Discussion Gatherings |
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Together with the remarkable economic
development in Asian countries in recent years, the role of ports and harbors
in strengthening the globally competitive marine transport function in Japan
as bases for the movement of people and goods in coastal areas has expanded.
Moreover, to ensure continued economic development in the future, for the
development and utilization of sea areas an approach is needed that also
gives priority to protection of coastal land and sea area natural environments
and ecosystems and supports a recycling society. In addition, in sea areas
and especially in coastal areas, facilities such as port and harbor spaces
have become more closely related to people's lives, and expectations concerning
enhancement of their disaster prevention functions and the formation of
spaces as the creation of community facilities opened to the sea have increased.
Sea area utilization technology at ports and harbors has developed
as technologies of various sectors, including shipbuilding, the environment,
and the marine products industry, and ocean engineering works technology,
have been united to respond to new demands from society. Moreover, the role
played by sea area utilization technology in resolving the various issues
highlighted above is expected to grow tremendously in the future.
When promoting technological development it is necessary to
sufficiently understand the technological needs related to sea area utilization
at each point in time, based on socioeconomic circumstances. Therefore to
achieve more adequate, more effective implementation of technology policies
concerning sea area utilization in the future, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure
and Transport Ports and Harbours Bureau sponsors these informal social gatherings
to provide opportunities to hear opinions on the expectations, requests
and other thoughts concerning sea area utilization from wide-ranging points
of view, from various individuals including academic scholars, experienced
individuals and specialists in every sector. |
| Opinions received at sea area utilization technology
development discussion gatherings held from Fiscal 2002 through Fiscal 2004
(summary) |
| - With the orientation of "coastal area natural environment conservation
and creation"-related technology development as a viewpoint - |
| Image of future ports and harbors spaces |
| · |
Based on the future stance Japan should
adopt towards the issue of the concentration of population in Tokyo,
establish the posture that should be taken for space at each port
and harbor (objectives and goals), then create a plan outlining what
should be done to achieve those objectives and goals. |
| · |
With regard to achieving "enhancement
of the distribution function" and "conservation of the natural
environment," as well as "assurance of safety and security"
from the viewpoint of disaster prevention, all within the same space,
it is important to consider how to think about these goals comprehensively,
enact measures such as zoning affecting which functions to specialize
or emphasize, and have a strategy and visualize the appearance of
ports and harbors of the future. |
| · |
From one perspective, port and harbor
spaces are bases for the culture of the sea, but culture cannot be
created if no individuals are involved when creating a culture of
the sea. It is necessary to create a vision of how to increase the
movement of people. |
| · |
The Ports and Harbours Bureau should think
about methods of use from the viewpoints of "vigorous activities"
combined with "living" and "relaxation." |
| Creation and evaluation of technology policies |
| · |
Ports and harbors have aspects as distribution
spaces, living spaces and natural environments, and technology to
design these aspects comprehensively into port and harbor spaces is
needed. In conjunction with this, a means to tie these aspects to
policy planning also is necessary. |
| · |
When making a comprehensive evaluation
of policies combining various sectors, along with creating the mechanism
for assessment from the planning stage through the after-the-fact
evaluation, an effort should be made to systematize evaluation criteria
and indicators. When doing so, one issue will be how to evaluate values
that require a long time to be created, such as restoration and creation
of natural environments. |
| Development of technology policies |
| · |
When undertaking technology research and
development, cooperation among industry, academia and government,
cooperation and coordination among ministries to eliminate vertically
separated functions, and cooperation with researchers in various scientific
sectors will be needed. |
| · |
Considering ways to link sea areas and
land areas is extremely important for thinking about the utilization
of sea areas. |
| · |
When thinking about "coastal areas,"
it will be necessary to pursue research that incorporates ways of
looking at issues from the viewpoint of ecosystems in the water that
are not visible from land. |
| · |
Studies on technical and policy measures
that delve even further into the rise in the ocean surface level and
changes in high tides and high seas as a result of factors such as
global warming or other climatic changes are needed |
| · |
It is important for researchers on coastal
area organisms and ecosystems to participate in policy discussions,
based on exchanges of information through cooperation. For this purpose,
measures to present policy issues to researchers and request their
active participation are also important. |
| Dissemination of information |
| · |
With regard to technology policy and research
results, it is important to understand international science and technology
trends at each point in time and disseminate the originality of information
in a timely and effective manner. |
| · |
The bureau must provide opportunities
that will enable local individuals to think individually about actions
to take in the future by learning the latest information on research
results etc. as knowledge or direct observation of the present conditions
of sea areas. |
| · |
Given the number of individuals engaged
in the marine products industry, who served to protect coastal area
environments in the past, is declining sharply, each individual citizen
will be responsible for protecting coastal areas in the future, and
providing a wide-ranging education as a base will be critical. |
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