Mayor of Monbetsu City, Hokkaido

　

　

 Monbetsu City is located along the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, the only place where we can see an icebound sea. With a population of 28,000, Monbetsu City has developed with fishery and agriculture as the basis of the economy.

 The Sea of Okhotsk brings the bounties of the sea to the local people, but the production activity of the sea stops as the sea becomes icebound in winter. Although drift ice was once considered a kind of nuisance, people are beginning to understand that drift ice has a favorable effect on the global environment and the production activities of oceanic life. This revelation was made possible by the enduring research efforts made by the Sea Ice Research Laboratory of the Institute of Low Temperature Science, The Hokkaido University. The Sea Ice Research Laboratory was established in Monbetsu City in 1965.

 In order to research the functions of drift ice and use drift ice for the development of this city, we drew up the 3rd Montetsu City development program (1989 to 1998) and the 4th-term program (1999 to 2008). In these programs, we included the "International Drift Ice Research City Concept" as a long-term program.

　

 Main projects in the "International Drift Ice Research City Concept" program include the following:

1) Collecting data on the icebound ocean and making the data open to the public

2) Promoting the environment protection in the Sea of Okhotsk

3) Protecting and conserving the natural environment and conducting the living environment protection activities

4) Promoting the wide-area exchange of people and information

　

　

 Concerning the projects 1) and 2), we are conducting comprehensive research and development in the area of icebound ocean science and technology, and spread the information collected through this research and development. We defined these two projects as the "Okhotsk Program and are implementing them as a nucleus of the International Drift Ice Research City Concept to create a venue for exchanging ocean science technologies internationally.

　

 In implementing the "Okhotsk Program," we established the Okhotsk Drift Ice Research Institute, a third-sector organization in 1991. In 1996 we constructed the "Okhotsk Tower," an icebound sea observation tower, which is the base of research and observation on the ocean, the first of its kind in the world. With this tower as a key facility of our research, we are building a comprehensive research system by coordinating the activities being conducted by the Sea Ice Research Laboratory, Okhotsk Drift Ice Science Center, Ocean Exchange Hall, and other land facilities, and "Garinko-go II," an ice-breaking boat which also provides support in conducting ocean experiments.

 Specific research activities include the experiments in maneuvering a self-standing underwater robot in the Sea of Okhotsk by the Underwater Technology Research Center of the Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo, the wide-area drift ice observation using remote sensing techniques by the Tokai University Research & Information Center, and so forth.

　

　

 In January and February 2002 Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., and the National Institute of Polar Research jointly conducted tests on an underwater robot in the water under the icebound sea.

 The "International Northern Region Symposium" is held every year, starting in 1986, as the place for academic exchanges. Researchers specializing in oceanography, meteorology, fishery, icebound sea science, environmental engineering, remote sensing, etc., visit Monbetsu City from countries in the northern region. Through this symposium, the globalization of international joint research and study is spreading from Monbetsu City to the world.

 This symposium is also widely known for the support rendered by volunteers. Open lectures are given, and researchers have the opportunities to communicate with the local community and know the lifestyle and culture. International exchanges are gradually developing on a citizen level.

 This year the symposium will be held during the period from February 24 to 28 in 2002. It was dedicated to Professor Masaaki Aota of the Sea Ice Research Laboratory, who made a great contribution to the drift ice research and is to leave his job on reaching retirement age.

 The recent oil spillage in the development of a submarine oil field in Sakhalin constitutes a serious problem that must be discussed in the Okhotsk program to protect the environment of the Sea of Okhotsk. In July last year, training in preventing oil spillage and cleaning spilt oil was carried out with the participation of organizations concerned on the sides of Japan and Russia on the assumption that a large-scale oil spillage accident occurs. We are making efforts to build a more efficient network with the national government, the Hokkaido government, municipalities along the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, and organizations concerned, so that we will be able to have Monbetsu City function as the base for wide-area disaster prevention and to protect the ocean environment.

　

 We regard the International Drift Ice Research City Concept as not only a city revitalization project, but also an international project that will play a significant role in the world. We will continue to provide strong support in research activities, enlighten people on the importance of drift ice as our invaluable property, and contribute to the development of drift ice and icebound sea research.