To all of our esteemed guests from both Japan and abroad, ladies and gentlemen, I wish you good morning. I also want to thank you for your participation in 'Geo Future Project: Protect the Ocean', an International Conference hosted by the Institute for Ocean Policy, SOF.

　

We at the Institute for Ocean Policy, SOF, are guided by the principle of co-existence with the ocean, and therefore believe that progress towards ocean governance is extremely important not only for our country but for the region and the world. It was for this purpose that the Institute was established in April of last year with the support of the Nippon Foundation, making it the first think tank in Japan devoted solely to ocean affairs. To achieve these aims, we at the institute are continually undertaking policy research, as a part of the comprehensive and cross-spectoral approach indispensable to ocean governance. Based upon our results, we then make policy recommendations and coordinate educational initiatives to raise awareness of ocean issues, in the hopes of contributing to the development of ocean governance in Japan, the region, and the world. Today's meeting is an example of our activities towards that end.

　

Here, we should note the great changes of the last ten years affecting the oceans, which cover seventy percent of the earth's surface. First, of course, was the ending of the fifty year long cold war. Next, in 1994, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea came into effect, addressed the long contentious issues of the territorial seas by setting the twelve mile limit, and vastly increased the ocean jurisdictions of coastal countries by instituting the Archipelagic Regime and the Exclusive Economic Zones. Environment and Development issues were the theme of Rio Summit in 1992, where the principle of Sustainable Development and Agenda 21 were formulated and adopted. Ten years later, in 2002, the World Summit on Sustainable Development was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, producing a Plan of Implementation for sustainable development and related issues.

　

Also, since the mid-1990s, smuggling, drugs, piracy, and other types of transnational crime have greatly increased, creating the need for regional and international counter-initiatives. Serious consequences for the oceans have also followed the targeting of the World Trade Center and Pentagon in the September 11 terrorist attacks.

　

In light of these changes, we believe there is a need for creating a new ocean-oriented security concept in line with the new order of use and development and environmental protection of the oceans, getting away from the traditional land-based concept emphasizing the military of sovereign states.

　

In other words, we believe there is a need for a new security paradigm in which each country's security is considered in broader terms that take into account the economic benefits of use and development of the ocean and the environmental advantages of its protection and conservation. The prerequisites of such a paradigm should be peaceful coexistence among countries and shared rules for the new ocean regime.

　

Discussion of the 'Legal Frameworks and Action Plans for Maintenance of Peace on the Oceans and Environmental Protection' is the admittedly ambitious goal we have set today before our panel of experts from seven countries, China, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, the United States, and Japan.

　

We look forward to your discussions today and tomorrow and to the fruitful insights they will no doubt produce.

　

Thank you.