Satoumi Initiative

Culture based on environmental responsibility, resource circulation, and nature coexistence. Integrates traditional Japanese values (mottainai, nature respect) with modern environmental challenges. Multi-faceted practices including satoyama conservation, recycling systems, ecotourism. Recognized as Japan's contribution to global environmental problem-solving.

A concept of coastal seas appropriately managed by human activity. As the oceanic counterpart of Satoyama, fishers sustain biodiversity and marine resources through seagrass bed restoration and tidal flat conservation. Introduced internationally at COP10 in 2010, Satoumi has gained global attention as a new model for coastal zone management.

Conservation movement extending satoyama concept to marine areas. Aims for simultaneous achievement of coastal fishing, tourism, and ecosystem preservation. Implements comprehensive approaches including seaweed bed restoration, shellfish aquaculture, and marine debris reduction. Fuses regional fisheries with environmental conservation for sustainable marine economy. Recognized internationally as coastal management best practice.

Fisheries utilizing satoumi coastal zones where humans and sea coexist. Balancing environment and economy through seaweed bed conservation and shellfish farming. Like satoyama, aiming for sustainable use. Realizes regional fishery revitalization alongside biodiversity conservation, modernizing Japan's traditional relationship with the sea.

A concept representing agricultural and fishing villages where humans and nature coexist sustainably. Characterized by high biodiversity and traditional farming and fishing cultural heritage. Recently recognized as critical for urban-rural symbiosis, regional revitalization, and ecosystem conservation, satoyama and satoumi have become central to Japan's national sustainability policies, blending Japanese natural philosophy with practical sustainability.

A program integrating fishery practices with ecosystem conservation in coastal areas such as Seto Inland Sea and Ariake Sea. It practices sustainable coastal resource management through seagrass restoration, shellfish aquaculture, and small-scale fishery activation. It aims to balance local fishers' economic interests with marine biodiversity protection.

A project cultivating coastal seaweeds (wakame, kombu, and hondawara) at scale to simultaneously achieve blue carbon sequestration and marine ecosystem restoration. Fishing cooperatives from Hokkaido to Kyushu participate, creating a new model balancing climate action with fishery revitalization.