126TH YEAR | NO. 43,752

ISSN 0289-1956 © THE JAPAN TIMES LTD., 2022

Saturday, July 30, 2022

Saving the seas:
The way forward

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FROM THE EDITOR
By YOSHIKUNI SHIRAI / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

A

s is well known, the ocean
occupies 70% of the Earth’s
surface, and it absorbs carbon dioxide from the air, lowering its
concentration in the atmosphere.
According to data from the Ministry of the Environment, theamount of carbon dioxide absorbed by the ocean reached 2.9billion tons in 2020, the most in asingle year since 1990. In the 250
years since the Industrial Revolution, emissions of carbon dioxide

generated by human activities
have increased significantly due
to the consumption of fossil fuelsand deforestation.
But as the concentration of dissolved carbon dioxide increases
the ocean gradually changes, becoming more acidic, and this has
significant impacts on marine
ecosystems.
Looking at the lives of Japanesepeople, we have always beenheavily dependent on the sea, es-

ご存じのように、海は地球の表面積の70％を占めています。その海は二酸化炭素を吸収していて、大気中の二酸化炭素濃度の上昇を抑えています。環境省の資料によると、海洋の二酸化炭素の吸収量は2020年に29億トン炭素となり、1990年以降の期間で最大となったそうです。
産業革命以降この250年間で、化石燃料の消費や人間による森林伐採により、排出される二酸化炭素（人為起
源二酸化炭素）は大幅に増えました。そのため海洋中に

Featurepecially when it comes to food.
Japan’s land area is just 380,000
square kilometers but because itis an archipelago its coastline islong, and its exclusive economic
zone is the sixth-largest in theworld, behind only the UnitedStates, Australia, Indonesia, New
Zealand and Canada.
The ocean is indispensable forour survival. In this special issue,
we introduce sustainable efforts
focused on preserving them.

二酸化炭素が蓄積されることで 海洋酸性化 が進行し、海洋生態系への影響も懸念されています
私たち日本人の生活、特に食の部分では海に大きく依存しています。日本の国土面積自体は38万㎢と大きくはありませんが、島国であることから長い海岸線を持ち、排他的経済水域（EEZ）の面積だと、世界第6位となっています。今回の特集では、その母なる海を巡るサステ
ナブルな取り組みについて紹介したいと思います。

AI FUTAKI“Ocean ambassador” for the Ministry of
the Environment’s Mori Sato Kawa Umi
Project (Forest Village River Sea Project),
Mymizu ambassador. Futaki set two new
firsts recognized by Guinness World
Records for free diving. She is a uniquepresence working to be an intermediary
between the undersea world and the world
on land. As both a photographic subject
and a photographer in the world’s oceans,she depicts the connection expressed in thewords “We are part of the Earth and livewith the Earth.”
The Ai Futaki photo exhibition “Naka-Ima‘Here and Now’” will be held until Aug. 31
at the venue Umi to Mori in Yoyogi, Tokyo.
https://aifutaki.com/

OCEAN

INTERVIEW'Subaquatic Messenger' connects people to sea
By ARINA TSUKADAPHOTOS: KOUTAROU WASHIZAKI
CLOTHING COURTESY OF HAAT/ISSEY MIYAKE

Summary
人間は自然と共に生きている、を伝える、二木あいの活動。

すべての海はつながっている。しかし人類にとって海中は未知なる世界、海洋生物だけでも全体の90% 以上がまだ発見されていないと言われている。そんな知られざる海の世界を、水中で暮らす生物の視点から伝えていく
水族表現家 二木あいに話を聞いた。二木は十数年前から素潜りを開始し、2011年にギネス記録を２種樹立。

「人間はこの地球の支配者ではなく、自然と共に生きている」というメッセージを写真や講演などを通して伝える活動を行なっている。
環境省の「森里川海プロジェクト」にて、海のアンバ
サダーとしても参画する二木は、「あらゆる環境問題は
すべて海でつながっている」と語る。「海のほうが人間よりずっと大きい存在。人間中心の視点のみで何かをしようとすることにずっと違和感がありました。環境問題
は本来、自分の暮らしとも直結しています。頭で理解していても、心が動かなければ何も変わらない。自分の心に正直にいること、そして人間は自然の一部だと感じられることが大切だと思います」。

日本語全文はこちらから

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JULY 2022 EDITIONSUSTAINABLE JAPANMAGAZINE
BY

Head Oﬃce:
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Email: jtc-csinfo@japantimes.co.jp
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EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: MINAKO SUEMATSU
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: YOSHIKUNI SHIRAICONTRIBUTING EDITOR: ARINA TSUKADADIRECTOR: SHINOBU YAMADAMANAGING EDITOR: MARIANGELES DEJEAN
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Above: Ai Futaki approaches sea animals at extremely close range when free diving.
Left: The NHK documentary “Precious Blue” follows Futaki’s activities in the paradise of the
Caribbean Sea, where sperm whales raise their young. The film features stunning images.
PRECIOUS BLUE BY NHK ENTERPRISES © 2014 NHK / CHIYODA RAFTA

ll oceans are connected. The sea
comprises 70% of the Earth’s surface area, with about 230,000
known kinds of creatures. Yet the sea remains a largely unknown world — it isestimated that over 90% of marine species have yet to be discovered.
We spoke with Ai Futaki, the “Subaquatic Messenger” reporting on the unknown world of the sea from the perspective of the creatures that inhabit it. Drawn
to the undersea world she first discovered
through scuba diving, Futaki focused
mainly on underwater photography andvideography in countries around theworld (including Thailand and Mexico)
before she started free diving over a decade ago. She felt keenly at the time that
free diving was the only way to become
one with the ocean. In 2011, Futaki aimed
to set a record for “free diving through acave in one breath” and actually achieved
two firsts recognized by Guinness World
Records.
Futaki said: “Since I initially aspired to
be a documentary filmmaker, I felt I
should more widely convey the magnificent world of the sea and the message
that ‘human beings are not the rulers of
the world — we live together with nature.’ I aimed for the Guinness record inorder to raise my profile enough to transmit this message to the world.”
Many of Futaki’s photos capture underwater animals at amazingly close
range. How is she able to get so close tothem?
“With scuba diving, the sound ofbreathing and air bubbles ends up creating a distance between the diver andocean animals,” she said. “With free diving, all you have under the water is yourown lungs, the same as marine mammals
like whales and dolphins, so you’re able
to become part of their world. What’s important is to have a sense of respect andnot barge carelessly into their territory.
Also, the transmission of vibrations isfour times as fast underwater as on land,so if I feel even slightly afraid or nervous,
the animals sense that right away. I leave
my ego on land, and in the water I concentrate on the feeling of ‘just being
there.’”
Futaki, who roams the seas in various
parts of the world, is also participating as“ocean ambassador” in the Ministry of
the Environment’s Mori Sato Kawa Umi
Project (Forest Village River Sea Project). How does she view the cascade ofproblems the world is currently facing,including climate change and plastic pol-lution in the ocean?
“When you visit the ocean in any country, all the local people say, ‘The sea wasmore beautiful 10 years ago,’” she said.
“As in the case of garbage from East
Asian countries drifting ashore in Japan,
all the various environmental problems
are connected by the sea. In particular,
the more we learn about the ocean garbage issue, the more intricate and overwhelming it becomes. Things that are
essential for sustaining people’s current
way of life are continually streaming out
into the sea. At the same time, plastic
trash under the water can sometimes
look quite beautiful. To creatures thatprey on jellyfish, translucent objects thatcatch the light must look just like food.”
What can we humans do to preserve
the beautiful oceans? On the invitation ofvarious organizations — administrative
agencies and local governments, schools
and so on — Futaki presents her activities and offers suggestions.
“Even if people understand something
in their minds, I don’t think anythingchanges unless their hearts are moved.
In my case, my works don’t have titles ornotes, and when I’m the photographer
the pictures themselves are black-andwhite. There’s no correct or incorrect. I’dlike my work to be an opportunity forsomething to blossom inside each viewer
and be felt with the heart. I often speakat schools, and it’s clear that showing
photos and videos while talking about
my own experiences of seeing sea creatures up close with my own eyes resonates with children more than answering
questions in a formal way. I think that’s
the advantage of real experience.”
She went on: “Also, environmental issues
always tend to be thought of as something
in a faraway place, but they’re intrinsically connected to our own lives in a direct way. I always say, ‘First of all, you
should value yourself.’ For instance, you
might change your daily eating habits, or
buy things that are thoughtfully made anduse them with care instead of buying
things you’ll end up throwing away soon.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a lotof people were released from their busy
routines and became aware of the discomfort they’d felt up to then. I think themost important thing is to be kind while
being true to your own heart and valuing
yourself.”
Futaki places importance on addressing the senses and emotions of each individual. What is her vision for leaving thebeautiful oceans for the next generation?

“All the creatures in the natural world
live their lives while adapting to the environments they’re given at various times.
They all have their own life cycles, and I
always feel they transcend the limits ofhuman understanding,” she said. “We often hear the slogan ‘Protect the ocean
and living things,’ but I think the ocean isa much bigger presence than human beings are. I’m sure these words are meant
to contribute to a better future, but sincenature is bigger than we are, I’d always
felt uncomfortable with the idea of doing
something for nature solely from a human-centric perspective or position. Humans don’t own the Earth. We’re one
type of being living with nature. If it’strue that the ocean formed on the Earth
4.3 billion years ago, our basis for judgement — the span of our existence — isvery short, isn’t it? By definition, ourtime scale is something completely different from the ocean’s.
“What’s more, there must be a huge
number of unresolved issues among thecountless problems brought about by humans, some of which we’re trying to address, such as production and consumption structures — companies that keep
accelerating consumption, waste disposal and so on. It may be difficult to find a
breakthrough, but I think we should focus on our own problems first, and leaveother creatures’ ways of life to them.
“It’s said that the human body is about
60% water. Water is always inside of us,
and I think it will be a good thing if people are able to feel that human beings arepart of nature.”

The next issue
will be published on Aug. 27
The Sustainable Japan section of The
Japan Times highlights the efforts oforganizations and communities toward
a new way of life. For more information
on sustainability, ESG and SDG issues,see https://sustainable.japantimes.com
Full articles are available for premium
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https://sustainable.japantimes.com/jp「記事の日本語版（全文）は有料会員限定サイトで購読可能です」日本語サイト URL：https://sustainable.

japantimes.com/jp

COVER PHOTO
Ai Futaki, the “Subaquatic Messenger”
who is also an ambassador for the
Ministry of the Environment’s Mori
Sato Kawa Umi Project (Forest Village
River Sea Project). An accomplishedfree diver, she photographs marine life
and also man-made marine debris.
© AI FUTAKI

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Wokuni New YorkA whale parent and calf in a photo by Ai Futaki

B4 |Feature|OCEAN

AQUACULTURE
Promoting sea sustainability
with oyster farming

Umetsu’s oysters are a big hit on
Japanese e-commerce sites.

By TAEKO TERAOSATOSHI UMETSU Born in Saga Prefecture in 1973. President of Umiotoko Co. Ltd. After graduating from junior high school, he started working in his family’s harbor
construction business, and after working as a diver, he began researching aquaculture for bivalve shellfish. He started an oyster farming business in 2014. His Umiotoko
Oysters won the 2020 Grand Prix in the “Undiscovered Gems of Japan” competition, produced by Active Learning Co. President Takuya Hane.
PHOTOS: UNDISCOVERED GEMS OF JAPAN / UMIOTOKOO

Left: Umetsu in Benin, inspecting oyster farming
operations. Right: A delegation of legislators came all theway from Mexico to visit Umetsu.

Summary
牡蠣の養殖から、海の持続可能性を考える。

水産資源が減少する日本の海を、牡蠣養殖によって甦らせる活動に取り組む男性がいる。株式会社海男の代表取締役、梅津聡だ。佐賀県で生まれ、潜水士として多くの港湾の海に潜り、33歳からは営業で各地を回り海が汚れてい
く様と漁業の衰退を目にした。
そこで海の土壌改良を調査するうちに、牡蠣養殖が生態

ne man is working to revive Japan’s oceans through oyster
farming, saying, “The sea is dirtier than you might think.” His oysters,
which he grows using a new cultivation
method he developed himself, arestrongly backed by starred chefs.
That man is Satoshi Umetsu, presidentof Umiotoko Co. Ltd. His company is located in Tara, a Saga Prefecture town on
the Ariake Sea, one of the most productive oyster farming areas in Kyushu.
Umetsu was born into a family that operates a port construction business there.
He joined the family business after graduating from junior high school, and as
part of that job, he dived in many ports
and harbors. From the age of 33, he traveled around the country as a sales representative, witnessing increased sea pollution and the decline of the fishing

系の復活に寄与することがわかった。独学で養殖のやり方を学び、2012年、質の高い牡蠣が採れて以降は、自ら養殖、販売を手がけるようになる。そして、有明原産の種カキを用いた牡蠣を〈海男オイスター〉としてブランド化した。
「有
明の風土に合う地元産の種は病気にかかりにくく強く育ちます。このことが海を守ることにつながっていきます」

industry. While the sea appears to beclean on the surface, diving allowed him
to see the sludge that has accumulated at
the bottom. Although the governmenthas been making efforts toward improving marine water quality, we have not yet
reached the point where we can restore
sea life to the sea.
“The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism’s definition of a‘clean sea’ is one that is clear and at firstglance looks beautiful, but it is difficult forbacteria and other organisms to grow inwater like that,” he said. “From a fisherman’s point of view, sea waters that lookmuddy because they are rich in nutrientsthat preserve the ecosystem are ideal.”
With this in mind, Umetsu’s research
into marine soil improvement led him toa potential savior: oysters. “It turns outthat in a sense, oysters are at the top of

ところが2019年、梅津が「漁協指定の種カキ（宮城県産）
を使わない」という理由から、地元漁協からカキ部会を除名され一切のカキ養殖を禁じられた。梅津は訴訟を起こし、漁協との対立が続いた。
「自然を大切にしながら、もっと自由に海が使えるようになればいい」。現在は賛同者も増え、海外からも声がかかる。梅津のチャレンジは続く。

日本語全文はこちらから|

the marine food chain,” he said. “As phytoplankton increase thanks to nutrientsflowing from the mountains into the sea,
seaweed and oysters can grow. Bacteria
break down the waste produced by oysters, reverting it to nutrients that fish caneat, resulting in more fish. However, when
the populations of oysters and other bivalves decrease, the result is too much
phytoplankton, producing red tides andcollapsing the ecosystem. One of the bestthings to do to return the oceans tohealth, therefore, is to grow oysters!”
Umetsu learned oyster farming mainly
from the internet and YouTube videos by
overseas producers. He could not understand English, so he copied what he saw
in repeated on-site trial-and-error efforts. When he started in 2009, his efforts
were largely directed at fishermen, as away to help them. In addition to his local
operations in the Ariake Sea, connections he had made in Tokushima, Kagawa, Yamaguchi and other areas throughthe port construction business offered
him locations to develop new oyster
beds, and in return, he shared with them
the information he had gained from his
research. This enterprise produced huge
losses at first, but in 2012 the Ariake
farm produced an amazingly delicious
crop of oysters, which caused quite asplash when he exhibited them at the Japan International Seafood Show, organized by the National Fisheries Agency.
This led him to start cultivating and selling the oysters himself. His oysters,
which are grown from seed oysters native to Ariake, are small with black shells
and have a concentrated sea flavor. They
are quickly gaining popularity under thebrand Umiotoko Oysters.
“Locally sourced oysters are naturally

suited to the Ariake Sea climate,” Umetsu said, “so they are more robust and lesssusceptible to disease. This also helps toprotect the sea.”
Amid that success, a calamity occurred: Umetsu refused to use the seedoysters from Miyagi Prefecture that areprescribed by the Fisheries Cooperative,
leading to his expulsion from the oyster
division at the Oura Branch of the Ariake
Sea Fisheries Cooperative in March 2019
and a ban on him performing any oyster
farming, causing him tremendous financial losses. This has put Umetsu at odds
with the fishermen’s cooperative. He has
filed a lawsuit with the Saga District
Court to confirm that his expulsion wasinvalid and to claim damages.
Umetsu expresses his desire to “usethe ocean more freely while preserving
nature.” The numbers of fishermen andindustry newcomers are currently increasing, so plans are underway to create a Kyushu oyster brand, launch ecommerce enterprises and organize
oyster tourism in Kyushu to allow visits
to producers in its various regions. Incidentally, on the day of our online interview, Umetsu was visiting Benin in Africa to pass on how he plans to realize
oyster farming.
“Oyster farming does not incur feed-related costs, making it a good way for developing countries to bring in foreign currency,” he said. “Furthermore, increased
digitalization of operations is shortening
labor times for fishermen. This in turnfrees up time for maintaining the mountains, because the trees and bamboogrown there are beneficial for fish reefs. A
cycle like that would be ideal.”
Umetsu clearly faces more challenges
ahead.

Top: Umetsu’s two sons are also involved in the aquaculture business.
Bottom: The relatively small oysters have a concentrated flavor.

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lastic waste entering the sea is
now seen as a critical global problem. The amount already in thesea is thought to total 150 million tons,
with 8 million more added every year. It
is predicted that the weight of marine
plastic waste will exceed that of marine
life soon after 2050.
Marine waste was first identified as aproblem in the 1970s, but it only started
to be mentioned in international politicalcircles at the Group of Seven summit in
Elmau, Germany, in 2015. Four years
later, at the 2019 Group of 20 summit, agoal was established to stop the additionof any more plastic waste by 2030.
So what is the current situation withocean plastic waste? We spoke with Yutaka Michida, a professor at the Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute(AORI) within the University of Tokyo,
and Haruyuki Kinoshita of the Instituteof Industrial Science (IIS) at the University of Tokyo. Both are working on a joint
research project, FSI Marine Plastics Research, being conducted by the University of Tokyo and the Nippon Foundation.
“In a survey to help us understand thecurrent situation, we investigated theplastic density in seawater samples taken over the past 70 years [1949-2016] byJapanese fisheries research and educational institutes, and found that the volume of plastic waste has been increasing
tenfold every decade,” Michida said.
“Meanwhile, recent research has shownthat the smaller the plastic particles, themore likely they are to accumulate in the
mud on the seabed. Further, it has be-

FeatureOCEAN

come clear that the size and type of plastic will influence its distribution by ocean
currents and also the time it takes to accumulate within living organisms. Thisknowledge will potentially help us develop plastics with less environmental
impact in the future.”With his colleagues, Michida is also investigating the effects of ocean plastics
on marine life and the human body.
“When we examined hermit crabs that
lived in coastal areas where plastic pollution was advanced, we found that in addition to microplastics, chemical substances added during the plastic manufacturing
process had also accumulated insidethem. Those substances may also be
harmful to the crabs’ metabolism,” hesaid. “We also investigated the effect of
microplastics on the human body. After
conducting experiments using cultured
cells, we discovered that fine particles oftens to hundreds of nanometers in size
can enter the human bloodstream andlymph nodes. As a result, it is highly possible that humans will also absorb microplastics, and harmful substances will accumulate inside their bodies.”
So all sorts of problems are connectedwith ocean plastics. But perhaps themost important task now is to raiseawareness in order to reduce the amountof waste that is generated in the firstplace. Kinoshita, who is working on an
oceanographic data research platform,
OMNI, that involves the participation of
local residents, explained.
“The efforts of researchers alone will
never be enough, so we are trying tobuild a mechanism to collect data [on mi-

Left: A survey is conducted to investigate the amount of microplastics on the ocean surface.
Right: When algae and bacteria grow on plastic debris, it becomes heavy and sinks to the seabed.
PHOTOS: THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO FSI‐NIPPON FOUNDATION RESEARCH PROJECT ON MARINE PLASTICS�

croplastics] with the help of citizens,” hesaid. “Recently, we have collaborated
with Zushi city [in Kanagawa Prefecture]
to collect beach sand with local children,
and we are now developing a programthat will calculate the total amount of microplastics found in those samples. These
educational activities are greatly appreciated by the Zushi citizens, who tend to beenvironmentally conscious. On the other
hand, in places like Tsushima in Nagasaki Prefecture, the situation is different,
because instead of household waste wefind a great deal of industrial waste thatis washed there from other countries.
The opinions and ideas of the locals will
differ by location, so it is important tohear from them directly.”
Currently the project is entering its
second phase, and plans are afoot for
further collaboration with local sciencegroups, local governments and citizens
to raise awareness. When it comes tokeeping plastics out of the ocean, it
seems there is still much more that needs
to be done.

A comparison of
microplastic deposits
around Tsushima, Nagasaki
Prefecture, based on ocean
current simulations.

PLASTIC WASTE
The current state ofplastic pollution in seas
By ARINA TSUKADA

Lectures and workshops on marine debris are also held
regularly for the general public.

Oceanographic surveys involving
the sampling of seawater and silt
from the seabed are designed toshow how marine plastic waste
moves and where it accumulates.

Summary
海洋プラスチックゴミを取り巻く世界の現状。

現在、海中に存在するプラスチックは1億5千万トン、2050年以降には魚の重量を超えるという予測も出ている。東京大学と日本財団による共同研究「FSI 海洋プラスチック研究」を進める、東京大学の道田豊氏、木下晴之氏に話を聞いた。「国内だけでも10年で10倍単位の海洋プラスチック汚染が進行していることが調査で判明しました。また海洋生物の体内に化学物質が蓄積したり、人間も有害物質を溜め込んでしまったりする可能性は大いにあります」と豊田氏は語る。
市民参加型の海洋データ調査プラットフォームOMNI を推進する木下氏は次のように語る。「研究者たちの収集や調査だけでは到底追いつきませんので、市民の方たちとデータを収集する仕組みを構築しています。
最近では逗子市とも連携し、地元の子どもたちと砂浜からマイクロプラスチックを調査するプログラムを展開するなど、各地域固有の声やアイデアを市民の方々から集めていくことも重要です。今後はいっそうの自治体との連携や市民参加による社会普及を目指していきます」。

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The city of Mutsu in Aomori
Prefecture is located on thenorthernmost part of Honshu.
Surrounded by the sea on all
sides, it is blessed with richmarine resources such as
scallops.
COURTESY: MUTSU CITY

FeatureOCEAN

TREE PLANNING
Fishermen's Forest links
land and sea resources
By ARINA TSUKADA

Members of fisheries cooperatives and forestry associations, along with local children, participate in tree-planting in the mountains.

M

inerals from lush mountain forests find their way into rivers
and then flow into the sea. In
recent years, a group of fishermen in the
Aomori city of Mutsu have been trying tosustain this healthy cycle linking landand sea resources by planting trees intheir neighboring mountains. They calltheir project Fishermen’s Forest.
Mutsu, in the northernmost part ofHonshu, has been known for its sea cucumbers and abundant fisheries since
the Edo Period (1603–1868). These days,
scallop farming is also popular. It was
about 20 years ago that a group of local
fishermen began a program of treeplanting in the area. Central to thatgroup was Shigeru Nihonyanagi, of the
Mutsu City Wakinozawa Agricultural
Promotion Corp.
“Scallops feed on phytoplankton, andthe minerals supplied to the sea are themain determinant in how good they taste
once harvested. Around 80% of the areaof Mutsu is forested, and as the leaves
fall to the ground and rot they are returned to the soil. Rainwater and snowmelt seep into the ground and then thewater finds its way back into the sea via
rivers. Rich in organic substances andminerals, this water is ultimately thesource food for the scallops,” Nihonyanagi explained.
In order to produce nutrient-rich humus that provides minerals for scallops,
broad-leaved forests are preferable toconiferous forests. However, during theperiod of Japan’s high economic growthfrom the late 1950s to the 1970s, a large
number of sugi (cryptomeria) trees,
which are easy to use as building material, were planted all over Japan. The coniferous sugi trees grow rapidly, but thismakes it hard for other plants to thrivealongside them. Since that time, the seawater has lacked minerals and, with expanded scallop farming also contributing to the problem, scallops became
smaller in size. The tree-planting work
began in response to this problem.
“It takes a long time to create a forest.
The tree-planting that started about 20
years ago was temporarily abandoned,
but with seawater temperatures rising
recently due to global warming, we areseeing a big impact on the scallops,” Ni-honyanagi said. “So it became clear that
long-term planning to ensure the supplyof minerals from the upper reaches ofthe mountains was essential, and we restarted the tree-planting in 2018.”
In recent years, there has also been amovement to make compost using thesmall shellfish that stick to fishing nets
when pulling up scallops from the sea,
and then use that compost as fertilizer
when planting the forests.
“Once something has been landed in
the boats, we’re prohibited from returning it to the sea again. But it wasn’t easy
to dispose of that residue, with the costof incineration being significant,” Nihonyanagi said. “We succeeded in composting the residue by mixing it withlivestock manure, and now even farmers
are using it.”In this way, a system for helping thecirculation of resources between themountains and the sea has been created.
So how does Nihonyanagi, who has been
involved in this work for many years, intend to pass it on to the next generation?
“The trees are all planted at one time
every year, and the program is run by the

COURTESY: MUTSU CITY

local fishery cooperative and also forestry association, and local children get involved too. The chairman of the fisherycooperative was working on this for 20
years,” he said. “But now the head of theyoung fishermen’s group within the cooperative is participating too, and so theknowledge is being passed on to the next
generation. We humans need to keep doing whatever we can to maintain theserich natural resources.”
The method of aquaculture used in Mutsu is to
grow scallops in underwater nets and haul themup once they have grown.

COURTESY: MUTSU CITY

Summary
漁師たちが自ら山に植樹する
青森県むつ市「漁師の森」。

山の豊富な森林から生まれる栄養源は、川から海へと流れていく。そうした海と山の資源循環を持続させるべ
く、水産業に関わる漁師たちが自ら山に植樹をする「漁師の森」が、本州最北部、ホタテ養殖が盛んな青森県むつ市で続けられている。20年前から活動を続けてきた、
むつ市脇野沢農業振興公社の二本柳茂氏に話を聞いた。

「森の木々から葉が落ちて腐葉土となり、降雨や雪解け
水によって地中に染み出した天然の水が川から海へと流れていく。この有機物やミネラルを豊富に含んだ水が、ホタテを美味しくする飼料源となるんです」
一時は途絶えた植林活動だが、昨今の温暖化によって養殖ホタテにも影響が出始め、2018年から再スタート。

また近年は、海中のホタテを陸揚げするときネットに付着してしまう小さな貝などを堆肥化し、植樹林の肥料として再活用する動きもある。
「植樹活動の主催は地元の漁業協組合や森林組合、そして近所の子供たちが参加しています。世代を継承して、人間たちでできることを続けていきたいですね」

日本語全文はこちらから

B8 |

|

Tokyo (Italian)

Don Bravo
3-6-43 Kokuryocho, Chofu-shi, Tokyo
Tel: 042-482-7378
https://www.donbravo.net

Italian restaurant innovatesin suburban Tokyo“M

By TAEKO TERAO
A confit of ayu fish. In place of the conventional confit technique of
cooking in oil at low temperatures, Masakazu Taira cooks in a vacuum athigh temperatures, thereby preventing the fish from falling apart. This isserved with a foam of Noilly Prat vermouth and apple juice.

y restaurant lacks the‘sacredness’ demonstrated
by other regional chefs
winning awards in the Destination
Restaurants 2022 competition, those
who collaborate with local producers
or use cuisine to preserve the regional
history they’ve inherited,” said chef
Masakazu Taira, owner of the Tokyo
restaurant Don Bravo. “But I am
always thinking about what I can dowithin that context.”
His restaurant is neither in a ruralarea abundant with nature and nearby
producers, nor in a tourist destination.
It is located in a residential area inTokyo’s suburbs, the Kokuryo districtof the city of Chofu, a place people do
not usually visit in search of gastronomic delights. He therefore started
from a menu featuring pizza and otheritems that would be familiar to thearea’s residents.
Despite that, Taira learned his skills
at some of Italy’s most prestigious restaurants. Using superior ingredientsand techniques, he cooks every pizzawith the utmost care, winning over thehearts and minds of his guests. As his
restaurant began filling up more frequently, he gradually added fancier
fare to his menu and raised his prices.
The restaurant gradually attracted amore gourmet fan base, and the cuisine it offered changed to suit.
Today he offers pasta and pizzalunch specials starting at ¥1,595($11.60) and an ¥11,000 prix fixe
menu in the evening. In early summer,
he starts with a cold corn soup. The
second dish is raw oysters withSicilian lemon oil. There is nothing
surprising in these combinations ofingredients; indeed, they are theheight of orthodoxy. So I asked Taira
about what he aims at with the food hemakes.
He replied: “Serving a dish that peo-ple have never seen before might
result in a brief surge of popularity, but
it wouldn’t last long. That being thecase, I want to serve dishes that everyone knows but develop new ways of
cooking them to deliver higher quality.”
For example, he does not follow the
Neapolitan style of making pizza,
which is characterized by a soft andfluffy dough; instead he lets a doughthat includes whole-wheat flour rise in
the refrigerator for two to three days
before baking it in a wood-fired ovenat 450 degrees Celsius for just a minute and a half. The result is a doughthat when baked is clearly savory,
crispy and sharply delicious, a flavorthat is unique to the Don Bravo groupof restaurants.
Cold pasta is normally boiled until
soft and then cooled in ice water, but
Taira just mixes in the sauce and cools
the whole thing, pot and all. The cold
pasta with clams he makes with thistechnique is a perfect union of clam
broth with noodles, a flavor so rich inumami it isn’t lost even when topped
with plenty of coriander, dill and otherstrongly aromatic herbs.
Complementing the various hidden
innovations in Taira’s orthodox menu
are clearly more experimental dishes,such as confit of ayu sweetfish servedwith Shine Muscats and edamame. To
further enhance his cuisine, he also
provides alcohol pairings that incorporate wines from around the world withJapanese sake and shochu, as well as
nonalcoholic pairings such as Chablisinspired blended teas with lemon peel
and other ingredients.
Opening a high-end restaurant in a
residential district is one adventure,and including pizza as part of what is
supposed to be a high-end meal isanother, but many foodies today arestarting to embrace such a bold attitude.

PHOTOS: KOUTAROU WASHIZAKI

Summary

MASAKAZU TAIRA

ガストロノミー不毛の地で奮闘するイタリアン。

Born in 1979 in the Kokuryo districtof Tokyo. After apprenticing at afamous Italian restaurant in Tokyo, hewent to Italy, where he improved his
skills at Michelin-starred restaurants,
including Tenda Rossa, Sadler andPiazza Duomo. He opened Don Bravo
in 2012. He opened Crazy Pizza inKokuryo in 2020, followed by Crazy
Pizza Kagurazaka in 2022. Every day,he struggles with how we can have finedining even in the suburbs, far fromsources of local production.

「僕の店は他のシェフのように、地元の生産者と協力したり、先人から受け継いだ郷土の歴史を料理で表現するような 尊さ には欠けています。でも、そのなかで何ができるかを常に考えています」オーナーシェフ、平雅一が率いる『ドンブラボー』は東京近郊の住宅街、調布市国領という、およそガストロノミーとは縁遠い場所にある。そこで、ピザを出すなど地元の人に馴染むようメニューを工夫した。
「誰もが知る料理を、新しく開発した方法でおいしく作りたいんです」
例えば、冷製パスタなら、通常は茹でてから、氷水で引き締めるところを、ソースを絡めてから鍋ごと冷やす。この技法で作る蛤のパスタは旨味が驚くほど濃い。前後にマスカットを添えた鮎のコンフィのようなガストロノミーな一品を配することでインパクトを出す。
郊外の住宅街でガストロノミーをやるのも冒険なら、ガストロノミーを謳うコースでピザを出すのも冒険。そんな攻めの姿勢が多くの食通に支持され始めている。
日本語全文はこちらから

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|

COURTESY: TOKYO ICHIBAN FOODS

The company is able to provide tora fugu at a reasonable price by managing every
step of the process from fish farming through to processing, distribution and sales.

Tokyo Ichiban Foods cultivates fugu and tuna
By TAEKO TERAO

A

ccording to the Fisheries
Agency, stocks of tora
fugu (the Japanese puffer
or tiger puffer) have fallen significantly in the Sea of Japan, theEast China Sea, the Ariake Sea
and the Seto Inland Sea, from
1,000 tons in 2002 to just 534 in
2019. In addition, that symbol ofhigh-class sushi, Pacific bluefin
tuna, which was long classified as
an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature but was upgraded
to “near threatened” last September, remains at risk.
To address these kinds of problems, companies around theworld are experimenting with fish
farming. One of them is Tokyo
Ichiban Foods Co. Ltd. (listed on
the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s
Prime Section), which operates
fish restaurants from seafood
pubs and sushi restaurants to thefugu specialty chain Torafugu-tei.
By covering all aspects of thebusiness, including production,
processing, distribution and sales,
the company can provide the best
quality produce at low prices
while at the same time working tosolve environmental problems as
they pertain to seafood.
Kazuko Iwanari, director ofmarketing at the company, explained: “If your only concern
was to generate profit, then you
could easily just buy your fugu
and tuna from wholesalers. But asa company that is serious about
its sustainable development goals,

we have been working on a plan
to secure sustainable aquaculture
in Furue Bay in the city of Hirado
since 2014. The work is done incooperation with Nagasaki Prefecture, Hirado and the local Nakano Fisheries Cooperative. We
are raising tora fugu, as well as
our own brands Kiwami Ichiban
Tuna, Kiwami Buri and Kiwami
Saba. And we’re trying to improve
the ocean environment as we doit.”Back in 2003, a tora fugu farmer in Nagasaki Prefecture wasdiscovered to be illegally using
formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, to kill parasites on the fish.
As a result, a certification system
for aquaculture companies wasdeveloped. This system now sets
standards for fry, feed, medication and other aquaculture materials. Tokyo Ichiban Foods has ofcourse been certified.
“As a result of that historic issue, Nagasaki Prefecture has
been very careful about aquaculture,” Iwanari said. “When I first
visited Hirado, the beauty of thesea and the conscientious attitudeof the people in the fishing industry convinced us to form a partnership here. Hirado is a wonderful place: There is the ocean,
there are forested mountains tocatch the minerals in the salt air,and there is the circulation of nutrients flowing back through therivers to the sea.
“Also, by raising fish here, we
are able to build networks of lo-cals who are serious about the environment, so we can gather together pertinent information. And
through that network, we are now
working on related projects liketransplanting eelgrass in the sandy areas at the entrance to thesea. In the future, we would liketo contribute to the ‘blue carbon
ecosystem’ by reviving carbonabsorbing seaweed beds.
“We are trying to improve thewater quality by conducting responsible oyster farming, too.
Over the last 10 years it has beena process of trial and error, but if
you don’t develop the marine environment in a way that natureaccepts, you just can’t expect tosucceed with aquaculture. We
have been experimenting with using seabed improvers, releasing
catfish that eat organic substances in the seabed, and even using
underwater drones to monitor our
progress. In collaboration with
Skretting Co. Ltd. [Fukuoka Prefecture], we are also developing aplant-derived feed for Pacificbluefin tuna that will not adversely impact the marine environment. Having fewer fish being
eaten means we can protect populations of small fish too.”
The company has set up processing factories in Hirado and Tokyo that are certified for HACCP(hazard analysis and critical control points), and it exports the seafood products processed there to
its antenna shop Wokuni in New
York City. During the COVID-19
lockdowns, the store continued todisseminate Japanese food culture to New Yorkers by switching
to sushi deliveries. Japanese cuisine, which was registered on
UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural
Heritage list in 2013, is synonymous with healthiness. And in order to make sure it remains
healthy in the true sense of theword, it is essential that we develop sustainable aquaculture
systems to restore our marine environments.

At its New York City restaurant Wokuni, the company serves seafood dishes andalso introduces Japanese food culture through fresh fish sales and tuna cutting
COURTESY: TOKYO ICHIBAN FOODS
demonstrations.

Summary

サステナブルな養殖に取り組む「東京一番フーズ」
海洋資源枯渇の問題解決として各国の企業が魚の養殖に取り組んでいる。
『とらふぐ亭』をはじめとする魚料理
店や NY でレストラン『WOKUNI』を運営する株式会社
東京一番フーズ（東証プライム上場）もそんな企業のひとつ。同社マーケティング担当取締役の岩成和子氏が語る。
「2014年より長崎県平戸市古江湾で、とらふぐなどを育てながら、海の環境改善を模索しています」
長崎県では2003年にとらふぐ養殖業者によるホルマリンの不正使用が問題となり、それがきっかけとなり適正養殖
業者認定制度が誕生。同社もその認定を受けている。
「砂
地にアマモを移植し、海藻類を蘇らせることでブルーカー
ボン生態系にも寄与したいと考えています。また、海底改良剤の散布やプランクトンを食べてくれるナマコの放流などで水質改善を図っています。10年間で様々な失敗もありましたが、結局、自然のルールに添ったやり方で海の環
境を整えないと、いい養殖はできません」。
和食文化を真の意味でヘルシーに保つには、海の環境を回復するサステイナブルな養殖スタイルが求められている。

日本語全文はこちらから| B9

B10 ||

VOL. 1: Kao Corp.

Mission: Sustainability
By OSAMU INOUE / Renews

Kao's Strong Point

1 Aims to be carbon neutral by 2040 and carbon
negative by 2050

Aims to reduce the amount of plastic packag-

2 ing waste to net-zero by 2040 and be net negative by 2050

Made CDP’s A List in all three areas of cli-

3 mate change, forest and water security for thesecond consecutive year in 2021

Became the only company in Asia to be a

4 World’s Most Ethical Companies honoree for a
16th straight year in 2022

ILLUSTRATION: SHO FUJITA

Kao committed to goal of net-zero waste by 2040

K

ao Corp., a major Japanesemaker of consumer products, on June 29 quietly announced a new strategy that will
have a strong impact: commitments
to reduce its plastic packaging waste
to net-zero by 2040 and then make it
net negative by 2050.
Many companies have pledged toachieve carbon neutrality, reducing
emissions of greenhouse gases fromtheir business operations to net-zero. But a company announcing acommitment to reduce its waste to
net-zero is rarely heard of. In fact,
Kao is the first company to do so inJapan.

Triple A on CDP list

In May last year, Kao announced acommitment to achieving net-zerocarbon emissions by 2040 and being
carbon negative — with its reductions exceeding emissions — by2050. At that point, there were few
companies in Japan to set the target
year of 2040, a decade ahead of thetarget date set by the Paris Agreement and the Japanese government.
Kao’s target for emissions reduction includes Scope 3, or indirectemissions from activities by the suppliers and users of a company’s
products, in addition to Scope 1 andJunko Otani (right), vice president of ESG Global
Strategy, Kao’s ESG division, and Manabu Shibata(left), division director

PHOTO: TSUTOMU SUYAMA

Scope 2, which include emissions related to fuel and electricity used in
production. Kao made clear its commitment to achieve net-zero emissions for its supply chains and product life cycles as a whole.
Currently, only a handful of Japanese listed companies are committed
to achieving net-zero for emissions
including Scope 3. Kao is the only
one among Japan’s major consumer
products companies, whose goods
are used in large quantities in homes.
About a year after announcing theindustry-leading net-zero commitment, the company began a fresh
initiative to tackle the issue of plastic
waste.
Kao, which continues to lead theindustry by undertaking challenging
initiatives, is no doubt a leader insustainability as well as in environmental, social and governance-oriented (ESG) corporate management.
CDP, formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project, is an international nonprofit organization that evaluates
climate change measures taken bycompanies. It annually releases “A
Lists” of companies to which a highevaluation is awarded in the threeareas of climate change, forests andwater security. In 2021, only 14 out
of 12,000 companies worldwide
achieved triple As, included in the A
List in all three areas. Kao wasamong them, achieving triple As forthe second consecutive year.
Kao was also named a 2022
World’s Most Ethical Companies
honoree for the 16th straight year
and was selected for inclusion in the2022 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index for the fourth consecutive year.
These honors were in recognition of
Kao’s commitment to progressive
targets, efforts to form effective internal structures to work toward
them and its successful track record.
In 2009, Kao announced an “environmental statement” in which itpledged to place environmental conservation at the center of its management. In that same year, in which it
took a major turn to environmentallyoriented management, Kao introduced Attack Neo, a laundry detergent with a low environmental impact, requiring only one rinse cycle.
The product became a hit.
In 2018, when the term “ESG” hadyet to gain currency, the company reformed its internal structure for promoting its sustainability strategy. An
ESG managing committee in which
executives participated and an ESG
promotion meeting, a committee
composed of division heads, were
set up and ESG was positioned as
the core of the company’s management.
This past April, Kao launched ESG
steering committees. The company
set four priority themes — decarbonization, plastic packaging, humanrights and DEI (diversity, equity andinclusion), and chemical stewardship — to further reinforce governance and effectiveness. Let us firstlook at the decarbonization theme.

Decarbonization and tech

“We came to the realization as earlyas 2009 that we won’t be able tosolve the problem of global warming
unless we get wide-ranging suppliers and customers on board,” Manabu Shibata, Kao’s director for ESG
global action management said
about the net-zero commitment, thecenterpiece of the company’s decarbonization strategy. “It was a naturalfor us to include Scope 3 in our pursuit for net-zero CO2 emissions.”
Kao’s work to reduce Scope 1 and2 emissions has progressed steadily.
Their combined total had dropped
15% by 2020 and 20% by 2021 compared to 2017, thanks to efforts toshift to renewable energy sources at
its operational facilities. However,reducing Scope 3 emissions is not aneasy task — for Kao or any company.
Scopes 1 and 2 represent 7% of
Kao’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Most of the company’s emissions are
Scope 3, in which “raw material procurement” and “product use” represent 38.5% and 38.5%, respectively.
Kao aims to reduce Scope 3 emissions by 22% compared to 2017
through reductions across entire
product life cycles, including thestages of raw material procurement,
manufacturing,transportation,
product usage and disposal of usedproducts. But the total reduction has
not been large, falling just 4% by2020 and staying there in 2021.
Does Kao, in the end, plan toachieve its target through using thecarbon offset system, buying credits
for reductions achieved by others tooffset its emissions?
“The public would not allow us todo that,” said Junko Otani, vice president, ESG Global Strategy, Kao’s
ESG division Director Shibata said:“Kao is a company marked by its
technology. If we did all we could
and still weren’t able to achieve it,
we might use offset credits, but our
staff are trying their best to address
the situation through developmentof technologies such as recycling ofcarbon and carbon fixation.”
There are credits of bad qualitythat are changing hands. Some, forexample, do not actually reflect successful initiatives to stop deforestation. And there are companies thatpurchase such credits and claim tohave contributed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Kao says it
wants to do all it can to avoid using
carbon offsets, and such an attitude
is worth trusting.

Net-zero plastic ‘possible’

As regards the issue of plastic packaging, a key theme that rivals decarbonization in importance, Kao has
contributed to reducing the use of|plastics by promoting refill and replacement products and increasing
the degree of concentration of liquid
products. For example, the company
began selling refill products withhighly concentrated liquid content inlarge-size film-based packaging at
prices lower than bottled versions.
This successfully encouraged consumers to develop the habit of refilling their used product bottles athome.
Compared to a scenario in whichrefill and replacement products arestill sold in plastic bottles and liquid
products are not concentrated, Kaoestimates it has reduced its plastic
use by 139,800 tons, or 78.4%.
In 2020, Kao introduced in the
United States the MyKirei brand of
products sold in what it calls “air-in
film bottles,” or inflated film bottles.
They proved popular, especially in
online sales channels. These bottles
gain their rigidity “like a rubber
swimming ring,” allowing them tostand upright. The products havenearly halved the amount of plastic
used in packaging compared to existing products.
In the same year, Kao announced it
would eliminate eye-catching plastic
stickers attached to product packages, an in-store sales promotion ployused in Japan. It ended the production of all products with such stickers by the end of 2021. This resulted
in a reduction of about 60 tons in theamount of plastic used.
The stickers had been used as a
key tool to attract buyers’ attention
for many years. The decision to eliminate them is proof that Kao prioritizes environmental measures aheadof sales or profits. The amount of reduction may be small, but the story
is sufficient to convince the public
about Kao’s seriousness.
Still, Kao used 104,000 tons of fossil fuel-derived plastics in 2021. The
film-based packaging the company
uses is made of plastic, and the company has not been able to completely
eliminate the use of plastics due tosanitary considerations. Neither canit achieve perfect recycling of plastics by collecting all the waste packaging of the products it has sold.
The situation has led Kao to adopt
the new strategy mentioned at the
beginning, in which it aims toachieve net-zero plastic by collecting
and recycling plastic waste in an
amount equivalent to what it uses.
Kao has said it will step up efforts
for innovation in the reduction andrecycling of waste to achieve thegoal of net-zero plastic waste by2040 and take it further to net negative by 2050. It is already working on
trial projects, including the sale ofproducts in volume at retail shops
and the collection of packaging, andit has high hopes for innovative newmaterials.
Newtlac 5000, which Kao introduced in December 2020, is an asphalt modifier that improves the durability of asphalt pavement. It is
made from discarded plastic drink
bottles, with fatty acid and an additive mixed in. Asphalt pavement
whose composition is about 1%
Newtlac 5000 has roughly five times
the durability of conventional pavement, according to the company.
“When self-driving vehicles become widely used, roads will become
more prone to ruts as wheels onsuch vehicles trace exactly the samelines,” Shibata said. “We believe
Newtlac 5000 will contribute to directly reducing greenhouse gases byreducing road maintenance work, in
addition to its potential to help us
achieve net-zero plastic waste.”The ‘Kao Way’Kao has a remarkable track recordand has won a great reputation, but
the head of its ESG division is still
not satisfied.
“If what we really looked at is theinitial successes that we have today,
which are great ... we’ve done a lot tomake those things happen as an organization,” said David Muenz, whoheads Kao’s ESG division.
“But I guess if I really searched mysoul, search my heart, I don’t have a
lot of satisfaction with where we are,probably because I see the distance
we have to go yet — the tough journey that exists before us — and so I
kind of remain hungry or driven to
not accept where we are,” added
Muenz, who serves as the director
and managing executive officer.
“The journey in front of us is still
long, still tough. We have a lot ofwork to do,” he added.
Those comments indicate the degree of Kao’s seriousness in its commitment to sustainability.
Indeed, Kao’s journey will betough. But why does it choose to set
high hurdles? What makes the company so serious about sustainability?
“Because it’s in our corporate philosophy,” Otani said. “We gave it thename ‘Kao Way’ in 2004, but thespirit of the founder expressed in thecorporate philosophy has been
passed down through generations ofexecutives and employees.”“Being seriously committed to sus-

tainability is something that comesnatural to Kao employees,” she said.
The company describes the Kao
Way in detail, using such phrases as“We work ... to create a Kirei life — acleaner, more beautiful, and healthier life for all people and the planet”
and “integrity as the only choice”
and “We do what is right, not what iseasy.” These derive from the wordsof Kao founder Tomiro Nagase.
Muenz said the Kao Way impressed him very much.
“Kao’s corporate philosophy andits management’s leadership go together well, and that made me so serious in my role,” he said.
These are all good answers to interview questions. But the most convincing thing he said was about thecompany’s “big opportunity” as aconsumer products maker. (See sidebox.)

Causing lifestyle shifts

Decarbonization and plastic waste
reduction will not be achieved for society as a whole unless we canchange the behavior of consumers,
who use and discard large amounts
of products. A consumer products
company is in a position to frequently reach out to consumers.
If Kao succeeds in changing thelifestyles of people through its efforts in research and development
and innovation, making our society
significantly more sustainable, thecompany will as a result be able togain the fruits of creating new markets. For Kao, sustainability is not
something it talks about to make itself look good. It is a real issue on
which its survival depends.
Kao knows it is not easy to change
people’s lifestyles. Yet it knows it
can change consumer behavior, eventhough it may take a long time.
Kao, whose primary business since
its foundation in 1887 has been soap
products, introduced the Biore U
body wash in 1984, which made liquid body wash products sold in plastic bottles common in Japan. The
company subsequently encouraged
consumers to shift from bottled
products to refills, which they accepted.
“Instead of trying to force consumers, we think it is important to gently
nudge them to change lifestyles sothey can make a smooth shift,” Otanisaid.
Ten years from now, hard plastic
bottles may be gone from store
shelves, a thing of the past. Kao, atleast, anticipates the possibility ofthis coming true.

Above: In one effort to reduce unnecessary plastic use,
Kao eliminated the stickers attached to its products.
Right: MyKirei brand products in “air-in film bottles.”Summary
2040年炭素／ごみゼロへ
花王の本気度と原動力

今年6月29日、花王はインパクトがあるサステナビリ
ティの新戦略を公表した。自社起因で排出される「プラスチック包装容器」のごみを2040年までに実質ゼロにするという「ごみゼロ」宣言である。
温室効果ガスを実質ゼロにする「カーボンニュートラル（カーボンゼロ）」と同じ発想をごみにも適用する取り組みは世界的にも珍しい。花王は昨年、日本の上場企業としては初めて、「Scope3まで含めたカーボンゼロを
2040年までに達成する」と宣言している。
花王は、国際非営利団体の CDP が選ぶ「気候変動」「フォレスト」「水セキュリティ」3部門の A リストに、
2年連続で選出されている。同社がサステナビリティ／

| B11

K

ao’s corporate philosophy,
the “Kao Way,” specifies a
mission of “providing careand enrichment for the life of all
people and the planet” and a valueof “integrity as the only choice,” soworking toward the sustainabilityof the Earth was only natural forthe company.
The company’s leaders, from its
founder on, instilled these fundamental principles and ideals into its
people, and so that spirit and culture lives in them. After joining Kao
in midcareer, I became even moreenamored with it based on what I
saw and found in terms of the living
spirit, the living culture that exists
in the company.
We have been very fortunate tohave lots of strong leaders at Kao.
When I talk to other people who areleading the sustainability groups inother companies, I always tell them,“My job is so much easier because
our leaders have shaped the character of the leadership, whether
Chair Michitaka Sawada or CEO
Yoshihiro Hasebe.”
So I think our philosophy andleadership are truly important elements of why Kao is able to do

Why Kao plunges
into a tough journey
to purity
David J. Muenz
Kao Corp. director, managing
executive officer

these things, plunge into a toughjourney.
And we consider our actions to
be not just related to the sustainability of the world, but also thesustainability of our company.
What can we do? What opportunity do we have to change the way
people impact the environment —waste and so forth?
Certainly, the household and thebeauty care goods and so forth tend
to be at the forefront of consideration for the environment. The
pressure is one aspect. But perhaps
another is the opportunity.
We are in almost every room of
every home, so we have a big opportunity to touch people’s lives. By
structuring our products in certain
ways, we can make a tremendous
difference in the footprint of thepeople who use them.
Sure, these things are not easy.
But, I think, by having aggressive
challenges like this, we really catalyze and energize the spirit of innovation. The aggressive goals weconsider push us to be innovative
and to be the leader of the future.
And so we consider that, deeply, tobe a motivating factor.

ESG 経営のリーダーであることは疑いようもない。

道のりは険しい。それでも、ハードな目標を自らに課すのはなぜか。なぜ、花王はここまでサステナビリティに対して本気になれるのか。背景には企業理念と経営者の姿勢、そして、消費者のライフスタイルに大きな影響を与え得る消費財メーカーとしての覚悟があった。

日本語全文はこちらから

B12 ||