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sustainable japan

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Aquaculture’s future lies with an aerospace engineer
Roundtable
MIKA OSAKICONTRIBUTING WRITER

The freshness and quality of Japanese
seafood are renowned, and people comefrom around the world to experience
the taste. Japan is home to some of themost diverse coastal regions in the world,with thousands of species of marine life.
But how do the aquafarmers who produce half of Japan’s seafood cope withever-increasing demand and rising watertemperatures? In The Japan Times’ 40thRoundtable, Ross Rowbury was joinedby the co-founder and CEO of the “fishtech” startup Umitron, Ken Fujiwara, whoshared insights and told how he madethe fascinating transition from aerospaceengineer to aquaculture innovator.
As an aerospace engineer, Fujiwara
designed spacecraft and analyzed data.
He enjoyed the work, yet struggled withhow far removed it was from most people’s day-to-day lives. He saw the vast
resources that went into space study andexploration. “What is the most importantdata we can get from satellite observation?” he asked himself. “And I came tothink about the ocean.” Seeing how 70%of the Earth’s surface is covered by oceans,
he began to contemplate how he could
apply his skills to the sea rather than
the sky. In 2016, he founded Umitron toaddress aquaculture challenges with science and technology.
One of the most important issues is
how to optimize feeding, which accounts
for 50% to 70% of production costs. “Mostof the feed ingredients come from natural
fish meal, which is wild-captured fish anddried powder,” he said. “And since we havethe scarce resource of marine fish, the fishmeal price has been skyrocketing.” Herealized he could use data and technology to optimize feeding. They installed
sensors and smart feeders in fish pens toobserve what variables caused fish to eat
at some times and not others.
For example, if the water temperature is too high, the body temperature of
the fish rises, changing their digestion. If
farmers don’t know when this happens,
they will continue to feed them the standard five times a day even though thefish simply aren’t hungry, producing ahuge amount of waste. Umitron’s imageprocessing sensors, remote satellites andsmart feeders can monitor fish in orderto ensure they are being fed the properamounts at the proper times. This way,
farmers can avoid wasting fish meal andletting uneaten feed end up on the ocean
floor. Not only is this more cost-effective
for farmers, it improves the overall sustainability of the farm by reducing waste.
Impressively, Fujiwara said, “We canreduce 20% to 30% of feed used to growthe same amount of fish.”Fujiwara said that
due to recent environmental changes,
we are “losing a kindof balance in theocean.”THE JAPAN TIMES

Co-founder and CEO of Umitron, Ken Fujiwara THE JAPAN TIMESConsidering the sensitivity of fish torising temperatures, one can imagine theimpact that climate change has on theaquaculture industry. Different species offish have different optimal temperature
ranges, and if the temperature changes
too drastically they simply cannot survive. Fujiwara said, “The rise of ocean temperatures is definitely becoming an issue
for aquafarmers because most farmers
can’t relocate their farms from one point
to another.” Recently, environmental
changes have become increasingly volatile. “We are losing a kind of balance in theocean environment,” he said solemnly. It is
possible to reach a point where fish simply

Kose takes pride in creating
beauty in the world
Mission: Sustainability
OSAMU INOUERENEWSIn July 2024, the cosmetics maker Kose
Corp. launched a campaign to help coral
reefs around Okinawa, part of the Japanesecompany’s “Save the Blue” project channeling some of the proceeds from its flagship
Sekkisei cosmetics into restoring reefs.
Established in 1946, Kose also makes
home products like shampoo and sunscreen, and operates in 68 countries andregions, with its international business representing about 37% of its sales.
Kose commands a high reputation as acompany actively working on sustainability projects. In July it was included in the
FTSE4Good Index Series, a major stockindex for investors who look for environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors, for the fifth straight year. It was puton the 2023 A list for both climate change
and water security announced in February by the international nonprofit group
CDP. Kose and Kao Corp. are the only Japanese cosmetics companies to have been
included on the A list in two divisions fortwo consecutive years.
In April 2020, Kose announced a sustainability plan that set targets for 2030, driving
the company significantly forward in termsof contributions to people and society, as
well as to the global environment.
Kose does not have products specificallyfor men or women in its flagship brands.
It has enlisted Shohei Ohtani to serve as amodel for Sekkisei and Decorte ads since2023. Yoshinori Haratani, director and general manager of Kose’s corporate strategy
department, said: “[Our products] help

The bottles for the Sekkisei Clear Wellness
series use a “green nano” resin additive andbiomass PET. KOSE

people maintain their skin in healthy conditions regardless of their gender. We don’t
need to make separate products for different genders, which helps us become more
eco-friendly.”

AYAKO NAKANO
STAFF WRITER

Reducing plastics

In September 2020, Kose introduced the firstfull Sekkisei rebranding: Sekkisei Clear Wellness, a new series featuring unique ingredients extracted from plants grown in Japan,
and reviewed all factors related to packaging
and containers to reduce the use of plastics.
The bottles for the series use a “greennano” resin additive, reducing CO2 emissions
when the plastic is incinerated as waste, andbiomass PET, reducing the amount of petroleum-derived materials. A no-label design
reduces the amount of plastic and ink used,
and the plant-derived ink is biodegradable.
A cardboard material was chosen forthe outer packaging, and instead of printed
instructions, a QR code lets users accessdetailed instructions online. Kose also introduced refills for the series, part of its participation in a project initiated by the Ministryof the Environment in 2022 for a model
project for investigating CFP calculation,
reduction planning and presentation.
Furthermore, Medicated Sekkisei Brightening Essence Lotion, launched this March,uses biomass plastics and reduces overall
plastic, allowing Kose to reduce CO2 emissions by about 9% for the product’s regularsize and 10% for the large one.

Yoshinori Haratani (left) and Seiji Kawano
OSAMU INOUE

Remaining a pioneer

Thanks to these efforts, the sustainability
plan introduced in 2020 has been progressing steadily. Kose gave an update on progress
in April.
“The most significant update is the addition of the target of achieving net-zero CO2emissions, including Scope 3 emissions (inthe supply chain), by 2050, clarifying thetarget we’ll aim for after the existing target of
30% reduction by 2030,” said Seiji Kawano,general manager of Kose’s office on sustainability strategy. “Going forward, we plan towork on horizontal recycling, where we’llcollect bottles of cosmetics, including Sekkisei. We are also preparing to decide by April
2025 on target figures for the introduction ofrefills for more products.”
In 2021, Kose and Kao signed a comprehensive collaboration deal on sustainability
for cosmetics. In the first project under thedeal, the two companies have been working
to realize horizontal recycling of plastic bottles for cosmetics and other products sinceApril 2022. They are also working on a project to recycle cosmetics into paints.
It is still uncommon for rivals to work
together on sustainability, but “a pioneering
spirit and showing examples for others tofollow is also part of what makes Kose Kose,”
Director Haratani said.
“Kose was a pioneering company to introduce [powdered] foundation and lotion
products in the skin-care genre,” Haratani
continued. “We’re doing the same thing in thesustainability field. We hope to offer products
and services that have new added value andare good for the global environment.”
Scan the QR code to readthe full article about Kose’scommitments and iniciatives that contribute to theenvironment

Together with chef Shusuke Kubota (right),
Umitron introduced its AI-powered sea
bream to Singapore. UMITRON

solution to this is the gradual introductionof alternative food sources. Fish feed madeof insects, although still a bit controversial
to some, could significantly lower costs
without negative impacts on the fish.
Another area Umitron is venturing intois “blue carbon,” or carbon dioxide that is
captured and incorporated into coastal
and marine ecosystems. Similarly to how
we plant trees to absorb carbon dioxide,
Fujiwara is focusing on utilizing seaweed
and seagrass to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide. Umitron is using its satellite and sensor technology not only toobserve activities on fish farms, but also tomonitor seaweed and seagrass in coastal
regions. Blue carbon ecosystems are several times more efficient at sequestering
carbon than forests are.
The long-term positive effects of theblue carbon work and innovations withinaquafarming that Umitron has pioneered
point to exciting new horizons, not only
for seafood lovers, but for all of the marine
life that calls Japan’s coastlines home.
Roundtable is a monthly series of Englishlanguage events organized by The Japan
Times Cube. For more information or to assist a Roundtable scan the QR code orvisit https://sustainable.
japantimes.com/roundtable

Japan’s innovative performancewins at World Cosplay Summit
Media partner

Planting coral

Sekkisei is sold in 15 countries and regions,mainly in Asia. Starting in 1985 with a tonermade from Japanese and Chinese herbal
extracts, it has grown into a skin-care brandand a major seller for the company. At
least 67 million Sekkisei toners had been
shipped by November 2023.
Under the “Save the Blue” project,launched in 2009, Kose makes a donation
to fund coral conservation activities forareas equivalent to the total area of thebottoms of the containers of all eligible
Sekkisei products purchased during twosummer months.
Now the project supports coral conservation in a total of nine countries and regions,
including Japan. Over the past 15 years, theproject has planted more than 20,000 corals
in areas totaling 12,269 square meters.

stop eating altogether, so there is a sense ofurgency and necessity for the innovations
Umitron is bringing to the market.
When diving into observational dataon oceans, he found that most of it wasused to understand overall environmental changes rather than focus on coastal
regions like those where fish farms arelocated. “A lot of the data is about theouter ocean, and what we are working on
is aquaculture, so that data has to be fromthe coastal areas,” he said.
Of the data that did exist for coastal
regions, separate variables such as riverflows, algae, human activity, fish, plankton
and many more were all studied individu-

ally, but in order to understand the real
coastal environment it is necessary toobserve how these variables all interact
as an ecosystem. Fujiwara recognized theneed to integrate all of this data — andnoticed how different the results were
for specific regions. Due to the level ofmarine diversity in Japan, there are countless microenvironments, each with its
own set of data that will impact the daily
activities of aquafarmers. Advances in AI
and computer science are changing thegame, making it possible to create betterdata-processing models. This has led togreat advancements over the last 10 years,
making it possible to do more with thesame data.
Another issue faced by the aquacultureindustry is the aging population in the
countryside. The industry needs to attract
the younger generation who can physically go to the ocean and work on thesefarms. As AI can gradually take over more
and more of the technical tasks, the typesof tasks that fish farmers dedicate theirminds to are shifting to creative problemsolving and practical solutions. Due to themind/body balance of physical work andcreativity, Fujiwara is already starting tosee an increase of college graduates going
into aquafarming as more young people
reject traditional office culture to seek
more rewarding experiences working outdoors with their hands.
With these rapid advancements intechnology, the volatile environment andincreasing demand, it is safe to say theaquaculture industry is shifting. Rowbury
asked Fujiwara what the biggest changes
he has seen in the eight years since Umitron was founded are. Fujiwara answered,“More and more, it’s the increasing priceof feed.” Fish caught in the wild are thecheapest source of protein, ground intofish meal that is exported globally to feed
farmed fish. The rising costs cause problems for everyone from fish farmers torestaurant owners to consumers. One

As top athletes competed in the Paris Olympics last month, top cosplayers from Japanand abroad similarly gathered in Nagoya’s
Sakae area to participate in the 22nd World
Cosplay Summit, with the teams fromJapan, Sweden and Germany taking the gold,
silver and bronze.
It was the first time in 12 years that Japan
took the title at the championship, the mainfeature of the three-day WCS, an annual
gathering of cosplay fans involving stage
performances, photo shoots and parades.
Cosplayers representing 36 countries andregions — including newcomers Mongolia,
the Czech Republic and Costa Rica — competed in the championship this year after
winning preliminary regional rounds.
Mamemayo and Mioshi, the duo representing Japan as the characters Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, respectively, fromtheir favorite manga, “Naruto,” obviously
had the “home-game” advantage at the Aichi
Arts Center Main Hall — yet that may also
have meant more pressure.
“I’m just so relieved,” Mioshi said on stage
after accepting the Grand Champion award.
“We’re grateful to our teachers who taught
us how to make the costumes and hone
our performance. Most of all, it’s thanks tothose of you here today who supported us
and perfected our performance. Thanks alot, dattebayo,” Mamemayo said in Japanese
to a roaring crowd, using Naruto’s signaturephrase, often translated as “believe it!” or “yaknow.”

Mamemayo (right) and Mioshi perform with
their balloon floats. WCS/WCS2024

PAGE: 7The championship on Aug. 3 kicked off
with Team Thailand performing their “Dissidia Final Fantasy” skit. Every team, in pairs,
had 2½ minutes to perform a skit based ona video game, anime or manga from Japan.
They were evaluated on their handmade
costumes and stage performances. The
4½-hour event featured online viewers
from Spain and Malaysia, as well as a live
show by singer Hironobu Kageyama, the“prince” of the anison (anime song) world.
Appearing 21st, Team Japan’s stage beganwith Naruto and his rival and best friend,ninja Sasuke, in a dance-like fight with music
and digital images in the background. After a
moment of darkness, their ninja outfits suddenly inflated into huge, glowing balloons
resembling traditional Aomori Nebuta Festival floats and the stage turned into amatsuri scene. The ecstatic audience went
wow, cheered and called out, encouraged by
the pair on stage. The dramatic re-creation ofa scene from Sasuke and Naruto’s final battle
involving avatars Kurama and Susanoo, inthe form of balloons, was a spectacle thatclearly stole the show.
Team Sweden, who re-created the tranquil world of Hayao Miyazaki’s anime “My
Neighbor Totoro” as the young girl Satsuki
and a full-size furry Totoro, baring its teeth
and blinking its eyes, came in second. In
third place was Team Germany with their“Monster Hunter XX” performance.
Speaking to The Japan Times 10 days after
the competition, Mamemayo and Mioshi
revealed that their seemingly flawless stage
performance had a rough start. “Actually, 10
seconds into the performance, I stumbled
on a prop and fell flat,” said Mioshi. “I panicked. I thought that was the end of it, but
Naruto called out, ‘Get up!’ and I snappedback in,” Mioshi said.
Cosplaying for nearly 20 years, the pair
had given it their all to win the championship. After losing the regional round in 2016,
they competed in 2018 as Team Japan but
didn’t win any awards.
“After 2018, we definitely stepped up ourgame mentally, and in terms of craftsmanship. The COVID pandemic allowed us toconcentrate on costume design and crafting,” said Mioshi, who works in the beauty
and makeup industry.
Mamemayo, in the cosplaying business,said, “We knew we’d put in a lot of effort
to get to where we were, so in that sense

Mamemayo (right) and Mioshi smile on stage
after winning the championship. WCS/WCS2024

we were confident.” But the pressure wasgreater. “We had a bunch of people supporting us. I had asked our social media followers, kind of like our fans, to come and help
with the call-and-response performance.”
The two had decided on the Nebuta float
idea last September. They sought advice
from a professional pattern maker and stage
carpenter and researched thoroughly. Their
27-page costume production report submitted for evaluation detailed the meticulous
work involved in creating the costumes,
wigs and other accessories. Over 10 types
of fabric were dyed, soiled and damaged,
and stitched together. For the balloons, they
traced the patterns onto styrofoam before
working on a light but heavy-duty fabric.
The process of crafting took nearly fivemonths in all.
“We wanted to do something different.
Teams tend to focus on re-creating scenes
faithfully to the source material, as we did in
2018, but this time we tried to think outside
the box and focused on how to create a performance that would be fun and exciting,”
Mioshi said.
Mamemayo said she was delighted when
Team Portugal told the winners after thechampionship that the unprecedented balloon performance had given them inspiration to try crafting something new. Oneof the championship’s greatest appeals is
meeting and befriending people from different countries with shared interests, the twoagreed. “Next year there will be 42 representatives at the championship. Even an avid
traveler wouldn’t get to meet people from somany different countries,” Mamemayo said.
Aiming to highlight cultural events, The
Japan Times gave its support to this event by
becoming a media sponsor.