ÌÇÐÄÖ±²¥

Japan is a maritime nation with the world's sixth-largest maritime area, and the ocean serves as a foundation for the lives of its people and its economy, with approximately 99% of its trade dependent on maritime transportation. The government's Fourth Basic Plan on Ocean Policy currently calls for promoting Ocean Transformation (OX) to strengthen maritime security and foster new industries. Meanwhile, the quantity of human resources and level of research investment in the field of marine science in Japan remain low by international standards, making it an urgent priority to develop global talent with advanced expertise and a broad perspective.

¡¡Achieving a Free and Open Indo-Pacific and implementing sustainable ocean management require approaches that go beyond conventional frameworks. The ocean is an inherently interdisciplinary field in which diverse areas of expertise¡ªincluding biology, the environment, law, politics, engineering, and economics¡ªintersect. To address global environmental issues, technological innovation, and changes in ocean governance, there is a need for human resources who can organically integrate these fields beyond the boundaries between the humanities and sciences and make advanced decisions based on integrated knowledge of the ocean.

¡¡The Setouchi area, where ÌÇÐÄÖ±²¥ is located, has a long tradition in the shipbuilding and shipping industries and is home to one of the world's leading maritime industry clusters. As a leading university in the region, ÌÇÐÄÖ±²¥ has some of Japan's largest educational and research facilities and has achieved top-level results nationally in academic research, including in the fields of engineering and naval architecture.
¡¡In its long-term vision, the University has set forth the creation of ¡°science for sustainable development.¡± Building on these rich educational and research resources, ÌÇÐÄÖ±²¥ considers it its mission to contribute to Japan's national interests as a maritime nation and to regional revitalization by establishing a world-leading education and research hub for maritime and marine science representing Asia.

¡¡Against this background, the Graduate School of Maritime and Marine Science will be established as a Basic Organization for the Delivery of Inter-Graduate School Programs,* a new framework that crosses and links the University's three existing graduate schools: the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, and the Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life.
¡¡The Graduate School will provide an interdisciplinary education and research environment spanning three fields: Marine Policy and Ocean Governance, Marine Utilization Technologies, and Marine Environment and Resources.
¡¡By establishing an English-medium education system and developing strong partnerships with companies in Japan and abroad, as well as professional and international organizations such as the Japan Coast Guard Academy and the World Maritime University (WMU), the Graduate School will develop leaders with advanced expertise and practical skills who can contribute to building a sustainable global maritime society.
 

* What is a Basic Organization for the Delivery of Inter-Graduate School Programs?
It is an education and research organization that enables universities to develop degree programs that cross the boundaries of existing graduate schools and other organizations, allowing the universities to exercise flexibility based on their own judgment and proactively provide interdisciplinary education by utilizing resources within the university.

The fields of maritime, marine sciences, and naval architecture and ocean engineering involve optimizing large-scale systems by integrating knowledge from multiple disciplines while taking complex natural environments into consideration, and responding to diverse industrial, regulatory, and social needs.
¡¡The Graduate School will develop the following types of highly skilled interdisciplinary human resources who possess an international perspective and broad-based general knowledge, together with foundational knowledge in the three fields related to maritime, marine sciences, and naval architecture and ocean engineering¡ª(1) Marine Policy and Ocean Governance, (2) Marine Utilization Technologies, and (3) Marine Environment and Resources¡ªas well as advanced expertise and application skills in each field. 

• Human resources who understand international maritime law and the policy and economic context, and who can contribute to international consensus-building toward the sustainable use of marine resources and to the formulation of regional marine policies
• Human resources who possess integrated knowledge of the ocean that transcends the boundaries between the humanities and sciences and who can propose solutions to global ocean-related challenges through social implementation while collaborating with diverse stakeholders

Master of Maritime and Marine Science