History

<<History of the development of artificial undersea mountain ranges>>

〈December 2024〉

On December 19th, member of the House of Councillors, Mr. Ryuhei Kawada, posed a question to the Environment Committee of the House of Councillors regarding the effective use of concrete structures in towns during times of disaster and in times of peace, and the Minister of the Environment, the Ministry of the Environment, and the Fisheries Agency responded to his question.

〈November 21, 2024〉

  At the 26th Urban Disaster Prevention Seminar hosted by the National Mutual Aid Association for Disaster Relief of Municipal Properties, our president Tatsuo Suzuki gave a lecture entitled “Artificial Sea Mountains to Revitalize Marine Ecosystems, Increase Fish Populations, and Promote Early Recovery From Disaster”, and other speakers including Shoji Tanaka, Kazuki Nakabayashi, Satoshi Nishikawa, and Kiyoko Itagaki also gave lectures.

〈September, 2024〉

 The 12th Metropolitan Disaster Prevention Week [Disaster Prevention Forum II

In addition to Tatsuo Suzuki, the developer of the man-made submarine mountain range, Taisuke Ono (member of the House of Representatives, Japan Restoration Party), Ryuhei Kawada (member of the House of Councillors, Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan), and Takanori Kawai (member of the House of Councillors, Democratic Party for the People) participated, and a heated discussion was held under the coordination of Hajime Kagiya (Professor, Atomi University).

June 2024

 The paper that won the academic society prize, “Background and Future Prospects for the Sustainable Development of Artificial Sea Mountains,” was published in the Deep Ocean Warte Research journal.

〈February 2024〉

On February 27, House of Representatives member Taisuke Ono posed a question about the Citycon Sea Mountains to the House of Representatives Budget Committee Subcommittee 6, and the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Director-General of the Fisheries Agency, the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of the Environment, and the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism gave positive responses and answered for 30 minutes.

<April 1, 2024>

The names of two divisions of the Fisheries Agency were changed, and the Planning and Marine Industry Policy Division and the Project Division were established within the Fishing Port and Fishing Ground Development Department.

<August 2023>

Chapter 1, Section 3 of Part 4 of the Urban Disaster Prevention Handbook

entitled “Increasing Marine Food Supplies through the Rapid Utilization of Earthquake-Damaged Concrete Shells” was published.

<April 2023>

 The Executive Committee for the Capital Disaster Prevention Week, including the Citycon Undersea Mountain Range, received the 9th Japan Resilience Award (Resilience Grand Prize)

 <September 2022>

At the 9th Metropolitan Disaster Prevention Week, a session entitled “Pre-disaster Reconstruction of the Capital and Artificial Sea Mountains held, with reports and discussions iven by Kazuki Nakabayashi, Masayuki Takahashi, Masahiro Osako, Taro Arikawa, Masanori Takeda, Satoshi Nishikawa, Satoshi Furumoto, and Tatsuo Suzuki

(March-May 2022)

Eight Diet members, mainly from the Liberal Democratic Party Policy Research Council, held five study sessions on promoting national resilience by turning urban mines into resources.

(February 2019)

Published in Civil Engineering magazine: “Sea food production using civil engineering technology”, Civil Engineering, Vol. 78, No. 2, 42-47, 2019

〈September 2018〉

Presentation at the Japan Society of Civil Engineers: “Early Recovery and Food Production Using Earthquake-Damaged Concrete Shells as Fishing Facilities”, VII-84, 2019

Presentation at the Japan Society of Cycles and Waste Management: “Early Recovery through the Rapid Materialization and Utilization of Earthquake Debris”, B3-1, pp.115-116, 2019

<September 2017>

Presentation at the Deep Ocean Water Applications Society, “Expectations for the national resilience and fertility of the country through the artificial sea mountains”, 20th anniversary commemorative publication, pp.172-173,

<September 2014>

 Published in the Ocean Development Research Paper Collection B3, “Understanding the Actual Situation of the Vertical Mixing Phenomenon Caused by Artificial Sea Mountains,” co-authored paper, Vol. 70, No. 2, I_169-I_174, 2014

〈September 2013〉

Two patents registered in Japan were combined and applied for patents in China, South Korea and Taiwan for “Construction Method for Artificial Sea Mountains”

〈July 2013〉

The Fisheries Agency ordered the design work for the 2013 Oki Straits Upwelling Current Fishery Ground Structure as the second phase of the directly controlled artificial sea mountains project.

〈June 2013〉

The “Artificial Sea Mountains Construction Method” was registered as registration number 5270028 as a method for controlling the scattering of blocks.

<January 2013>

The structure of a new “artificial submarine mountains” made possible by controlling the scattering of blocks was registered under registration number 5175994.

<February 2013>

The patent for the new type of artificial sea mountains applied for in China was registered (pdf).

<December 2012>

We granted a patent license to Dalian Zhongnan Vitec Resources and Environmental Technology Research Co. as our base of operations in China.

<August 2012>

The patent for the new artificial sea mountains that we applied for in South Korea was registered (pdf).

<August 2012>

The patent for the new artificial sea mountains that we applied for in the United States was registered (jpg).

<March 2012>

A discussion meeting was held in Dalian, Liaoning Province, China, regarding the construction of an artificial sea mountains.

<March 11, 2011>

The world’s largest class M9.0 earthquake and tsunami hit eastern Japan.

http://www.japanquakemap.com/

<2011>

<Fisheries Agency> Work begins on the construction of a national artificial sea mountains off the west coast of the Goto Islands

<2010>

<Fisheries Agency> Detailed design work ordered for the national artificial sea mountains project off the west coast of the Goto Islands

〈2009〉

<Fisheries Agency> 1.5 billion yen requested for the Frontier Fisheries Development Project

〈2008〉

First Basic Plan for Ocean Policy approved by the Cabinet (clearly states the need to strengthen basic production in offshore waters)

〈2008〉

The “artificial sea mountains” project was introduced as a cornerstone of a sustainable society (1) (link Club Newsletter 1/2)

〈2007〉

The artificial sea mountains project was carried out in the western sea area of Nagasaki City as a public works project in Nagasaki Prefecture (completed in 2008)

〈2006〉

  Artificial sea mountains project carried out in the western Goto area as a public works project in Nagasaki Prefecture (completed in 2007)

〈2005〉

  Artificial sea mountains project carried out in the offshore area of Akune as a public works project in Kagoshima Prefecture (completed in 2006)

〈2003〉

  Implemented the artificial sea mountain range project in two areas, Tsushima East and Ukikita, as a public works project in Nagasaki Prefecture (completed in 2005)

〈2002〉

  Received the JSCE Environmental Award for “Construction of artificial sea mountain ranges aimed at food production in the sea”

〈2001〉

“Artificial mountain range for abundant fishing”

(Nikkei Shimbun, Morning Edition, Technology Creation Century, 2001.8.22)

〈1999〉

Received the Fisheries Engineering Technology Award from the Japan Society of Fisheries Engineering for “Development of coal ash hardening material and its application to fishing ground creation facilities”