https://www.marine-ed.org/blogpost/1067768/317855/WeAreNMEA--Fostering-Ocean-Literacy-in-Asia-with-Tsuyoshi-Sasaki
Tsuyoshi Sasaki 佐々木剛
Professor, Department of Ocean Policy and Culture
Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
Tokyo, Japan
Dr. Tsuyoshi Sasaki is a Professor at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology and Director of the Japan Aquatic Marine Environmental Education Association since 2006. His responsibilities are to link scientists, government, schools, and communities on issues ranging from aquaculture to water quality to fisheries and ecotourism across different disciplines to solve problems that stretch from the mountains to the coast. Taking this community-ecosystem-based approach, it is the idea that aquatic marine environmental education programs will integrate environmental, economic, and social expertise to find local sustainable solutions. Dr. Sasaki is also the Chairman of the Asia Marine Educators Association (AMEA).

Dr. Sasaki describes the importance of his work in Ocean Literacy:
“Although we all have different individualities with respect to each other, at the root of all of our lives is a connection with nature. In particular, without the sea we cannot live. It is therefore not an exaggeration to say that all humans are connected via the sea. In that sense, Ocean Literacy has an important role to remove the boundaries of our mind and to connect each of us to others throughout the world. In this way, the significance of Ocean Literacy cannot be overstated.
Our group is working with Forest-River-Ocean Nexus Education, FRON-E. By waking up the consciousness of these connections, a fundamental relationship with nature will be nurtured and a society of sustainable peace can be developed. It is an important role of marine educators in Asia to engage in regional educational activities for that purpose.”
Pictured below are the Japan-Taiwan Forest-River-Ocean Nexus exchange program (left) and the Japan-Indonesia Forest-River-Ocean Nexus student exchange program (right).