At the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, we had the privilege of a meeting with Mr. Atsushi Sunami, President of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, and Mr. Masanori Kobayashi, Senior Research Fellow at the Ocean Policy Research Institute, where we reflected on five years of shared commitment to ocean innovation and the future of marine diplomacy.

This meeting, which also honoured our partnership with SARAYA Group and the ZERI Japan Foundation, took place during a ground-breaking parallel event. Each morning of UNOC3, a live connection was established between the Blue Ocean Dome in Osaka and the main conference venue in Nice. This real-time, cross-continental dialogue allowed for direct exchange between key stakeholders, students, researchers, and policymakers, creating a sense of global synchronisation around ocean action.

The Sasakawa Peace Foundation has long stood as one of Japan’s most respected thought leaders on maritime affairs, and our collaboration has evolved into a model for how technical innovation can be embedded in policy dialogue and institutional cooperation. Meanwhile, ZERI Japan’s systemic, solution-oriented frameworks continue to inform our own approach to designing for environmental impact.

Discussions with Mr. Sunami and Mr. Kobayashi focused on joint mechanisms to scale innovation across Asia-Pacific regions, ensure regional equity in implementation, and strengthen the interface between grassroots solutions and multilateral strategy. These are not theoretical aspirations, they are pathways actively being built through shared platforms like the Blue Ocean Dome and collaborative events such as UNOC.

With partners like the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, The Saraya Group and ZERI, we are confident in our ability to turn vision into outcomes. We remain committed to fostering multi-stakeholder frameworks that deliver real change for people and the planet through cross-regional solidarity, policy alignment, and impact-led innovation.