日本語

I am Mitsuru Higa from Yamaguchi University, and I have taken over the presidency of The Society of Sea Water Science, Japan from the previous president, Prof. Goto. I will do my best as president.

The earth is called the planet of blue water because it has oceans filled with abundant water. Surrounded by the sea on all sides, our country has enjoyed many gifts from the sea from ancient times to the present day. Under these circumstances, as you can see in the introduction of the society on the website, the Seawater Society of Japan, which was the predecessor of the Japan Salt Society, was established and has a history of more than 60 years. As you can see from the English notation “The Society of Sea Water Science, Japan”, this society is a unique society where researchers and engineers from many fields who share the common foundation of “seawater science” interact with each other. This “seawater science” consists of “resource science,” which deals with seawater as a resource, “environmental science,” which deals with the relationship between seawater and the global environment, and “life science,” which deals with the relationship between seawater and life activities. In order to study these fields in detail from the professional viewpoint of the members, the Society has six research groups: “Research Group on Electrodialysis and Membrane Technology”, “Research group on Corrosion and Protection of Structures under seawater environment”, “Research Group on Marine Eco-biology”, “Research Group on Salt and Food”, “Research Group on Analysis of Salt and Sea Water”, and “Research Group on Resources and Environment of Seawater”. An academic society that studies a wide range of seawater-based resources, life sciences, and food is a unique society not found in Europe, the United States, or Asian countries. To that end, I would like to further advance the following four items that the previous president, Prof. Goto, raised.

First of all, while the COVID-19 has been moved to type 5 and various regulations have been relaxed, I would like to increase the number of face-to-face meetings at annual meetings, West-Japan Branch, Young researcher association, and various study groups while taking advantage of online for the past few years. I hope to promote exchanges between researchers and engineers.

Next, in addition to the Japanese journal, Bulletin of the Sea Water Society, Japan, the Society also publishes the English journal, Salt and Seawater Science & Technology (SSST). Thanks to the efforts of the editorial board members, these journals have become a very attractive publication. Bulletin of the Sea Water Society, Japan will continue to publish review articles and commentaries on attractive themes related to “seawater science” in an easy-to-understand manner for many researchers and engineers, in addition to original papers. In addition, SSST publishes many original papers and reviews with the goal of acquiring an impact factor. I would like to further enhance the content of these two academic journals in the future.

In addition, not only researchers from universities and national research institutes (academia), but also many corporate researchers participate in the society which is a major feature of the society. It is important to cherish the idea of industry-academia collaboration and to further revitalize it. Specifically, we would like to promote activities that are beneficial to both academia and corporate members, such as providing a place for education for young corporate researchers and deepening exchanges between job-hunting students and corporate researchers.

Furthermore, as our country is exposed to the wave of declining birthrate and aging population, the succession of technology is in danger not only in companies but also in academia. Fortunately, the Young researcher association is active in the society. I would like to focus on developing the next generation of human resources through the activities of the Young researcher association and various research groups, and by creating opportunities to utilize the valuable wisdom and skills of the senior generation, as the saying goes, “Senior achievement is more important than turtle shells.”

I would like to work together with all of you to contribute to the development of this society, and I would like to ask for the support and cooperation of all members.

July, 2023
Mitsuru Higa
Yamaguchi University
President of Society of Sea Water Science, Japan