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Recently, the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) was adopted and an international framework was established to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of marine life in the high seas and deep seabed. However, problems related to the marine environment and marine resources, such as the problem of marine plastic pollution and IUU (illegal, unreported, and unregulated) fishing, continue to expand.
As an island nation, the development of marine mineral resources in the exclusive economic zone and deep seabed is one of the important issues for Japan from the viewpoint of sustainable supply of resources. In addition, with the establishment of laws regarding utilization of the ocean floor by businesses engaged in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and initiatives to secure CO2 sinks though a blue carbon ecosystem, activities to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality in the marine environment by 2050 have been gaining momentum.
These legal issues are unique in that they require a comprehensive review, taking into account not only domestic law but also international law and environmental issues.
A&S offers attorneys with specialized knowledge of marine environmental and resource issues, as well as an attorney who has studied the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and other relevant laws at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). We provide a wide range of advice to government agencies, companies, individuals, and others involved in marine environmental and marine resource issues in Japan and abroad.