Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) has the main objective to contribute to the advancement of academic research in addition to the improvement of marine science and technology by proceeding the fundamental research and development on marine, and the cooperative activities on the academic research related to the Ocean for the benefit of the peace and human welfare.

The philosophy towards achieving the goal of becoming a fully ocean-based nation is briefly stated in the Basic Act on Ocean Policy established in 2007, and is now being put into practice. JAMSTEC’s role in this mission is very clear: to support our society in achieving this goal, through developing new scientific and technological capabilities which contribute to the sustainable development, and responsible maintenance, of a peaceful and fulfilling global society.

We believe that the path to making this research institute a global leader is based on reflecting on past achievements, accepting the challenge of developing an integrated and comprehensive understanding of the Ocean, Earth, and Life; and the pursuit of ever-advanced theories to open new paradigms of research. These challenges can help JAMSTEC develop new marine-related scientific knowledge, create advanced technologies, and propose specific solutions for social issues.

The basic philosophies of these activities are uniqueness, flexibility, and adaptability. Uniqueness of applying novel approaches to problem solving; flexibility is needed in applying research results to societal needs, and adaptability is necessary for coordinating diverse lines of research towards future goals. Systems thinking, capturing the mutual influences of various events and phenomena, and combining them, is the new paradigm. Dynamically developing viewpoints from the micro to the macro and then back again, from basic concepts to applications and vice versa—are the challenges existing beyond currently established fields and efforts.