The Brief

What does Hakodate make you think of?
"Night view - Mt. Hakodate," "Exotic atmosphere - Red Brick Warehouse, Motomachi," "Seafood - squid, sea kelp, morning market," or "History - Goryokaku, Kaikoku" etc.?
These wonderful things in your mind might not be able to be sustainable due to the declining birthrate, increasing aging population, and young people's dispersal to urban areas from Hakodate.
Hakodate, along with the ports of Yokohama and Nagasaki, was opened as Japan's first modern trading ports (trade ports) during the era of dramatic changes in Japan at the last period of the Edo area. After that, Hakodate developed as a transport hub of Hokkaido and a base for Northern-sea fisheries. The leading performers who brought such economic success were Hakodate's ambitious "young people." They were the first entrepreneurs in Hokkaido and developed many startups.
Nowadays, Hakodate is increasingly globalized in terms of transportation, for example, the highways, Shinkansen, airlines, and luxury cruise lines. In addition, the new big project "Establishment of a Sustainable Fishery and Marine City employing the Fish and Seaweed Cultivation: Toward the Establishment of Mariculture that Contributes to Regional Carbon Neutrality" has been launched in FY2022. Hakodate City leads the project with budget support from the Cabinet Office's "Regional University and Regional Industry Creation Grant."
We now face a great opportunity for a "second opening to the world." Can we make Hakodate shine again by making it a Mecca for startups of this new era?

Category

【Society & Cultur】
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The Background

The Faculty of Fisheries Sciences, Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, and School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University originated from the Department of Fisheries at Sapporo Agricultural College. It practices "Fisheries Science," a wide range of education and research that connects humans and the sea, focusing on practical learning using training ships "Oshoro Maru" and "Ushio Maru" and other satellite education institutions such as the Nanae Freshwater Experiment Station.
The fourteenth goal of the SDGs is "to conserve and sustainably use the oceans and marine resources for sustainable development." This goal is closely related to our School. To conserve marine resources and maintain a healthy ocean for future generations, local and global fisheries must become eco- and human-friendly, sustainable industries.
The staff and students who belong to the Faculty of Fisheries Sciences, Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, and School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University are joining the global effort towards the "blue transformation" of these industries through fisheries research and education
・Hokkaido University Fisheries Sciences
https://www2.fish.hokudai.ac.jp/
・Hokkaido University Balance de Ocean (LASBOS)
https://repun-app.fish.hokudai.ac.jp/

The Challenge

In 1853, Perry arrived from the U.S., and Hakodate was opened as the first trading port in Japan along with Yokohama and Nagasaki in 1859. In July 1869, the Kaitakushi (Hokkaido Development Office) was established. After that, as a transportation hub for the development of Hokkaido, Hakodate continued to develop as a base for the Northern-sea fishing industry, with the emergence of banks, shipping companies, and trading companies handling marine products and imported goods. In such a turbulent era that began with the opening of Japan to the outside world, many young people from all over the country and the world gathered to Hakodate in search of opportunities for new businesses. They were the first entrepreneurs in Hokkaido and developed many startups. Hakodate's foundation was laid through their activities to newly develop various industries.
In recent years, Hakodate put its industrial base on its fisheries industry and has faced the globalization of land, sea, and air transportations. This includes the construction of expressways and rail networks, including the Shinkansen line, global air routes, and the arrival of large numbers of luxury cruise ships from around the world. This year, Hakodate City was selected as a recipient of the Cabinet Office's "Regional University and Regional Industry Creation Grant." This project, "Establishment of a Sustainable Fishery and Marine City employing the Fish and Seaweed Cultivation: Toward the Establishment of Mariculture that Contributes to Regional Carbon Neutrality," aims to build a sustainable "fisheries and marine city." People form all sectors of the Hakodate area, such as fishermen, Hakodate city goverment officers, and researchers in the universities and research institutes will collaborate to realize Japan's first complete aquaculture production of "King Salmon" and "Sea Kelp" as well as human resource development system for developing value-added primary industries.
In this way, every person in Hakodate is faces an excellent opportunity for a "second opening of the country" following the Ansei Era.
The combination of resources in Hakodate, ex. [complete aquaculture production of King Salmon and Sea Kelp]  [IT technology that is developing at a dizzying pace], is enormous! The environment is now in place for your ideas to lead to innovation!
By making Hakodate a mecca for startups with an eye on the global market, we can invigorate Hakodate more than ever before. What should we do to achieve this?
Together with us, let's accomplish the "second opening of the country" in the 21st Century!

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