JAMSTEC experts participated in the G7 Future of the Seas and Ocean Initiative (FSOI) Working Group annual meeting in Ottawa
The G7 Future of the Seas and Ocean Initiative (FSOI) Working Group* meeting was hosted by the Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) in Ottawa from 19 to 20 November 2025, co-chaired by the G7 Presidency, Canada, and the incoming Presidency, France.
The Working Group reviewed the progress of each priority topic identified in the 2025 FSOI Work Plan**, including ‘Arctic Ocean Observing’, ‘OneArgo***’ and ‘Digital Twin Ocean Capability’, and then discussed the 2026 Work Plan. The agenda also featured special sessions on ‘Understanding and Predicting the Ocean Using AI’ and ‘Deep Sea Observations’, along with the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) reform and other items.
Two experts from the Research Institute for Global Change (RIGC) and the International Affairs Section of JAMSTEC participated in person as part of the Japanese delegation, sharing their scientific knowledge and expertise in cooperation with the Ocean and Earth Division of the Research and Development Bureau of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), which serves as Japan's National Focal Point (NFP) for the G7 FSOI Working Group. The experts took part in discussions with the participating G7 members on scientific and political cooperation in sustaining global ocean observation, utilising ocean data, and developing digital infrastructures including the Digital Twin Ocean, and developed several proposals for the future of the Ocean.
JAMSTEC expresses its sincere gratitude to DFO for hosting the meeting, Canada and France for their co-chairship, the G7 FSOI Coordination Centre, hosted by the EU, for its coordination, and all G7 members for their active discussions and contribution. JAMSTEC looks forward to continuing to work together with the G7 FSOI Working Group to promote the science-policy interface and international cooperation in ocean science, including synergies with other international initiatives such as GOOS and the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).
*G7 Future of the Seas and Ocean Initiative (FSOI) Working Group:
An expert working group of the G7 to discuss the future of the seas and oceans was established in 2016, led by the UK. ‘Future of the Seas and Oceans’ was on the agenda of the G7 Science and Technology Ministers' Meeting in Tsukuba, Japan, in 2016, where it was agreed to maintain the G7 expert working group as a Working Group under the G7 Science and Technology Sherpa Meeting. The current five main Action Areas, which were revised in 2024, are (i) Ocean Observation, (ii) Digital Infrastructure and Data Interoperability, (iii) Analyses and Predictions, (iv) Regional Observing Capacity, and (v) Political Cooperation.
In Japan, relevant ministries and agencies work together on the activities of the G7 FSOI Working Group, in collaboration with the Ocean and Earth Division of the Research and Development Bureau of MEXT, which serves as the NFP for the G7 FSOI. Experts from JAMSTEC, including Dr Shuhei Masuda, Director-General of RIGC, who acts as the Scientific Adviser to NFP of Japan, and Ms Mizue Iijima, Senior Administrator of the International Affairs Section, who serves as the National Coordinator, have been taking part in the FSOI-related activities.
**Each topic identified in the 2025 FSOI Work Plan:
The following experts from JAMSTEC participated in the intersessional discussions, either directly with experts from other G7 members or through the National Focal Point. In addition, Dr Swadhin Behera participated in the annual meeting in Ottawa online and responded to questions from the Working Group members during the ‘Digital Twin Ocean Capability’ session:
- (1)
- Arctic Ocean Observing
- -
- Dr Takashi Kikuchi, Director, Institute of Arctic Climate and Environment Research (IACE), RIGC
- (2)
- OneArgo
- -
- Dr Toshio Suga, Director, Advanced Institute for Marine Ecosystem Change (WPI-AIMEC)
- -
- Dr Shigeki Hosoda, Group Leader, Global Oceanic Environment Research Group, Global Ocean Observation Research Center (GOORC), RIGC
- -
- Ms Mizue Iijima, Senior Administrator, International Affairs Section, Planning Department
- (3)
- Digital Twin Ocean Capability
- -
- Dr Yoichi Ishikawa, Director of the Center for Earth Information Science and Technology (CEIST) of the Research Institute for Value-Added-Information Generation (VAiG)
- -
- Dr Swadhin Behera, Director, Application Laboratory (APL), VAiG
- -
- Ms Akiko Yamada, Senior Administrator, CEIST, VAiG
***OneArgo:
OneArgo is a global ocean observing network of Argo profiling floats which can automatically descend and ascend between the ocean surface and the deep sea to observe physical and biogeochemical conditions and provide those data in quasi real time. International efforts and coordination have been made to achieve objectives of OneArgo by 2030.
Image of OneArgo