Scientists comb Japanese waters to study new eco threat

Unnecessary packaging in Japan is rampant and definitely needs drastic reductions through govt regulations and a change in culture. A good example is confectionery packaging, it's not surprising to see up to four or five layers of plastic packaging all in the name of "quality." Yet you'll probably see the same companies touting SDGs on their web sites or other media.

@dbsaiya spot on !!

Japans' packaging of products is loaded with the over use of plastic. Due to this, there is not a lot of product in the packages you buy.

Shimoda's beaches fill with plastic bottles after every weather event.

I and wife have cleaned a few beaches from end to end, and its possible to remove and bag 95% of the rubbish.

Sadly, the good intentions are reduced to zero next time it rains.....or worse still, holiday makers leaving everything from tents to inflatables after most public holiday periods.

Needs a big information campaign to change behaviour.

Maybe schools could "adopt a beach " or something with clean up days.

"If developed countries don't lead by example, no one will do it," Agostini said.

This is definitely needed. But developing countries need more than examples. They usually don't have the needed infrastructure in place, and don't have the money to establish one. With no garbage disposal infrastructure, everything ends up in the sea. And, of course, they need education as well - otherwise people will not use the infrastructure even if there is one.

Japan has to do more. Stuff like the 7-11 "no straw" campaign for ice coffee is a farce. Plastic lids, plastic stirrers, plastic bags, and more... but straws are the "villain."

Interesting article. After watching the Netflix documentary, Seaspiracy, I learned that most plastics in the ocean originate from commercial fishing. So the best way to reduce microplastics is to stop eating fish.

Also, if Japan could launch an effort to fine those who dump trash on roads or remote areas this would have an impact. After any major rain the beaches are littered with all types of waste that found its way into the rivers and then the ocean. The people dumping this trash probably have no idea it ends up in the ocean and the general Japanese public would probably be shocked to know most beach trash is actually of domestic origin.

The vast majority of ocean plastic is from discarded and lost fishing gear.

The fishing industry needs to radically change and consumers of fish need to be more aware of the true costs of most fishing practices.

Another major cause of ocean plastic are the micro-fibres from clothes. Use of natural fibre (wool, cotton, hemp...) and washing clothes less frequently can vastly reduce this problem.

Put on a pair of swimming goggles and head down to Enoshima. Swim out 7 meters and swim parallel to the coast and look down. You will cry.

And almost everyday I have to tell someone to pick up their trash they toss on the ground. Litter here is amazing. Poor trading when growing up!

Training

They should also be looking at the new phenomenon of volcanic particles from the recent underwater eruptions, damaging the aquatic environment in Okinawa. Beaches turning black, ports clogged, fish and corals dying.

@wandwr: that is why we always say the earth is a dynamic living organism and we cannot tame its climate

The Japanese government says its vast waste management scheme stops plastic from finding its way to the sea, and industry research shows 85 percent of plastic waste in Japan is recycled -- although much is burnt for energy, emitting carbon dioxide.

Well,

the Japanese government is wrong!

I’ve seen the copious amounts of waste left by holiday makers and fishing vessels strewn across beaches and the ocean floor with my own eyes

We humans are causing a lot of problems, from plastics in the ocean, to acidification of the ocean, to global warming, to poisoning of the ocean with fertilizers, is there anything we have learned to do right?