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Emerging Perspectives Programs

Sustainable Gastronomy Day: “The Foodscapes”

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The environment surrounding Japan’s agriculture and fisheries is undergoing changes that far exceed conventional assumptions, amid growing global fluctuations in food supply and demand, increasing food security risks, and the urgent need to address environmental challenges such as climate change. Under these circumstances, our society is facing increasingly complex issues related to food resources. Specifically, challenges in food supply are becoming more apparent, including instability in agricultural production caused by intensifying climate change, as well as the impacts of changing marine environments–such as shifts in fish species composition and the degradation of seaweed beds (“Isoyake”) — on fisheries productivity. At the same time, consumption–side problems, including the massive generation of food waste, are becoming more serious, highlighting that food–related challenges extend broadly from production to consumption.

To respond to these issues, the JST COI–NEXT program, “Co–Creation Hub for Fostering a Green Job Market through on Gastronomy Geopolitics” (hereafter referred to as “the Hub”), is promoting initiatives grounded in the new concept of “Gastronomic Geopolitics.” Through collaboration among academia, industry, and government, the Hub seeks to conserve and appropriately utilize regional food–resource environments. Furthermore, the Hub places strong emphasis on rethinking our relationship with “foodscapes” — the natural capital that sustains local food production — while aiming to create new green jobs that support sustainable food supply chains and contribute to the preservation of regional natural capital.

In 2016, the year following the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations designated June 18 as “Sustainable Gastronomy Day,” a day dedicated to considering sustainable food production and the preservation of regional food cultures. This concept strongly resonates with the vision of the Hub, which seeks to deepen understanding of the environments that sustain local food resources and to realize green food supply chains.

In light of this vision, the Hub will host the following symposium as an opportunity to promote the concept of “Gastronomic Geopolitics,” foster attractive green job opportunities for younger generations in regional communities, and deepen public understanding of foodscapes. Through keynote lectures by four speakers and a panel discussion with distinguished participants, the symposium aims to provide an opportunity to reflect on sustainable food production, the preservation of regional food cultures, and the future green jobs that will support them.

Date

Thursday, June 18, 2026 14:00 – 17:00 (JST)

Venue

  • Main Conference Room, 3rd Floor, Main Building, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University [Access]
  • Online (Webinar)

Invited Speakers

  • Tamaki Bito (General Manager, Education Division, Tsuji Culinary Research Co.,Ltd)
  • Junko Owada (Professor, The Graduate School of Management and Education Technology)
  • Keiko Sawai (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Deputy Director–General for Food Safety and Consumer Affairs Bureau)
  • Akihiro Takemura (Special Professor, Institute for Co–Creative Research and Outreach, University of the Ryukyus)

Registration

Registration deadline: Friday, June 12, 2026, 16:00 (JST)
Registration Form

Time Schedule

14:00 – 14:15
Opening Remarks
Takeo Ebina (Tohoku University)
Kazuyo Matsubae (Tohoku University)
Keynote Lecture 1
14:15 – 14:35
Keiko Swai (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Deputy Director–General for Food Safety and Consumer Affairs Bureau)
Future Directions for Food and Nutrition Education (tentative)
Keynote Lecture 2
14:35 – 15:00
Junko Owada (The Graduate School of Management and Education Technology)
Understanding the Structure and Meaning of Foodscapes through Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS)
Presentation 1
15:00 – 15:20
Akihiro Takemura (University of the Ryukyus)
Land–based Aquaculture for the Future of Fisheries: Current Status and Future Perspectives
Presentation 2
15:20 – 15:40
Tamaki Bito (Tsuji Culinary Research Co.,Ltd)
The Influence of Green Tourism on Young People’s Career Perspectives
16:00 – 16:40
Panel Discussion: “Foodscapes and the Future of Japanese Food Systems”
Moderator:
Kazuyo Matsubae (Tohoku University)
Panelists:
Keiko Swai (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Deputy Director–General for Food Safety and Consumer Affairs Bureau)
Junko Owada (The Graduate School of Management and Education Technology)
Tamaki Bito (Tsuji Culinary Research Co.,Ltd)
Akihiro Takemura (University of the Ryukyus)
16:40 – 17:00
Closing Remarks

Poster

Download [PDF]

Hosted by

  • Co–Creation Hub for Fostering a Green Job Market Based on Gastronomic Geopolitics, Tohoku University

Co–hosted by

  • Tohoku Forum for Creativity, Organization for Research Promotion, Tohoku University
  • Tsuji Culinary Institute
  • Research Promotion Organization, University of the Ryukyus
  • Tohoku Branch, Japan Society of Material Cycles and Waste Management

Cooperation Institute

  • Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University

Contact

Email: erpc_vision*gastro–geopoli.com (change * to @)

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