On July 19, 2024, the Center signed a MoU with Mombetsu City, Hokkaido, at Enreiso, Hokkaido University.
The signing ceremony was conducted by attending Dr. Shotaro Uto, Acting Director and Specially Appointed Professor, Dr. Fujio Ohnishi, Specially Appointed Associate Professor, and Dr. Juha Saunavaara, Associate Professor, from the Center, and Mr. Kazuhiro Odagiri, Administrative Director from the North Campus General Affairs Department. From Mombetsu City, Yoshikazu Miyakawa, Mayor, Hideaki Takahashi, Director of Industry Department, Seiji Katakura, Counselor of Fisheries Division, Industry Department, and Katsushi Iwamoto, Deputy Counselor of Fisheries Division, Industry Department also attended the meeting. Guests of honor included Dr. Natsuhiko Otsuka, Director of the Hokkaido Sea Ice Center, and Dr. Tsuyoshi Setoguchi, Director and Vice President of Hokkaido University.
The Sea of Okhotsk off the coast of Hokkaido is located at the southern limit of the northern hemisphere for drift ice. As an international research city for sea ice, Mombetsu City in Hokkaido holds the International Symposium on the Okhotsk Sea & Polar Oceans every February and conducts various research related to such as sea ice and fishery resources. The Arctic Research Center has been conducting various research activities in the Arctic region and cooperating with Mombetsu City as a co-organizer of the symposium. The agreement was signed in order to further strengthen the cooperative relationship in the fields of academics, education, culture and regional development.
Photo: Yoshikazu Miyakawa, Mayor of Mombetsu City (right) and Shotaro Uto, Acting Director of Arctic Research Center (left)
