His previous experience in ocean restoration has been decisive in Brian Tsuyoshi Takeda appointment as JBE's Secretary of International Affairs.
Photo: Urchinomics.
The Japan Blue Economy Association (JBE) has named Brian Tsuyoshi Takeda as its new Secretary of International Affairs. Starting today, he will work closely with international policymakers, legislators, regulators, scientific institutes, industry leaders, and civil society to facilitate knowledge sharing on Japan's successful market for blue natural capital credits.
His previous experience in ocean restoration, which allows him to provide greater context on how the market works in practice, has been decisive in this appointment. Takeda, currently at Restorae - a Norwegian company dedicated to the development of ecologically restorative technologies and business models that he co-founded -is also the founder and former CEO of Urchinomics.
The pioneering company in restorative aquaculture, which converts ecologically destructive sea urchins into high-value seafood destined for luxury restaurants, was the first company in the world to earn JBE blue carbon credits from wild algae restoration.
"I am deeply honored to join the JBE in this capacity, and help the world understand Japan's unique blue natural capital market design, and how it successfully brought some of Japan's largest corporations to fund important restoration initiatives via this mechanism," Brian Tsuyoshi Takeda commented on his appointment.
"We welcome Brian Tsuyoshi Takeda to our team and are excited to have him share our experiences with our colleagues around the world, who are currently working to establish blue natural capital markets in their respective countries," Dr. Tomohiro Kuwae, President of Japan Blue Economy Association, stated for his part.
"Creating and certifying high-quality carbon credits and designing the market properly are critical to not only secure alignment among stakeholders but also ensure equitable value of credits that make restoration truly possible," he added.
Authorized by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Japan Blue Economy is a research cooperative responsible for advancing the nation's marine decarbonization and restoration efforts through the foundation, improvement, and management of the blue carbon credit scheme called J-Blue Credit.
With its JBE's J-Blue Credit, Japan has implemented the world's first carbon credit system specialized in the removal of atmospheric CO2 using the blue natural capital of shallow coastal ecosystems. Its unique market design takes into account not only carbon emissions removal but also co-benefits such as fish yields, improved water quality, biodiversity, and other socio-economic benefits for coastal communities.
Until now, we were used to seeing this type of system on land, but Japan has set a precedent, an example of how to do it in the ocean and do it, moreover, with great success when you consider that J-Blue Credits are currently trading at over USD 400/unit since their inception in 2021, which is more than 10 times higher than the equivalent credits sold worldwide.
Committed to seeking business opportunities that are beneficial to both the entrepreneur and the planet - formerly at Urchinomics, now at Restorae, but always with the same goal of having a positive impact -, from today on, Brian Tsuyoshi Takeda will continue his mission "to do good" as Secretary of International Affairs of the Japan Blue Economy Association.
He will do so by sharing knowledge and disseminating the mechanics of how Japan managed to successfully launch this market and how it got so many major industry players to align, transact, and finance important restoration initiatives across the country through this credit mechanism.
To do so, he will not only rely on his practical experience generating blue natural capital credits through wild kelp restoration but also on his connections. This week, he will be participating in the Blue Food Innovation Summit being held tomorrow and the day after in London, where he is one of the speakers in the panel entitled 'Regenerative Solutions: Unlocking the Business Case for Ocean Biodiversity Restoration'.
