Brian Tsuyoshi Takeda is the third from the left in the back row. Dr. Tomohiro Kuwae is to his right, and Dr. Kenta Watanabe is to his right.
Photo: Restorae.
Thanks to its globally recognized leadership in aquaculture, marine engineering and offshore operations, Norway has been selected as the main destination in Northern Europe for the Japanese delegation that will arrive in Europe next June in search of solutions to boost large-scale seaweed farming in the Asian country.
According to Restorae's announcement, the purpose of the visit is to study Norwegian capabilities and explore potential collaboration opportunities with leading stakeholders in large-scale seaweed aquaculture, marine infrastructure, and ocean-based carbon solutions.
The Norwegian venture, which pioneers ecologically restorative technologies and business models that heal nature while creating value, and whose CEO, Brian Tsuyoshi Takeda, will be part of the Japanese delegation, added that Japan is specifically seeking solutions that can support large-scale deployment, with the ambition of contributing to the elimination of at least 1 million tons of CO₂ through the mass cultivation of seaweed.
Therefore, as part of Japan's national efforts to develop large-scale seaweed cultivation systems and accelerate the deployment of blue carbon solutions, the formal Japanese delegation, consisting of five people, will visit Norway, specifically the provinces of Møre og Romsdal and Vestland, from June 20 to 26, 2026.
The delegation will consist of Dr. Tomohiro Kuwae, President, Japan Blue Economy Association (JBE), Director, Coastal & Estuarine Environmental Research Division / Distinguished Principal Researcher, Port and Airport Research Institute (PARI); Dr. Kenta Watanabe, Researcher, PARI; Mr. Kentaro Watanabe, Waterfront Revitalization and Environment Research Foundation (WAVE); Ms. Eriko Kono, WAVE; and Brian Tsuyoshi Takeda, as mentioned, CEO of Restorae, and Secretariat of International Affairs, JBE.
Both JBE, PARI and WAVE are all institutions operating under the supervision of the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
The delegation will begin its tour in the province of Møre og Romsdal, arriving in Ålesund on June 20th. The following day, June 21st, they will visit the Geirangerfjord. On June 22nd, they will travel to Ulsteinvik, where they will hold a series of meetings with suppliers in the maritime and aquaculture sectors.
From June 23rd to 25th, the delegation will travel to the province of Vestland, specifically to the city of Bergen, where they will meet with key players in industry and research before returning to Japan on June 26th.
The reason why Ulsteinvik (Møre og Romsdal) and Bergen (Vestland) have been chosen as key points of the visit within Norway is that both have been identified as key locations of interest, offering a concentration of advanced knowledge in the maritime and aquaculture sectors relevant to the industrial-scale seaweed deployment.
As Restorae explained in the release, the initiative supports Japan's broader ambition to deploy seaweed farming as a nature-based solution contributing to national decarbonization goals and compliance-based blue carbon credit generation.
This was highlighted by the President of the JBE, Dr. Tomohiro Kuwae. "We are very excited to explore Norwegian aquaculture technologies into our large-scale seaweed cultivation plans and decarbonize our economy," he stated.
Meanwhile, in Norway, the initiative was also welcomed. "A forward-looking supplier industry has been crucial for the development of Norwegian aquaculture, and we welcome opportunities to strengthen links between Norwegian and international partners," said Norwegian Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Marianne Sivertsen Næss.
"The Norwegian aquaculture adventure really got off the ground when the Japanese discovered the fantastic Norwegian salmon. It is therefore very exciting that one of the world's leading technological powerhouses are once again looking to Norway and Vestland for solutions for the future. We are ready to welcome the delegation with open arms!," commented, for his part, Jon Askeland, County Mayor of Vestland.
Restorae also noted that the visit reflects growing bilateral momentum behind ocean-based climate solutions and highlights the role of collaboration in innovative scaling approaches to carbon removal and sustainable marine resource use. Its CEO and co-founder, and also Secretary of International Affairs at JBE, Brian Tsuyoshi Takeda, will be in charge of serving as a link between both countries, so that this goes even further.
"My goal here is to match Japan's ambitious climate plans with Western Norway's unique marine industry which has the technologies and expertise to restore our ocean and climate at scale," he said.
