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12th annual World Ocean Summit & Expo

March 12th – 13th 2025

Welcome to the 12th annual World Ocean Summit & Expo

Economist Impact, with the support of official host The Nippon Foundation, is hosting the 12th World Ocean Summit in Tokyo in 2025.  With over 14,000 islands, 347,000km of coastline and a blue economy that is forecasted to reach 28 trillion yen by 2030, Japan as a maritime nation offers a rich cultural and historical perspective.

 

The summit convenes the widest cross-section of the ocean community from business and finance to government, national and international policy-makers, civil society and academia. It is designed to instigate action to develop the sustainable ocean economy; to encourage new partnerships across industries, with NGOs, scientists, technology developers and investors. By bringing together all stakeholders in the ocean ecosystem, the summit provides the perfect platform to inspire new synergies, solutions and strategies on the track to meet the 2030 targets in UN SDG 14.

 

The 12th annual summit will focus on the transition to a sustainable ocean economy,  ocean stewardship, strategies to restore ocean health, advancements in marine technology and collaborative efforts to address ocean pollution. The agenda will include a series of “How to” workshops designed to generate tangible action points and key takeaways to enable organisations to instigate change and make an impact on the journey towards a healthier ocean.

 

The summit in Tokyo will continue action-based conversations on the key themes from recent World Ocean Summits, as well as provide a vital opportunity for participants from Asia to engage with the global ocean community ahead of the United Nations Oceans Conference in June 2025.

Register

Welcome to the 12th annual World Ocean Summit & Expo

In 2025 topics will include:

  • Climate and ocean

    Evaluating options as challenges escalate. Temperature surges are severely affecting marine ecosystems and disrupting the ocean’s role in regulating wider earth systems. What can be done to slow the warming and mitigate the risks?

  • Nature and the sustainable ocean economy

    Without nature there is no economy. How are ocean-impacting industries making tangible changes to protect marine nature?

  • Marine protected areas (MPAs)

    Working towards the 30 x 30 target for MPAs to protect 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030. These sessions will assess how MPAs are efficiently and effectively managed and protected.

  • Resilience and adaptation strategies

    Building resilience and adaptation strategies to protect nature and people. How are coastal cities and communities adapting to climate change and how are financial institutions channelling capital towards adaptation and resilience?

  • Decarbonising shipping

    Increasing the momentum for zero-emission shipping. What will spur the industry’s large-scale transition to zero-emission fuels?

  • Blue food

    Encouraging sustainable processes in fishing and aquaculture alongside economic growth. Evaluating new technologies, policy and finance to support sustainable operations.

  • Ocean finance

    Increasing financial commitments to marine protection. Identifying the best financial mechanisms for specific initiatives.

  • Pollution

    Tackling ocean pollution from plastics and chemicals including nutrient waste and sewage. Raising awareness and supporting systemic approaches to resolve pollution challenges.

  • Offshore-renewable energy

    The power or marine-renewable energy. What are the latest technological advances and what is needed to ensure energy security and affordability during the clean-energy transition?

  • Tourism

    Can sustainable and regenerative coastal and marine tourism initiatives contribute to the restoration of ocean health as well as economic growth?

Event format

  • Calender Wednesday, March 12th

    LocationIn-person, Tokyo
  • Calender Thursday, March 13th

    LocationIn-person, Tokyo
Event venue
In-person venue

Ana intercontinental Tokyo

1 Chome-12-33 Akasaka, Minato City, Tokyo 107-0052, Japan
Plan your visit

Highlights from 2024

  • Countries represented

    93

  • Unique companies

    1,182

  • Attendees director level or above

    57%

  • Sessions

    98

  • Registered attendees

    1,716

  • Core sectors

    22

  • Speakers

    221

Download the 2024 post event summary

Thank you to those who helped make this year’s summit the biggest yet, and for those that missed it, you can view the highlights here. You can download and read the five key takeaways from the summit in the event summary paper.

Download

View photos from past summit

Previous event feedback

  • 57% of attendees were director-level and above

    “Fabulous selection of speakers. I appreciate how Economist Events cater to educated minds and therefore attract very interesting delegates. I really enjoyed it and look forward to participating next year and in the regional options. Thank you!"

     
    President, Aspen Center for Living
    Peace

  • 22 different functions and 22 sectors

    “The 'How to' sessions were favourite, as these enabled more interaction between participants and a networking opportunity. I loved the film screening/photography session too. Fantastic!"

     
    Head of global marine, Marine Management Organisation

  • 1.8M impressions for #OceanSummit

    “A lot of thought provoking content covering a very wide range of subjects, and not swamped with only fishing stuff"

     

    Sustainability advisor, Swire Shipping

Economist Impact’s World Ocean Initiative imagines an ocean in robust health, and with a vital economy. We foster a global conversation on the greatest challenges facing the seas, inspiring bold thinking, new partnerships, and the most effective action to build a sustainable ocean economy. Read more and sign up for our newsletter below.

World Ocean Initiative

Content from World Ocean Initiative

  • The ocean flows through all 17 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals

    While the ocean fits neatly into SDG14: Life Below Water, it also plays a vital role in achieving…

  • Driving finance for coral reef resilience

    Coral reefs cover less than 1% of the ocean, yet they support more than a quarter of all marine…

  • The Global Plastics Treaty risks failing if it doesn’t address waste management as a whole

    Earlier this year, world leaders did something rare but hopeful: they endorsed a UN resolution to…

  • Creating a better planet through better tourism

    A blog by Luís Araújo, president of Turismo de Portugal and speaker at the upcoming World Ocean…

  • COP15 dispatch: Will the new global biodiversity deal save the ocean?

    Nearly 200 countries have committed to protect at least 30% of land and seas by 2030, but quality…

Ready to join?

  • In-person

    Join us in Tokyo
  • Access to all conference sessions in-person on March 12th – 13th 2025 in Tokyo (not broadcasted)

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  • *Please note the in-person days sessions are not broadcasted virtually

In-person

Join us in Tokyo
  • Access to all conference sessions in-person on March 12th – 13th 2025 in Tokyo (not broadcasted)

    Checkmark
*Please note the in-person days sessions are not broadcasted virtually