{"id":1691,"date":"2021-04-05T19:01:34","date_gmt":"2021-04-05T12:01:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/?page_id=1691"},"modified":"2021-05-31T14:47:43","modified_gmt":"2021-05-31T07:47:43","slug":"biodiversity","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/geography\/biodiversity\/","title":{"rendered":"Japanese Biodiversity"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"1691\" class=\"elementor elementor-1691\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-6966303 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"6966303\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7d9f705\" data-id=\"7d9f705\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fcbb1b6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"fcbb1b6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1d3e520 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1d3e520\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Geography<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f56b2ca elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"f56b2ca\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Japan's Biodiversity<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-229d3be elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"229d3be\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-9836177\" data-id=\"9836177\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-87d84dd elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"87d84dd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2a5f589 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"2a5f589\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8c6815a elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"8c6815a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2cdcb51 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"2cdcb51\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-742dda6 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"742dda6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8d13778 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8d13778\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-30fb93d\" data-id=\"30fb93d\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ab1e50f elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"ab1e50f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3bc6225 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3bc6225\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" id=\"hotspot\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">a major marine  biodiversity hotspot <\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b785f98 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b785f98\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-f1a94c8\" data-id=\"f1a94c8\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8499a97 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8499a97\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Multiple factors contribute directly to giving the islands of the Japanese archipelago, both on land and underwater, their <strong>environmental richness<\/strong>, and also an <strong>outstanding marine biodiversity.<\/strong><\/p><p>A major factor is Japan&#8217;s geographical position along the Eurasian coast and span of latitude, the country&#8217;s <strong>30,000+ km long coastline<\/strong> extending from<strong> subarctic to subtropical conditions,<\/strong> with a complex underwater<strong> topography, <\/strong>with bays giving access to both <strong>shallow <\/strong>and<strong> deep water ecosystems<\/strong>.<\/p><p>Another factor is the archipelago\u2019s marked <strong>seasonal temperature changes<\/strong> and exposure to <strong>key warm and cold-water currents<\/strong>, including the powerful Kuroshio-Oyashio system, which directly connect Japanese waters to neighbouring marine ecosystems.<\/p><p>The Japanese archipelago separates the <strong>Pacific Ocean <\/strong>from the <strong>Sea of Japan<\/strong> (the marginal sea between the Japanese islands, Sakhalin, the continental landmasses of the Korean Peninsula, and the Russian mainland), yet these two major water environments are <strong>interconnected by the currents<\/strong> flowing along all the coasts of the Japanese islands.<\/p><p>The Sea of Japan, as an enclosed sea, has almost no tides, and also a lower faunal diversity and salinity than in the Pacific side, which faces open ocean. <br \/>However, the <strong>Sea of Japan\u2019s seawater also has an elevated concentration of dissolved oxygen that results in high biological productivity<\/strong>, and it is directly connected to neighbouring seas and to the Pacific Ocean by the inflow and outflow of currents through its various straits, including Kuroshio\u2019s Tsushima branch of warm current and the Liman cold current.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4fd33d4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"4fd33d4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/opbio.com\/en\/opbiodiversity.html\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"664\" src=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/chart-of-species-in-Japan-1024x664.gif\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-11859\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/chart-of-species-in-Japan-1024x664.gif 1024w, https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/chart-of-species-in-Japan-300x195.gif 300w, https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/chart-of-species-in-Japan-768x498.gif 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f7f0ee elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1f7f0ee\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Marine Species in Japan<\/strong> &#8211; Chart source: <a href=\"http:\/\/opbio.com\/en\/opbiodiversity.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">opbio.com<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9586391 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"9586391\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d7ef12d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d7ef12d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>A 2010\/2011,\u00a0 the White Paper on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jfa.maff.go.jp\/j\/kikaku\/wpaper\/pdf\/2010_haku_en6.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fisheries of Japan <\/a>listed the following primary factors contributing to the\u00a0 general richness of Japanese waters:<\/p><ul><li>\u00a0The Oyashio Current (rich in nutrient salt and encourages plankton growth) and the Kuroshio Current (although poor in nutrient salt, brings fish from southern sea areas to waters around Japan) intersect and form an &#8220;<em><strong>Avenue of Fish<\/strong>.<\/em>&#8220;<\/li><li>Continental shelves have developed along the coasts of Hokkaid\u014d, the T\u014dhoku region, and the San&#8217;in region at a depth of approximately 200 m, which is suitable for the habitats of bottom fish. Meanwhile, the Sea of Japan has the Yamato Bank and the Musashi Bank, which are terrace-shaped shallow sea areas.<\/li><li>The East China Sea, and many of the inner bays (such as the Funka Bay, Ise Bay, Ariake Sea, and Yatsushiro Sea) found along Japanese coastlines provide grounds for abundant fishery resources due to the rich nutrient salt carried in from land areas.<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2e16475 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"2e16475\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"954\" height=\"679\" src=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/point-of-contact.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-7634\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/point-of-contact.png 954w, https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/point-of-contact-300x214.png 300w, https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/point-of-contact-768x547.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 954px) 100vw, 954px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0cd2b6d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0cd2b6d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Image source: <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/uhuh\/2017\/10\/30\/fisheries-in-japan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">blogs.ubc.ca<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3e8eaa4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3e8eaa4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" id=\"dynamic-system\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">A dynamic warm\/cold water current system<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f1bfaa elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"3f1bfaa\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9973746 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9973746\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The major ocean currents flowing along the Japanese islands collectively support biodiversity in the area, which counts among some of the <strong>most productive and diverse regions in the world in terms of both cold and warm water marine life.<\/strong> <br \/>This has historically been a great asset for Japan\u2019s powerful fishing industry, but also generates fantastic conditions for more contemplative and leisurely activities such as scuba-diving.<\/p><p>Out of these currents, the <strong>Kuroshio-Oyashio current-system has the strongest influence both on marine life and conditions found in Japanese waters, to which it gives warmth and good visibility, coral reefs and biodiversity<\/strong>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-8908247 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8908247\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-adbfc92\" data-id=\"adbfc92\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4fe5cd7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"4fe5cd7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"548\" height=\"706\" src=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/04\/kuroshio-area.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-2053\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/04\/kuroshio-area.png 548w, https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/04\/kuroshio-area-233x300.png 233w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 548px) 100vw, 548px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c9b624c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c9b624c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Image base: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=i&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jaea.go.jp%2F03%2Fsenryaku%2Fseminar%2Fs09-3.pdf&amp;psig=AOvVaw0yTISv9f8oHVLHNoWExZlo&amp;ust=1620900608473000&amp;source=images&amp;cd=vfe&amp;ved=2ahUKEwifuZK588PwAhUuI7cAHeLQDgEQr4kDegQIARAo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u30d7\u30ec\u30bc\u30f3\u30c6\u30fc\u30b7\u30e7\u30f3 jaea.go.jp<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ef4a73a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ef4a73a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Another indirect effect of the Kuroshio-Oyashio current system is the creation of <strong>powerful coastal upwellings<\/strong>, which, combined with Japan\u2019s unique and complex, mostly volcanic-based underwater topography, and in some places access to deeper water, contributes to bringing a <strong>flow of deep colder water up to the surface<\/strong>, and with it deep-water marine life that is rarely seen elsewhere&#8230;<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-723238e\" data-id=\"723238e\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e2046dd elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e2046dd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Looking at the path of the Kuroshio, we see that it originates within an area called the Western Pacific Warm Pool, and specifically from the Pacific North Equatorial Current, which first runs westward along the Equator.<br \/>This current then heads towards the Philippines, <strong>flowing through the east-side of South-East Asia\u2019s<\/strong> <strong>highly biodiverse Coral Triangle <\/strong>area, in other words, through one of the major marine biodiversity centres in the world, before heading northwards towards the islands of Japan\u2026<br \/><br \/>This is one of the reasons why the <strong>Ry\u016b-Ky\u016b Island\u2019s coral reefs also form one of the worlds\u2019 richest centres of multi-taxon endemism<\/strong>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a6c17dc elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"a6c17dc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-71de7a1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"71de7a1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"951\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/black_current_1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-6946\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/black_current_1.jpg 951w, https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/black_current_1-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/black_current_1-768x515.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 951px) 100vw, 951px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5ac9707 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"5ac9707\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2c0cb85 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2c0cb85\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Image source: <a href=\"https:\/\/earthdata.nasa.gov\/learn\/sensing-our-planet\/probing-the-black-current\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">earthdata.nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-19a28a0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"19a28a0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/siggraph_currents_STILL2.24460-768x512.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-6935\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/siggraph_currents_STILL2.24460-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/siggraph_currents_STILL2.24460-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/siggraph_currents_STILL2.24460.jpg 920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Kuroshio meandering along the coasts of Japan<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-788c1da elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"788c1da\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Image source: NASA <a href=\"https:\/\/svs.gsfc.nasa.gov\/10841\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">svs.gsfc.nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b1e8b19 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b1e8b19\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Seasonal temperature differences<\/strong> <strong>and current<\/strong> variations encountered in Japanese waters also account for <strong>large spawning and feeding events, <\/strong>and also<strong> migratory movements<\/strong> <strong>of <\/strong><strong>marine mammals such as\u00a0<\/strong> humpback whales, sperm whales, pilot whales and other cetaceans, found along the coasts of Japan in the cooler months.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-619182b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"619182b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h5 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/geography\/currents-of-japan\/\" target=\"_blank\">Click here for more detailed info on main Japanese currents<\/a><\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2106375 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"2106375\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d56cc24 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"d56cc24\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" id=\"coral\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Coral<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dc97850 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"dc97850\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-affebc9 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"affebc9\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-2166e03\" data-id=\"2166e03\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f4204b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1f4204b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Similar to the Atlantic\u2019s Gulf Stream in its mode of creation and flow patterns, the Kuroshio has an important warming effect upon the south and southeast coastal regions of Japan, as far north as T\u014dky\u014d.<br \/>The warm waters of Kuroshio also <strong>sustain coral reefs across the Japanese islands, which develop at higher latitude<\/strong> than elsewhere. <br \/>These include the recently discovered cold and shallow water<b> coral colonies of Tsushima Island<\/b>, in the Korea Strait between mainland Japan and the Korean peninsula, or those <strong>Wakayama Prefecture<\/strong> in central Honsh\u016b, which <b>are thought to constitute the northernmost shallow coral reef ecosystem in the world.<\/b><\/p><div class=\"page\" title=\"Page 2\"><div class=\"layoutArea\"><div class=\"column\"><div class=\"page\" title=\"Page 2\"><div class=\"layoutArea\"><div class=\"column\"><p>Although Japan&#8217;s coral fauna has not been fully elucidated, the total number of Japanese corals is estimated at roughly <strong>415 species for coral reef areas<\/strong> (from the Yaeyama Archipelago to the Amami Archipelago in the Nansei Islands), roughly <strong>200 species for non-reefal communities<\/strong> (from Tanegashima to the Kii Peninsula), and also roughly <strong>55 species for outlying coral communities<\/strong> (from the Izu Peninsula to T\u014dky\u014d Bay).<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><p>It should be mentioned that a considerable section of Japan&#8217;s coral reefs have also been severely damaged by <strong>sedimentation from construction and agricultural activity, <\/strong>and also by <strong>overfishing.<\/strong><\/p><p>Current <strong>land development<\/strong> project also poses a serious threat in some areas, and we hope to see a strengthening of conservation efforts in the future, like those that have begun in Okinawa and elsewhere,<strong> as the loss of these ecosystems would be a<\/strong> <strong>serious loss for biodiversity<\/strong> in the area.<\/p><p>Especially since<strong> spikes in water temperatures<\/strong> are also affecting Japanese waters. Temperature changes caused coral of the Nansei islands to expand their habitat range further north, in waters with lower temperatures. But these are now also threatened.<\/p><p>In 2015\/2016, for instance, a bleaching event also damaged<a href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2017-07-world-northernmost-coral-reef-japan.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> 30% of the world&#8217;s northernmost coral reef on Tsushima Island&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-2918ffa\" data-id=\"2918ffa\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5c7fa1b elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"5c7fa1b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-032b863 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"032b863\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/MarineSpeciesRichnessintheCoralTriangle.jpg\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"Marine+Species+Richness+in+the+Coral+Triangle\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6NzAzMCwidXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6XC9cL2JsdWVqYXBhbi5vcmdcL2ZyXC93cC1jb250ZW50XC91cGxvYWRzXC9zaXRlc1wvMTlcLzIwMjFcLzA1XC9NYXJpbmVTcGVjaWVzUmljaG5lc3NpbnRoZUNvcmFsVHJpYW5nbGUuanBnIn0%3D\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/MarineSpeciesRichnessintheCoralTriangle.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-7030\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/MarineSpeciesRichnessintheCoralTriangle.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/MarineSpeciesRichnessintheCoralTriangle-300x180.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/MarineSpeciesRichnessintheCoralTriangle-768x461.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8b14569 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8b14569\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Image source: <a href=\"http:\/\/ctatlas.reefbase.org\/coraltriangle.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Coral Triangle Atlas ctatlas.reefbase.org\/<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9e06367 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"9e06367\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-455e133 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"455e133\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/JP_Planned_Sites2015.jpg\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"JP_Planned_Sites2015\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6NzQyOSwidXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6XC9cL2JsdWVqYXBhbi5vcmdcL2ZyXC93cC1jb250ZW50XC91cGxvYWRzXC9zaXRlc1wvMTlcLzIwMjFcLzA1XC9KUF9QbGFubmVkX1NpdGVzMjAxNS5qcGcifQ%3D%3D\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"580\" src=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/JP_Planned_Sites2015-1024x580.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-7429\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/JP_Planned_Sites2015-1024x580.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/JP_Planned_Sites2015-300x170.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/JP_Planned_Sites2015-768x435.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/JP_Planned_Sites2015.jpg 1221w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ccd3a98 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ccd3a98\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Image source: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mariabeger.org\/?p=171\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">University of the Ryukyus\u00a0 \/ MISE Lab Maria Beger\u00a0 &#8211; 2015 survey<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1d1cc6c elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"1d1cc6c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a4a4d96 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"a4a4d96\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-05-14-at-19.40.57.png\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"Screen Shot 2021-05-14 at 19.40.57\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6NzQzNCwidXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6XC9cL2JsdWVqYXBhbi5vcmdcL2ZyXC93cC1jb250ZW50XC91cGxvYWRzXC9zaXRlc1wvMTlcLzIwMjFcLzA1XC9TY3JlZW4tU2hvdC0yMDIxLTA1LTE0LWF0LTE5LjQwLjU3LnBuZyJ9\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"519\" src=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-05-14-at-19.40.57.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-7434\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-05-14-at-19.40.57.png 684w, https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-05-14-at-19.40.57-300x228.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 684px) 100vw, 684px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2f79e8e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2f79e8e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>\u00a0Image source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yumpu.com\/en\/document\/view\/7521544\/coral-reef-mpa-and-conservation-program-in-japan-icris-east-\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Coral Reef MPA and Conservation Program in Japan<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-56d033f elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"56d033f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bb7c65e elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"bb7c65e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b9f2b10 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b9f2b10\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The Japanese Ministry of the Environment has a collection of English references on coral in Japan and conservation issues <a href=\"http:\/\/www.env.go.jp\/nature\/biodic\/coralreefs\/reference\/contents.html\">accessible here: <\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.env.go.jp\/nature\/biodic\/coralreefs\/reference\/contents.html\">http:\/\/www.env.go.jp\/nature\/biodic\/coralreefs\/reference\/contents.html<\/a><br \/><br \/><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7d35e26 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"7d35e26\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-81124dd elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"81124dd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">\u00a0155,000 species call Japanese waters home?!<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2d8c409 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"2d8c409\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9285146 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9285146\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In 2010, a report entitled &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/45509220_Marine_Biodiversity_in_Japanese_Waters\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Marine Biodiversity in Japanese Waters<\/a>&#8220;, based on research undertaken by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) and research groups of Ky\u014dto and T\u014dky\u014d Universities, came to the conclusion that the marine habitats surrounding Japanese islands (= Japan\u2019s Excusive Economic Zone) are currently home to roughly <strong>34,000 species<\/strong> (including 3,000 different types of fish but also great diversity of bacteria, mammals and deep-sea creatures), which would account for <strong>14.6 percent of all 230,000 marine species found worldwide.<\/strong><\/p><p>This means Japanese waters hold some the richest marine ecosystems in the world, comparable to Australian waters, and form a major biodiversity hotspot.<\/p><p>The report also estimates that <strong>roughly 122,000 unclassified species<\/strong> <b>have been observed in these waters,<\/b> which would bring the <strong>total to 155,000 species <\/strong><strong><strong>found in Japanese waters<\/strong>\u2026<\/strong><\/p><p>The 2010 JAMSTEC study attributes this outstanding result to the diversity of marine environments encountered in Japanese waters, including its various climate zones and water temperatures, cold and hot water currents, water depth ranges and topography (see <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jamstec.go.jp\/e\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>here<\/strong><\/a> for more details on JAMSTEC research, and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/practical\/links\/#bio\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a> <\/strong>for related links on the subject)<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-099ff1f elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"099ff1f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f11fb54 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"f11fb54\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservation.org\/priorities\/biodiversity-hotspots\" target=\"_blank\">Conservation international's 35 World biodiversity hotspots<\/a><\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-23e8da1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"23e8da1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"589\" src=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/04\/Biodiversity_Hotspots_Map-1024x589.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-1710\" alt=\"35 biodiversity hotspots\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/04\/Biodiversity_Hotspots_Map-1024x589.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/04\/Biodiversity_Hotspots_Map-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/04\/Biodiversity_Hotspots_Map-768x442.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/04\/Biodiversity_Hotspots_Map-1536x883.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/04\/Biodiversity_Hotspots_Map-2048x1178.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2fd636f elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2fd636f\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b479d63\" data-id=\"b479d63\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-05fbea5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"05fbea5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-af6458d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"af6458d\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b3099b2\" data-id=\"b3099b2\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6ea4954 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"6ea4954\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-d4c1a8d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"d4c1a8d\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a8c6e39\" data-id=\"a8c6e39\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-24730f1 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"24730f1\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-45f2c4a\" data-id=\"45f2c4a\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a96c556 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"a96c556\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4038dc9 elementor-position-top elementor-widget elementor-widget-image-box\" data-id=\"4038dc9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image-box.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image-box-wrapper\"><figure class=\"elementor-image-box-img\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/geography\/climate-and-season\/\" tabindex=\"-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/03\/typhoon-xorld-meteorological-organisation-150x150.png\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-image-1066\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"elementor-image-box-content\"><h4 class=\"elementor-image-box-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/geography\/climate-and-season\/\">Climate &amp; Seasons<\/a><\/h4><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1ad227e elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"1ad227e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm elementor-animation-grow\" href=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/geography\/climate-and-season\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-arrow-circle-left\"><\/i>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Back<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-1dfbf8f\" data-id=\"1dfbf8f\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-5422bfd\" data-id=\"5422bfd\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9ea21b9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"9ea21b9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5c86fc7 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5c86fc7\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-16 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-44b1082\" data-id=\"44b1082\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2a94cc8 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"2a94cc8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fee7866 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"fee7866\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-93a8c4b elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"93a8c4b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-16 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4a5f58f\" data-id=\"4a5f58f\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-51a3174 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"51a3174\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-881c90d elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"881c90d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9fffd7a elementor-position-top elementor-widget elementor-widget-image-box\" data-id=\"9fffd7a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image-box.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image-box-wrapper\"><figure class=\"elementor-image-box-img\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/geography\/maritime-geography\/\" tabindex=\"-1\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/JAPAN-EUROPE-NORTH-AMERICA-yellow.jpg\" title=\"\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"elementor-image-box-content\"><h4 class=\"elementor-image-box-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/geography\/maritime-geography\/\">Maritime Geography<\/a><\/h4><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6f4ada3 elementor-align-justify elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"6f4ada3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm elementor-animation-grow\" href=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/geography\/maritime-geography\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-arrow-circle-right\"><\/i>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Read more<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-16 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2193b39\" data-id=\"2193b39\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-58b4873 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"58b4873\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-42535e9 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"42535e9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ccb12bb elementor-position-top elementor-widget elementor-widget-image-box\" data-id=\"ccb12bb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image-box.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image-box-wrapper\"><figure class=\"elementor-image-box-img\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/geography\/islands-of-japan\/\" tabindex=\"-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1975\" height=\"2048\" src=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/03\/REGIONS-AND-MAJOR-ISLAND-CHAINS-MID-scaled-corrected-1-1975x2048.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048 wp-image-1123\" alt=\"JAPANESE REGIONS AND MAJOR ISLAND CHAINS\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/03\/REGIONS-AND-MAJOR-ISLAND-CHAINS-MID-scaled-corrected-1-1975x2048.jpeg 1975w, https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/03\/REGIONS-AND-MAJOR-ISLAND-CHAINS-MID-scaled-corrected-1-289x300.jpeg 289w, https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/03\/REGIONS-AND-MAJOR-ISLAND-CHAINS-MID-scaled-corrected-1-988x1024.jpeg 988w, https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/03\/REGIONS-AND-MAJOR-ISLAND-CHAINS-MID-scaled-corrected-1-768x796.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/03\/REGIONS-AND-MAJOR-ISLAND-CHAINS-MID-scaled-corrected-1-1481x1536.jpeg 1481w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1975px) 100vw, 1975px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"elementor-image-box-content\"><h4 class=\"elementor-image-box-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/geography\/islands-of-japan\/\">Islands of Japan<\/a><\/h4><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d3e297d elementor-align-justify elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"d3e297d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm elementor-animation-grow\" href=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/geography\/islands-of-japan\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-arrow-circle-right\"><\/i>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Read more<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-16 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d35644c\" data-id=\"d35644c\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d72482c elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"d72482c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-630879f elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"630879f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ee20827 elementor-position-top elementor-widget elementor-widget-image-box\" data-id=\"ee20827\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image-box.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image-box-wrapper\"><figure class=\"elementor-image-box-img\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/geography\/currents-of-japan\/\" tabindex=\"-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/03\/MAIN-CURRENTS-OF-JAPAN-150x150.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-image-1106\" alt=\"MAIN CURRENTS OF JAPAN\" \/><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"elementor-image-box-content\"><h4 class=\"elementor-image-box-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/geography\/currents-of-japan\/\">Main Currents <\/a><\/h4><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7575e7a elementor-align-justify elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"7575e7a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm elementor-animation-grow\" href=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/geography\/currents-of-japan\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-arrow-circle-right\"><\/i>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Read more<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-16 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-bfe9d0e\" data-id=\"bfe9d0e\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7a14d2f elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"7a14d2f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-49e4a48 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"49e4a48\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4add50b elementor-position-top elementor-widget elementor-widget-image-box\" data-id=\"4add50b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image-box.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image-box-wrapper\"><figure class=\"elementor-image-box-img\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/geography\/seas-of-japan\/\" tabindex=\"-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/03\/Japan_Relief_Map_of_Land_and_Seabed-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-image-1083\" alt=\"LAND RELIEF AND SEABED\" \/><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"elementor-image-box-content\"><h4 class=\"elementor-image-box-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/geography\/seas-of-japan\/\">Seas of Japan<\/a><\/h4><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-38dce82 elementor-align-justify elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"38dce82\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm elementor-animation-grow\" href=\"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/geography\/seas-of-japan\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-arrow-circle-right\"><\/i>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Read more<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-16 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-41e9074\" data-id=\"41e9074\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-19dad62 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"19dad62\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-29e0acf elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"29e0acf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-316c5f0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"316c5f0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":399,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"page-builder","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":null,"ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":null,"ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"disabled","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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