This project is an interuniversity exchange program between Japan, China and Korea involving the environment and energy areas. It focuses on environmental conservation and restoration, and the efficient use of energy related to the environment in the common, shared areas of the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan. The aim of the program is to develop the human resources needed to realize the sustainable use of these shared sea areas. 　　　　　

To ensure the effective conservation of the environment and the efficient use of energy, particularly by Chinese and Korean corporations, the project seeks to educate and train highly qualified professionals in the field of marine development so that these practical skills and human resources can, in the future, be applied to globalization issues in the Asian region.

The East China Sea, the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan are shared in common between Japan, China and Korea. Cooperation between these nations is, therefore, essential when trying to realize sustainable development and environmental conservation. The term "Sustainable development" is taken from the joint statement issued at the second Japan-China-Korea Trilateral Summit Meeting. The areas for future cooperation identified and agreed on at this summit meeting include the need to promote sustainable environmental management through biodiversity conservation and increased environmental awareness, and the need for industrial structures to become more resource-conserving and environment-friendly in style and outlook. Because our development and research focuses on clean energy sources such as wave, wind and geothermal power, advances in areas such as energy savings for ships and CO2 reductions are possible. Promotion of these environmental technologies is in keeping with the goals of green innovation - one of the new growth strategies now being adopted. 　　　　　

In the field of marine science and technology, there are a lot of technologies that are relevant to the environment and energy use, but it is too difficult to understand these topics in a short period of time. The time needed to apply these technologies properly is often in conflict with the focus on short-term profit found in many corporations. This is a serious problem in Asia, as well as the rest of the world. In order to maintain a suitable balance between the demands of industries and concerns over environmental problems and efficient energy use, it is necessary to adopt a long-term view for environmental strategies, utilizing individuals with wide-ranging professional skills and specialist knowledge.

To achieve this goal, a consortium of Japanese, Chinese and Korean corporative universities will be established and a selection system put in place for graduate students. In addition, an international training course and curriculum will be established for the practical education of marine environment and energy professionals (for up to 15 students majoring in the master's course of the Graduate School of Marine Science and Technology). The goal of this course is to train highly qualified professionals able to contribute to environmental and energy strategies. In order to achieve this goal, new programs will be added to the existing curriculum. These new programs will include all subjects and specialties related to the environment and energy use and will also be designed to cultivate management ability (planning, drafting, implementation and evaluation) - skills in both resource development and environmental conservation which corporations now demand. An internship subject will be included in the program. In this subject, students will participate in on-the-job training in corporations or research centers, and include a strong social needs component in their training. In all participating universities, students will be able to discuss special topics with other students and the academic staff via the Internet. In addition, with regard to actual cases involving environmental and energy-related problems in other countries, students will be assigned to corporations, universities and national institutes overseas, within the participating university framework, in order to gain an international insight into environmental affairs.