The Problem of Sea Turtles and Marine Plastic Waste in the Okinawa Region - May 2000

The Problem of Sea Turtles and Marine Plastic Waste in the Okinawa Region - May 2000

Plastic waste discharged from Japan| China| South Korea| and other Pacific coastal countries has been accumulating over a wide area| carried by ocean currents in the North Pacific. This plastic waste has spread over an area of approximately 18 million square kilometers| with about 8 million tons flowing into the ocean annually. Most of the waste consists of PET bottles| packaging materials| and fishing gear| which do not decompose and drift for extended periods.

This plastic waste severely impacts marine life| particularly sea turtles. In 2019| the stomach of a sea turtle found near Okinawa contained more than 500 pieces of plastic| mainly composed of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene (PE). These plastic fragments break down into microplastics| which are ingested by fish and shellfish| potentially affecting human health through the food chain.

Plastic takes approximately 400 years to decompose naturally| and it is estimated that the total amount of plastic waste in the world's oceans will reach 150 million tons by 2020. Japanese companies| such as Sumitomo Chemical and Toray| are working to develop alternative materials and improve recycling technologies| but the current recycling rate remains at around 9%.

The Japanese government has formulated the "Plastic Resource Circulation Strategy|" aiming to reduce plastic usage by 25% by 2030. However| more than 8000 tons of plastic waste are still not being properly collected each year| and urgent measures are needed to address this issue.