Dossier Océan et énergie - Énergie Thermique des Mers

Sommaire IOA News Letters

From OTECA-J to JA- DOWA

Tarzen Su
Advisor, IOA Secretariat Office

After the dissolution of the Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Association of Japan, or the OTECA-J, three years ago, the establishment of the Japan Association of Deep Ocean Water Application, or JA-DOWA, was formally announced in January 17, 1997. Should it be considered as Japan decided to halt the OTEC activities in Pacific region, but to boost the DOWA activities in the domestic regions of Japan? The answer should not be a simple ¡§ yes ¡¨ or ¡§ no ¡¨ . Unless one is looking at this issue politically as a Japanese government measure, then, the answer will simply be ¡§ yes ¡¨.

Unlike the rest of the world where academic societies are lead by academic researchers, most associations and societies in Japan are well balanced by three different groups: governmental representatives, academic researchers and industrial people. Soonest after the governmental policy is made, the academic research and the industrial production followed without any delay. In IOA Conference 1997, in Singapore, we see no representatives from any Japanese governmental agency and no participant from those formal active OTEC promoters of Japanese big corporations such as: Kazima Co., Shimizu Co., Tokyo Power and etc. Among those seven papers presented in the conference by Japan, only one paper was on OTEC, six were on DOWA. The OTEC one was presented by Dr. Haruo Uehara. He is a basic researcher still clinging to his Uehara Cycle. Dr.Takenobu Kajikawa and others, delicate on OTEC research before, have their research papers on DOWA.

Dr. Toshimitsu Nakashima and Dr. Takayoshi Toyota of Japan Marine Science and Technology Center(JAMSTEC), were believed to be two of those key persons whohelped to establish the Japan Association of Deep Ocean Water Applications as we can see from the decision that the secretariat office of JA-DOWA is set in the Coastal Research Department of JAMSTEC. Until April 30, 1997, JA-DOWA have group members 52 and individual members 106. With the ambition to lead and to guide the DOWA research and applications in Japan, JA-DOWA announce to held its first annual conference in October 1997. There is no doubt that DOWA has become an important issue and a thrust area among Japanese government, academic institutes, and industries.

The contact address of JA-DOWA is as following:

2-15, Natsushima-cho,
Yokosuka, 237 Japan
Tel: 81-468-67-5529
Fax: 81-468-66-0970