The maritime civilization we advocate is not simply a matter of “building cities on the sea.” Such an idea remains an extension of the mindset of land-based civilization. A true maritime civilization is nothing less than the “design of a civilizational system” that fundamentally reorganizes the functions of society with the sea as its foundation.

◾️Not cities, but structures that support functions—out to sea

A city was a mechanism for concentrating people and functions in a fixed location. The rationality of land-based civilization lies in the fact that it has concentrated roads, water and sewer systems, electricity, administration, and markets on immovable land. However, in the modern era, the conditions for the establishment of civilization are shifting from the “fixity of place” to the “maintenance of functions.”

The concept of a maritime civilization is also redefined based on this same idea. It is not about building a single massive city on the sea, but rather a collection of social infrastructures that can maintain necessary functions at the necessary scale for only as long as needed, and can be reorganized as circumstances dictate—this is the essence of a maritime civilization.

For example, in times of disaster, priority is given to relief efforts, medical care, water, electricity, and communications. In peacetime, the focus shifts to research, education, cultural exchange, and industrial development. Depending on the season, sea conditions, and local needs, these elements move, reconfigure, expand or contract, and reconnect. It is precisely this adaptability that serves as the prerequisite for a civilization to thrive in the ever-changing marine environment, and it is also the key to transcending our dependence on land.

◾️Not just “floating structures”—Turning islands into “utopias”

However, I would like to avoid the misconception that the Marine Civilization is a concept based solely on floating structures. Our goal is not simply to increase the number of man- made structures in the ocean.

Our vision includes transforming these nature-rich islands into “ideal communities in harmony with nature” by leveraging cutting-edge technology. Islands are both land and sea. Located at the boundary between land and sea, islands can serve as the nucleus for the establishment of a maritime civilization. Rather than rejecting the idea of permanence, we seek to liberate ourselves from a civilization that relies solely on permanence, and reconnect mobile maritime systems with natural island strongholds. This integration will be the defining characteristic of a modern maritime civilization.

Turning an island into an ideal place does not mean turning it into a tourist destination. It means establishing the foundations for daily life while preserving nature, and to achieve this, the following technologies for coexistence are necessary.

・Self-sufficiency through decentralized energy and energy storage (reducing reliance on external sources)

・Recycling water and advancing seawater desalination and purification technologies

・Diversifying food production (combining land-based, marine, and coastal methods)

・Systems that free healthcare, education, and communications from the constraints of distance

・Environmental management that monitors ecosystems, minimizes harm, and promotes recovery

These technologies are not intended to reshape the island to suit human convenience. Rather, they are designed to place the island’s natural environment at the center and adjust human life so that it does not conflict with nature; they represent a path toward realizing “coexistence” as a design principle, rather than the domination mentioned earlier.

◾️What does it mean to unlock the ocean’s potential？

The potential of the ocean diminishes when we exploit it, but grows when we live in harmony with it. Civilizations that treated the ocean as something to be conquered were short-lived, whereas those that designed their societies to coexist with the ocean possess the conditions for long-term prosperity.

The potential of the ocean extends far beyond its natural resources.

・“Open Publicness”: the ability to connect without fixed boundaries

・“Resilience”: the capacity to survive and rebuild even after being damaged by disasters

・“Circuits of Exchange”: the flow of research, education, and culture across regional boundaries

・“Networks of Decentralization and Coordination”: where land and sea, and the built and natural environments, complement one another

Furthermore, when floating structures and islands work in tandem, this potential takes on a three-dimensional form. Movable offshore systems provide and coordinate functions, while the islands serve as settled hubs that coexist with nature, fostering culture and daily life. Through this mutual support, marine civilization is established not as a “place” but as a “structure.”

The question isn’t what to put in the sea, but how to make it work.

A maritime civilization is not simply about building a city on the sea.

The sea and the land, floating structures and islands, mobility and permanence, technology and ethics, dispersion and coordination—our goal is to reconnect these elements and build a civilizational system that survives, reconfigures itself, and continues to evolve in response to changing circumstances. It is a civilization that continually adapts alongside the sea, one that harnesses the sea’s infinite potential not through exploitation, but through symbiosis.

We have finally reached the point where we can bring that design to life.