what we do

Harmonize Sustainable Ties with the Ocean

Though small in land area, Japan has one of the world’s largest ocean territories, home to exceptional marine biodiversity shaped by the convergence of the warm Oyashio and cold Kuroshio currents. These waters have long supported fisheries, food culture, and coastal livelihoods.

Today, that biodiversity is under growing threat—from climate change, pollution, overfishing, and ecosystem decline. UMITO Partners is working to restore ocean resilience by 2050, reconnecting people and the ocean through sustainability and inclusive, cross-sector collaboration.

partners

solution

Our Approach

UMITO Partners delivers nature-positive ocean solutions through three core approaches: consulting that supports fishers in transitioning to sustainable practices; direct ecosystem conservation that restores marine environments; and blue finance consultation that enables both approaches to grow and scale with long-term impact.

service

The Ocean and Us.

The ocean has long sustained us — providing food, stabilizing our climate, supporting biodiversity, and shaping the cultures and livelihoods of coastal communities. It absorbs carbon, produces oxygen, and connects ecosystems across the planet. In Japan, the ocean is more than a resource — it is part of who we are.

Though Japan is small in land area, it holds one of the world’s largest ocean territories. Shaped by the Kuroshio and Oyashio currents, these waters are home to remarkable biodiversity. For generations, they’ve supported fisheries, food culture, and traditional livelihoods found nowhere else in the world.

We’ve benefited from this richness for centuries.
But how much have we truly given back?

Since the 1950s, Japan has experienced rapid economic and technological growth. Fishing practices became more intensive. Supply chains scaled. And alongside progress, the ocean began to change. Habitats disappeared. Fish stocks declined. Plastic, chemical runoff, and other pollutants entered the sea. Climate change continues to warm and acidify marine ecosystems at an alarming rate.

Today, Japan’s ocean systems are under pressure — ecologically, socially, and economically. But we believe this can still be a turning point.

At UMITO Partners, we’re working to rebuild the relationship between people and the ocean — grounded in sustainability, equity, and regeneration. That means rethinking how we manage fisheries, how we invest in communities, how we distribute seafood, and how we educate future generations. It means creating systems where ecosystems and economies can thrive together.

Small steps taken together move us farther than giant steps taken alone.

This is the kind of movement we’re building — with fishers, scientists, local governments, entrepreneurs, funders, and community leaders. We’re not trying to do it alone. We believe meaningful change comes through collaboration.

Through this work, our goal is clear:
to help restore the resilience of Japan’s ocean ecosystems to what they were before the rapid changes of the 1950s — by the year 2050.

We welcome those who believe, as we do, that lasting change begins with shared steps.

-Shunji Murakami
Founder and CEO, UMITO Partners Inc.

member

  • Shunji Murakami

    Founder & CEO

  • Kazumi Fujii

    Organizational Operation

  • Louie Okamoto

    Organizational Operation

  • Ai Iwamoto

    Fishery Engagement & Business Development

  • Ryuya Yokota

    Fishery Engagement & Business Development

  • Sachiko Takahashi

    Organizational Operation

company overview

Company Name
UMITO Partners Inc.
Address
SOIL Nihonbashi 2F, 14-7 Kobunacho, Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan 103-0024 （Google Maps）
Founder and CEO
Shunji Murakami
Founded
June 1, 2021
Capital stock
2 million yen
Business Areas
Promoting Sustainable Fisheries Conserving marine ecosystems and biodiversity Climate Change Mitigation Blue Finance
Certification
B Corporation Certified

An international certification from the United States awarded to companies that demonstrate high standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability.
UMITO Partners received a score of 95.8 — one of the highest among the 41 B Corp-certified companies in Japan — in recognition of its contributions to sustainable fisheries and traceability projects that support the long-term viability of fisheries and aquaculture in local communities.

ONLINE STORE
UMITO SEAFOOD

UMITO SEAFOOD supports fishers working to protect the ocean through sustainable fishing practices. By choosing our products, consumers can contribute to a positive impact on the marine environment — one purchase at a time.

https://umitoseafood.com/
Networks & Alliances
  • 30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity
  • ANEMONE (All Nippon eDNA Monitoring Network) Consortium
  • TNFD Forum (Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures)
  • SIMI (Social Impact Management Initiative)
  • Asia Pacific FIP (Fishery Improvement Project) Community of Practice
  • Blue Ocean Initiative
  • Global Ghost Gear Initiative

GENERAL INCORPORATED ASSOCIATION PROFILE (Non-Profit Entity)

Company Name
ISH UMITO Partners
Address
SOIL Nihonbashi 2F, 14-7 Kobunacho, Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan 103-0024 （Google Maps）
Director
Shunji Murakami
Established
January 9, 2024

partners

UMITO Partners collaborates with a diverse range of partners who share our purpose: to harmonize sustainable ties between people and the ocean.
Together, we co-create projects that generate positive impact for marine ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.