Registration is now open for the Ocean & Business Innovation Convention (Umi Con 2019) scheduled for February 20-21at the Osanbashi Hall at the Yokohama International Passenger Terminal. As a port city that has close ties to the ocean, Yokohama has been leading various efforts to develop itself into a hub of ocean-related industries and activities. These cross-sector efforts have been spearheaded by the Yokohama Ocean Association, an industrial-government-academic platform made up of Japan’s leading marine-sector companies and research institutions. The association is engaged in industry promotion, specialized personnel training, children’s education and enhancing public awareness and has 33 members as of October 2018. The Ocean & Business Innovation Convention (Umi Con 2019) is a 2-day conference that aims to fuel the further development of Yokohama’s marine-sector and promote knowledge exchange between marine-sector companies, research institutions, and other stakeholders. The inaugural convention was held in 2018 and recorded over 2,500 attendees. This year’s event will build on the success of the inaugural convention, featuring booths by fishery, marine resources, and renewable energy companies, lectures covering the latest marine-related topics, and a seminar for college students interested in marine-related careers. Register here: Umi Con 2019 Official Event Website at http://umi-con.com/ (Japanese) For more information on the event: Event press releases can be found at http://www.city.yokohama.jp/ne/news/press/201812/20181203-037-28650.html (Japanese); http://www.city.yokohama.lg.jp.e.sj.hp.transer.com/seisaku/seisaku/kaiyo/ (English: auto-translated) For more information on Yokohama as an Ocean Hub: Download English pamphlet from http://www.city.yokohama.lg.jp/seisaku/seisaku/kaiyo/kaiyotoshi-201810-en.pdf