We invite you to participate in the 40th International Symposium on the Okhotsk Sea & Polar Oceans (Mombetsu-2026 Symposium) held in Mombetsu, Hokkaido, Japan, on 15-18go 1st Circular February 2026.
The subjects are on sea ice, Arctic sea routes, global warming and other Northern region subjects.
We are pleased to invite you to participate in the Mombetsu Symposium.


Call for paper of “The International Symposium on the Okhotsk Sea & Polar Oceans 2026 in Mombetsu”, and invitation to submit to OSPOR (Okhotsk Sea and Polar Oceans Research) Vol. 10

  • Dear Colleague from Natsuhiko Otsuka (Chairman)
  •  I have taken over the Chairman of the Symposium from Dr. Shuhei Takahashi from last year.
  • And let me inform you about the 2025 Mombetsu Symposium and the peer-reviewed journal of Okhotsk Sea and Polar Oceans Research (OSPOR) Vol. 10, 2026.

1. Report on the 2025 Mombetsu Symposium
     The 39th Symposium was successfully carried out on February 16th-19th 2025 with 122 presentations.
     Together with scientific sessions, participants fraternized and enjoyed local foods.

2. 2026 Mombetsu Symposium
     Next year's (2026) Mombetsu Symposium will be held on the following schedule (files attached).

  [Schedule in 2025]

    • ・February 15 (Sun): Opening ceremony, Special lecture, Reception party
    • ・February 16 (Mon) to 18 (Wed): Academic Sessions, Citizen Programs, etc.


   [List of deadlines]

    • ・Deadline of submission to Peer-reviewed OSPOR: November 10 (Mon.), 2025
    • ・Deadline for workshop proposals:November 7 (Fri), 2025
    • ・Deadline for general presentations (200 characters): December 1 (Mon), 2025
    • ・Deadline for final manuscript (up to 4 pages in English): January 13 (Tue), 2026


3. Submission OSPOR
The English peer-reviewed journal OSPOR with Doi. can be read at the following URL:
   http://okhotsk-mombetsu.jp/okhsympo/artucle-E/GeneralInformation-E.html

We intend to publish two types of papers;
  Article: containing original scientific materials and results, not submitted for publication elsewhere.
  Review: containing an overview of previous activities, projects and workshops with an outlook of a specific category.
   Each of them will be peer-reviewed.

If you are thinking of submitting, please let me know. Also, I would appreciate it if you would encourage other researchers to contribute.
  Thank you for reading all.
    Best regards,

    Natsuhiko Otsuka Director, Okhotsk Sea Ice Museum of Hokkaido  E-mail: giza1(at)giza-ryuhyo.com

     Organized and sponsored by

      • Okhotsk Sea and Polar Oceans Research Association (OSPORA)

        Arctic Research Center, Hokkaido University (ARC)

        National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR)

        Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)

        Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University (ILTS)

        Kitami Institute of Technology (KIT)

        Tokai University, Sapporo Campus

        Tokyo University of Agriculture, Faculty of Bioindustry

        Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology

        Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University

        Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University

        Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo (AORI)

        Hokkaido National Fisheries Research Institute

        Japan Consortium for Arctic Environmental Research (JCAR)

   Symposium Advisory Committee

      • Hajo Eicken, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, USA
      • Hiroyuki Enomoto, National Institute of Polar Research, Japan
      • Yasushi Fukamachi, Hokkaido University, Japan
      • Katsushi Iwamoto, City of Mombetsu, Japan
      • Koh Izumiyama, Hokkaido University, Japan
      • Seiji Katakura, City of Mombetsu, Japan
      • Hiromitsu Kitagawa, Ocean Policy Research Foundation, Japan
      • Yutaka Michida, The University of Tokyo, Japan
      • Humio Mitsudera, Hokkaido University, Japan
      • Ferdenant A. Mkrtchyan, Institute of Radioengineering & Electronics, Russia
      • Satoshi Nagai, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, Japan
      • Tsuneo Nishiyama, Prof. Emer., Tokai University, Japan
      • Natsuhiko Otsuka, Hokkaido University, Japan
      • Toshihiro Ozeki, Hokkaido University of Education, Sapporo Campus, Japan
      • Satoru Taguchi, National Institute of Polar Research, Japan
      • Shuhei Takahashi, Prof. Emer., Kitami Institute of Technology, Japan
      • Kazutaka Tateyama, Kitami Institute of Technology, Japan
      • Hajime Yamaguchi, Prof. Emer., The University of Tokyo, Japan  
      •