Lines, Ltd., and Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. (all Tokyo, Japan) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to conduct Japan’s first pilot test on Kume Island, Okinawa Prefecture, utilizing Direct-Ocean Co2 Capture (DOC) — a technology that directly separates and captures CO2 dissolved in seawater. Specifically, the test will use containerized pilot equipment installed on land on Kume Island, taking in seawater to separate CO2. With a concentration of expertise and talent in ocean research, the island offers an optimal environment for conducting Japan’s first DOC pilot test. Artificially extracting and removing CO2 from seawater disrupts this balance, prompting the ocean to absorb more CO2 from the atmosphere to make up for the deficit. The concentration of CO2 in seawater is approximately 100 to 150 times higher than in the atmosphere.