Profile
A Brief History of My Academic Works
My academic career started as a descriptive linguist among the Sinama speakers in the Southern Philippines, specifically on Manuk Mangkaw Island. My linguistic studies were mainly done as a Ph.D. student at the University of the Philippines from 1992 to 1996.

Based on my experiences among the Sinama population, whose livelihood is totally dependent on coral reefs, I became interested in Human Ecology or environmental issues. This led me to switch to the study of maritime ethnology from 1997, when I received a post doctoral fellowship at the National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka.

I have chosen the sea cucumber as the main animal of focus in my research. Dried sea cucumber has been consumed in China at least 400 years and neighboring countries and regions have long been involved in Chinese sea cucumber foodways exporting the dried forms to China. Varieties in production and domestic trade networks can be observed from Japan, Southeast Asia through the South Pacific Islands. I decided to investigate an ethno-history of the development of sea cucumber foodways in Asia. Since then, I have published many articles both in Japanese and English on the historical development of sea cucumber foodways in Asia and contemporary sea cucumber fisheries.

For the last several years, I have included another issue in my research, conservation. At the CITES CoP12 (held at Santiago, Chile) in 2002, the US proposed the possible listing of sea cucumber to Appendix II of the CITES. I was aware that the “Sea Cucumber War”, a conflict between fishermen and conservationists, has been going on in the Galapagos since 1995. After I joined several meetings hosted by FAO and CITES in which experts discussed issues related to the sea cucumber, "biodiversity conservation and cultural diversity conservation" became my main interest.

I am looking forward to publishing the last 12 years of research results in a book later this year.

Education & Research Career
1996 Ph.D. in Philippine Studies, College of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippines, Diliman
1997 JSPS Post-doctoral Research Fellow, National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka
2000 COE Research Fellow, National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka
2001 Lecturer at Dept. of Intercultural Studies, Nagoya City University
2002 Associate Professor at Dept. of Intercultural Studies, Nagoya City University
2013 Nippon Foundation Asian Public Intellectuals Fellow, Malaysia
2014 Professor at Inst. for the Study of Global Issues, Graduate School of Social Sciences, Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo
Major Works Published in English

I Books
2013
Conserving Biodiversity for Cultural Diversity: A Multi-sited Ethnography of Sea Cucumber Wars, Hadano: Tokai University Press, pp. 286, ISBN 978-4486019732.
2003
A Basic Grammar of Southern Sinama, ELPR publication A3-12, Suita: Faculty of Informatics, Osaka Gakuin University, 145pp.

II Papers
2021a
"The different currents of Japanese whaling: A case study of Baird's Beaked Whale foodways in the Kanto and Tohoku Regions," in Ryan Tucker Jones and Angela Wanhalla eds., Across Species and Cultures: New Histories of Pacific Whaling, Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, in print.
2021b
A preliminary analysis of coastal minke whaling in Norway: Where did it come from, and where will it go? Senri Ethnographical Studies 104, in print.
2021c
Tastes for blubber: Diversity and locality of whale meat foodways in Japan. Asian Education and Development Studies 10(1): 105-114, doi/10.1108/AEDS-02-2020-0027.
2016
"Shark town: Kesennuma's taste for shark and the challenge of a tsunami," in Casey Man Kong Lum and Marc de Ferriere le Vayer eds., Urban Foodways and Communication: Ethnographic Studies in Intangible Cultural Food Heritages around the World, Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield, pp. 71-85, ISBN 978-1-4422-6642-1.
2015a
"Astichopus japonicus fisheries, trade, and foodways in Japan," in Yang Hongsheng, Jean-François Hamel and Annie Mercier eds., The Sea Cucumber Apostichopus japonicus, London: Elsevier, pp. 399-421, ISBN 978-0127999531.
2015b
Mono-kenkyu and a multi-sited approach: Towards a wise and sustainable use of shark resources at Kesennuma, northern Japan. The Journal of Sophia Asian Studies 33: 163-178.
2014a
"Intangible food heritage: Dynamics of whale meat foodways in an age of whale meat rarity," in Sidney C.H. Cheung ed., Rethinking Asian Food Heritage, Taipei: Foundation of Chinese Dietary Culture, pp. 107-127, ISBN 978-9866325229.
2014b
Purcell, Steve, Poh Sze Choo, Jun Akamine, and Michael Fabinyi. Alternative product forms, consumer packaging and extracted derivatives of tropical sea cucumbers. SPC Beche-de-mer Information Bulletin 34: 47-52, ISSN 1025-4943.
2013a
Reconsidering blast fishing within a world system: A civil war and economic development in the southern Philippines. Journal of Chinese Dietary Culture 9(1): 77-111.
2013b
Intangible food heritage: Dynamics of whale meat foodways in contemporary Japan. Senri Ethnographical Studies 84: 215-227, doi/10.15021/00002445.
2012
"What trepang teach us: Lessons from trepang trade networks between Malaysia and the Philippines," in Ishikawa Noboru ed., Flows and Movements in Southeast Asia: New Approaches to Transnationalism, New edition, Kyoto: Kyoto University Press, pp. 140-162, ISBN 978-4876989638.
2010a
"Circumventing the sea cucumber war: Self-regulation of sea cucumber fisheries in Rishiri Island, Japan," in Wil de Jong, Denyse Snelder, and Ishikawa Noboru eds., Transborder Governance of Forests, Rivers and Seas, London: Earthscan, pp. 99-114, ISBN 978-1849712231.
2010b
Trepang and lalipan: A linguistic note towards the reconstruction of social history of maritime Southeast Asia. Hakusan Review of Anthropology 13: 35-41.
2009
Challenging 'boom and bust' market pressures: Development of self-managed sea cucumber conservation in Rishiri Island, Hokkaido, Japan. Biosphere Conservation: For Nature, Wildlife, and Humans 9(2): 1-12. doi.org/10.20798/biospherecons.9.2_1
2007
"Namako and iriko: Historical overview on holothuria (sea cucumber) exploitation, management and trade in Japan," in Sidney Cheung and Chee-Beng Tan eds., Food and Foodways in Asia: Resource, Tradition and Cooking, London: Routledge, pp. 23-36, ISBN 978-0415392136.
2005a
"Sama (Bajau)," in Alexander Adelaar and Nikolaus Himmelman eds., The Austronesian Languages of Asia and Madagascar, Routledge language family series 7, London: Routledge/Curzon Press, pp. 377-396, ISBN 978-0700712861.
2005b
"Whisper of the palms: Etic and emic perspectives in comparative linguistics," in Hsiu-chuan Liao and Carl R. Galvez Rubino eds., Current Issues in Philippine Linguistics and Anthropology: Parangal kay Lawrence A. Reid, Manila: The Linguistic Society of the Philippines and SIL Philippines, pp. 115-123, ISBN 971-7800227.
2005c
Role of the trepang traders in the depleting resource. Senri Ethnographical Studies 67: 259-278, doi/10.15021/00002671, ISSN 03876004.
2005d
International intervention is not the only way to save depleting resources. Journal of Chinese Dietary Culture 1(2): 1-30.
2004
"The status of sea cucumber fisheries and trade in Japan: Past and present," in Alessandro Lovatelli, Chantal Conand, Steven Purcell, Sven Uthicke, Jean-Francois Hamel, and Annie Mercier eds., Advances in Sea Cucumber Aquaculture and Management, FAO fisheries technical paper series 463, Rome: FAO, pp. 39-47, ISBN 92-5-105163-1.
2003
"Tausug sentence list," in Ikeda Takumi ed., Basic Materials on Minority Languages in East and Southeast Asia 2, ELPR publication A3-004, Suita: Faculty of Informatics, Osaka Gakuin University, pp. 43-144.
2002a
"The Sinama derived transitive construction," in Fay Wouk and Malcome M.D. Ross eds., The Historical and Typological Development of Western Austronesian Voice Systems, Pacific linguistics 518, Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, pp. 355-366, doi:10.15144/PL-518.355, ISBN 0-85883477-4.
2002b
Trepang exploitation in the Philippines: Updated information. SPC Beche-de-mer Information Bulletin 17: 17-21.
2001
Holothurian exploitation in the Philippines: Continuities and discontinuities. TROPICS 10(4): 591-607, doi.org/10.3759/tropics.10.591.
1997
Notes on Sinama languages: Phonology, orthography, and wordlist. The Journal of Sophia Asian Studies 15: 3-39.

III Proceedings
2019
"Multiplicities of Japanese whaling: A case study of Baird's beaked whaling and its foodways in Chiba Prefecture, eastern Japan," in Ryan Tucker Jones and Angela Wanhalla eds., New Histories of Pacific Whaling, RCC Perspectives Transformations in Environment and Society 2019/5, pp. 65-71, doi: 10.5282/rcc/8964.
2017
"The role of Sama/Bajaus in sea cucumber trades in the Sulu Sultanate economy: Towards a reconstruction of dynamic maritime history in Southeast Asia," Proceedings of the International Conference on Bajau-Sama' Diaspora & Maritime Southeast Asian Cultures ICONBAS-MASEC 2016 1923 April 2016 at the Tun Sakaran Museum, Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia, Sabah Museum Monograph 13: 151-163, ISSN 1511-6964.
2015a
"From shark fin to original shark dishes: Reconstruction from tsunami and promotion of food tourism in Kesennuma, northeastern Japan," Proceeding of 2015 International Conference on Chinese Food Culture: Chinese Food Culture in Europe, French Food Culture in Asia, 12-15 October, 2015 at Université François-Rabelais of Tours, Tours, France, Taipei: Foundation of Chinese Dietary Culture, pp. 25-1-18.
2015b
"Management problems with commercially exploited aquatic species in CITES: A case study of seahorses and sea cucumbers," in Jeng Ming-Shiou ed. 2014 International Symposium on Pacific Precious Corals Final Report, Taipei: Taiwan Jewelry Industry Association, pp. 259-271, ISBN 978-986-92065-0-1.
2015c
"The potential of the sustainable use of sea cucumbers in Malaysia: Toward inclusive dialogue for sustainable sea cucumber conservation in Malaysia," Proceedings of the 13th API Regional Workshop in Hiroshima, Nov. 9-13, 2014 at the International Conference Center Hiroshima, Tokyo: The Nippon Foundation pp. 162-180.
2013
"Whale meat foodways in the contemporary Japan: From fish sausages in the 1960s to whale tongue dishes in the 1990s," Proceedings of the International Conference on Food and Heritage: A Perspective of Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage, January 3-5, at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Hong Kong: Chinese University, pp. 76-91.
2011
"Reconsidering blast fishing within a world system: A civil war and development in the southern Philippines," Proceedings of the 12th Symposium on Chinese Dietary Culture, November 19-21, Okinawa, Taipei: Foundation of Chinese Dietary Culture, pp. 353-368.
2010
"Problem on sea cucumber conservation," in James Farrer ed., Globalization, Food and Social Identities in the Asia Pacific Region, Tokyo: Institute of Comparative Culture, Sophia University.
2009
"The politics of sea cucumber foodways heritage: Fishery network and marine resources conservation in Japan," in Sergio Lira, Rogerio Amoeda, Cristina Pinheiro, Joao Pinheiro, and Fernando Oliveira eds., Sharing Cultures 2009: International Conference on Intangible Heritage, Pico Island, Azores, Portugal, Barcelos, Potugal: Green Lines Institute for Sustainable Development, pp. 139-147.
2008
"Branding strategy: Self-regulation of sea cucumber fisheries in Rishiri Island," in Wil de Jong ed., Transborder Environmental and Natural Resource Management, CIAS discussion paper 4, Kyoto: CIAS, Kyoto University, pp. 81-91.
2006
"Who is to be blamed? Socio-cultural notes on blast fishing in the Spratly Islands," Proceedings of the 10th International Coral Reef Symposium, Japanese Coral Reef Society, pp. 1427-1433.
2004
"Eat or not?: Reconsideration of "depleting" resource exploitation," Proceedings of the 8th Symposium on Chinese Dietary Culture, Taipei: Foundation of Chinese Dietary Culture, pp. 207-243.
2000
"Sea cucumbers from the coral reefs to the world market," in Ushijima Iwao and Cynthia Neri Zayas eds, Bisayan Knowledge: Movement and Identity, Visayan maritime anthropological studies, Quezon City: Third World Studies Center, University of the Philippines, pp. 222-244.
1999
"The trepang industry and domestic trading networks in the Philippines," Proceedings of the Seminar on Fisheries Today in the Philippines, Kagoshima: JSPS and Kagoshima University, pp. 153-165.
1996
"Sinama passive constructions," Proceedings of the Fourth International Symposium on Languages and Linguistics, vol. 2. Bangkok: Pan-Asiatic Linguistics, pp. 494-504.

IV Essays
2012a
How sea cucumbers sweep the world. Hong Kong Discovery 68: 84-89.
2012b
"How sea cucumbers sweep the world," in Sidney Cheung ed., Sheung Wan, Hong Kong: Hong Kong Discovery, pp. 23-32. ISBN 978-988-99830-4-8.