Present and future maritime education and training needs were the focus of an international symposium held during the 2015 World Maritime Day Parallel Event hosted in Japan’s port city of Yokohama and its capital Tokyo, July 20-21. The event was held in conjunction with Japan’s Marine Day, a national holiday. The opening session, held in Tokyo, was attended by Shinzō Abe, the Prime Minister of Japan, and addressed by Akihiro Ohta, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan.