Opened on July 20, 1990, as part of Osaka Port’s waterfront redevelopment project, Kaiyukan Aquarium was created around the concepts of the "Ring of Fire" and the "Ring of Life," recreating the seas of the Pacific Rim in massive tanks. By using large acrylic panels, the aquarium achieved unprecedented tank sizes, consuming an amount of acrylic glass equivalent to 1.5 times the annual global production at the time. Recognized for transforming conventional perceptions of aquariums, Kaiyukan was awarded the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ "Breeding Award" in 1993 after successfully breeding the weedy seadragon for the first time in Japan. Since opening, total attendance surpassed 50 million visitors by 2008, with couples and families making up a large portion, and approximately 60 percent of visitors being repeat guests. In 2013, Kaiyukan ranked third in Japan for annual visitors, total floor area, and indoor aquarium scale, and its indoor tanks are among the largest in the world.