Japan

  • Maritime Reporter & Engineering News interviews VADM Satoshi NAKAJIMA, Vice Commandant for Operations, Japan Coast Guard, in its March 2016 edition.
     
     
    Please discuss the history of the Japan Coast Guard.
    Immediately after the end of World War II, maritime security and the safety of ship operations were both deteriorated significantly in waters around Japan. Crime became widespread, while marine navigational aids and other establishments were destroyed. Many sea mines, which threatened ship operations, were planted. To deal with these situations, there was an urgent need for Japan to enhance its coast guard capabilities. 
    To address these challenges, the government of Japan was considering establishing a consolidated coast guard system. Not by reinforcing existing organizations, Tokyo rather insisted that it set up a single organization authorized to have centralized control over the management and operation of vessels and other facilities, and to comprehensively and wholly supervise all administrative affairs having to do with ensuring the safety of ship navigations and maintaining public order at sea. 
    In February 1946, United States Coast Guard (USCG) Capt. Frank Meals came to Japan, providing advice and recommendations similar to what the government of Japan was claiming in those days. As a consequence, the JCG, which was called the Maritime Safety Agency at that time, was established on May 1, 1948. 
    On May 12, 1948, Mr. Takeo Okubo, first Commandant of the Maritime Safety Agency, flew the agency’s official flag on the rooftop floor of the official building. Today, the JCG commemorates its foundation on May 12 every year. 

    What are the primary missions of the Japan Coast Guard?
    It is the JCG’s mission to ensure maritime safety and security.  To fulfill this mission, the JCG is performing a wide variety of duties on the stage of vast oceans. While enhancing our partnerships and cooperation with relevant domestic authorities and overseas organizations, we strive to ensure security; organize rescue operations; conserve the natural environment; deal with natural disasters; conduct marine surveys; gather, manage and provide information and ensure safety for ship traffic; among others. 

    What are important tasks for the JCG in 2016?
    First, the JCG will develop a strategic maritime security system. 
    We will soundly promote the development of a strategic maritime security system to be able to make every possible effort to guard waters around the Senkaku Islands and crack down on fishing boats from other countries and regions in those waters, and to deal seamlessly with various suspicious activities, behaviors and other occurrences in Japan’s territorial waters, including that surrounding our remote islands and the waters of the farthest reaches of Japan.
    Second, the JCG will help maintain public order at sea as stipulated under the rule of law. 
    To share the importance of maintaining public order at sea with other Asian economies, help them enhance their coast guard capabilities and reinforce our cooperative relations with them, we will enrich our newly launched Maritime Safety and Security Policy Program (a master’s course) and improve other aspects of our education and research infrastructure. We will also organize workshops on maritime security, hoping that we will become an international base from which human resources will be cultivated for the field of Asia’s maritime security. 
    Our third important task is to defend Japan’s maritime interests and ensure safety at sea. 
    To secure Japan’s maritime interests and ensure safety at sea, we will continue to promote our extensive and detailed maritime surveys. We will also enrich a system and take other actions to be able to analyze and process necessary information and take other necessary steps under centralized management of information obtained from the maritime surveys. 
    Our fourth important task is to build a consolidated maritime traffic control mechanism and undertake disaster-prevention measures to protect Aids to Navigation.
    We will consolidate the Tokyo Wan Vessel Traffic Service Center and the traffic control offices of each port and build a mechanism to take over and perform their tasks altogether in order to give warnings and other notifications and provide information such as evacuated areas to vessels immediately and accurately in case tsunamis and other major disasters occur in Tokyo Bay, which is congested with vessel traffic.
    We will also undertake measures to protect Aids to Navigation from disasters, which is necessary for safety navigation of vessels, in order to ensure the safety of seaborne transport routes in the event of disasters. 
    In 2016, Japan will host the annual G7 Summit Meeting. The waters near the venue of the Ise-Shima Summit are complicated, having many small and large islands, bays and shallows, where fishery and other businesses, such as pearl cultivation, are active. We believe that it is necessary to take all possible actions to perform maritime security duties, while obtaining understanding and consent from local residents and cooperating tightly with relevant organizations. 
     
    Please discuss the size and scale of the JCG shipbuilding plan today?
    Under construction, as of February 1, 2016, are 20 vessels, including nine large, six medium and three small patrol vessels as well as two patrol boats. 
    The vessels are being built at the Shimonoseki Shipyard and Machinery Works of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.; the Tamano Works of Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.; the Yokohama Shipyard (the Isogo Works) of Japan Marine United Corporation and other shipyards. 
     
    What is the key to being more proficient with the human assets under your command?
    I feel that officers and other employees at the JCG are all highly capable. However, there is a limit to what individuals can do. As such, it is important to deal with things in an organized way and cooperate organically. 
    I think that it is important to this end for them to have awareness of various issues, think for themselves and express opinions. 
     
    Looking at your responsibilities, do you have one that stands out?
    The JCG is much like a jack-of-all-trade at sea, as we are in charge of sea-related administration in general. It is necessary to deal precisely with the needs of the general public. To this end, we need to fulfill our potential synergistically. I believe that it is important to make the Guard & Rescue, Maritime Traffic and Hydrographic & Oceanographic departments work hand in hand organically with support from the Administration and Equipment & Technology departments. 
     
    What are the greatest challenges faced today by the JCG?
    Organizing a maritime security system seamlessly across the nation, which will also cover the waters around the Senkaku Islands, is one. 
    Around the Senkaku Islands, official vessels from China have repeatedly intruded into Japanese territorial waters. They also continue to hold demonstrations by sailing around in contiguous zones. In addition, it is intensifying oceanographic research activities with dedicated vessels without obtaining consent from Japan. As these examples show, the East China Sea is still in a difficult situation. Determined to defend Japan’s territory and territorial waters by all means, however, all JCG officers continue to keep their missions in accordance with the law calmly and firmly to keep the situation from becoming worse. 
    We are scheduled to complete a fleet dedicated for guarding the sea around the Senkaku Islands by the end of fiscal 2015 (April 2015-March 2016), consisting of 10 large (1,000-ton) patrol vessels and two patrol vessels with helicopters, which will be equivalent to a fleet of 14 large patrol vessels. (Note: By adopting a multiple-crew system, the JCG will secure operation rates for 12 vessels with the 10.)
    We will enlarge the fleet of patrol vessels with enhanced crackdown capabilities to handle overseas fishing boats. We will also launch the Tanegashima coast guard station and the Miyakojima Coast Guard Office, which will be upgraded from a coast guard station, and enlarge the Ogawasawa stations. 

    Twenty years from now, what is the JCG fleet going to look like?
    The JCG will improve the formation of the coast guard duties that will be able to deal with problems faster and more accurately by replacing existing patrol vessels systematically with those with greater specifications. 
     
    Historically whare are the greatest successes of the JCG?
    As I said earlier, the JCG was influenced by the USCG when it was set up. While the USCG maintains military capabilities, however, we have none. It may have been attributed to situations in those days, but I feel today that there is significant value in that the JCG is just a law-enforcement agency. 
    Today in Asia, the effectiveness of maritime law enforcement is acknowledged as the third most powerful instrument to resolve disputes, following diplomacy and military actions. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe insists on maintaining and developing “open and stable seas” not by exercising power, but by keeping order in accordance with fundamental rules, such as securing the freedom of aviation and navigation, ensuring safety for them and respecting the rule of law, including peaceful dispute settlements based on international law. It is very meaningful for the JCG, a law-enforcement body, to contribute to his idea. 
    The JCG, which was established as a law-enforcement agency in Japan ahead of other countries and regions in Asia, has since 1969 been providing technical cooperation to help them strengthen their maritime-law enforcement capabilities and for other purposes. In 2015, we launched the Maritime Safety and Security Policy Program, which is a Master’s program in the field of maritime security and the first such course in the world. With the program, we have also been offering academic support so that coast guard officers in other Asian nations can study international law and other subjects. As a law-enforcement entity, we contribute to maintaining and fostering public order at sea in Asia. I feel that we are valuable in this sense as well. 
     
    Looking at your career, is there a most influential or defining moment?
    It is difficult to pick up one because I have experienced a wide variety of assignments since I joined the JCG. However, the most impressive duty performed recently was when I was allowed to give support to Emperor Akihito’s and Empress Michiko’s visit to Palau and the Philippines to console the souls of those who had died in World War II and pray for peace. 
     
    Looking at the JCG of 1996 and the JCG of today, how is it most the same? How is it most different?
    Ensuring safety and security at sea, which is the JCG’s mission, has always been the backbone of our activities. At the same time, our stance of fulfilling duties side by side with local citizens has also remained unchanged. In contrast, circumstances surrounding the JCG have changed drastically over the last 20 years. As such, we need to deal firmly with such changes. 
     
     
    At a Glance
    Japan Coast Guard
     
    The JCG has its Headquarters in Tokyo and performs coast guard operations, dividing Japan into 11 regions. Each of the 11 regions is governed by a Regional Coast Guard Headquarters. Under the Regional Coast Guard Headquarters, there are Coast Guard Offices, Coast Guard Air Stations, Coast Guard Stations, Traffic Advisory Service Centers, Air Stations, Hydrographic Observatories and other units. 
     
    Number of ships in the JCG: 455
     
    Patrol ships: 128
    Patrol boats: 238 
    Special guard and rescue boats: 63
    Hydrographic survey vessels: 13
    Lighthouse service boats: 10
    Training vessels: 3
     
    Number of JCG personnel: 13,422
     
    ----------------------------------------------------
     
    VADM Satoshi NAKAJIMA
    Vice Commandant for Operations 
    Japan Coast Guard
     
    Date of Birth: May 1956 
     
    Education: Graduated from Japan Coast Guard Academy in March 1979
     
    Assignment History:
    April 2015: Vice Commandant for Operations 
    (Current Assignment)
    April 2014: Director General of Guard and Rescue Department, Japan Coast Guard Headquarters 
    April 2013: Commander of 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters
    April 2012: Commander of 4th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters
    April 2011: Director of Administration Division, Guard and Rescue Department, Japan Coast Guard Headquarters
    April 2008: Director of Security Intelligence Division, Guard and Rescue Department, Japan Coast Guard Headquarters 
    April 2007: Director of Info-Communications Planning Division, Administration Department, Japan Coast Guard Headquarters
    April 2006: Director of Guard and Rescue Department, 8th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters
     
  • In 2014, tsunami waves originating off the coast of Chile were detected near Japan, where EvoLogics modems enabled acoustic communication between JAMSTEC’s Vector Tsunameter on the seafloor and the autonomous Wave Glider vehicle on the ocean surface, transmitting real-time data to the shore over satellite.

  • The 508,731-dwt ultra large crude carrier (ULCC) supertanker Esso Atlantic, the largest ship built in Japan to date, was delivered to her owner, Esso Tankers, Inc. of Liberia, on August 11, 1977, at Hitachi Zosen's Ariake Shipyard. Besides being the largest ship ever built in Japan, she is also the

  • Limited, the Southampton, Englandbased manufacturers of the HM.2 Mark III Hoverferry, has announced the first sale of their 65-passenger craft in Japan. Hovermarine decided more than two years ago to mount an extensive marketing effort in the Far East, with particular emphasis on Japan. During

  • As the Japan Coast Guard celebrates its 70th anniversary, Maritime Reporter & Engineering News offers insights on the current status and future direction of the JCG courtesy of an interview with Shuichi Iwanami, Commandant, Japan Coast Guard.*Note: At the time this interview was conducted, Shuichi Iwanami

  • of Commerce Robert A. Mosbacher recently announced that Sperry Marine Inc. of Charlottesville, Va., is one of the 20 U.S. companies chosen for the "Japan Corporate Program." Sperry Marine was among 120 finalist companies considered by the Commerce Department and is the only winner chosen from the

  • Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has received an order to build a 960-passenger cruise ship from Japanese shipowner Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK Line). At 49,000 gross tons, she would be the biggest cruise ship ever built in Japan. To be built at MHI's Nagasaki yard, the cruise ship will have a length

  • Automobiles being imported from Japan and South Korea through the Port of Portland (Oregon) have grown to a record rate of 1,000 units a day during recent months, and are expected to soar even higher during the coming months. Executive director Lloyd Anderson reports that Toyota, one of three major

  • Japan Radio Company, Ltd. (JRC) recently introduced two new products—the JLR-4000 Global Positioning System (GPS) Navigator and the GSC-80 On-Board Data Aut o m a t i c Recording System (ODARS). The GPS NAVSTAR system with timing and ranging is a completely new system that will eventually use 18

  • Japan Radio Co., Ltd. (JRC) of Tokyo, Japan, has introduced two new products, the JLR-4000 GPS Navigator, and the GSC-80 ODARS (On- Board Data Automatic Recording System). The GPS/NAVSTAR (Global Positioning System/NAVigation System with Timing and Ranging) system is a completely new system that will

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  • The journey that recently brought two mammoth container cranes from Japan to the Port of Tacoma, Wash., represent a milestone in construction of Sea-Land's new container facility there. Their successful voyage marked the first time that fully erected cranes of this size were transported across the

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    February 2024 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 44

    of Yanmar on-site repair services. MarineShaft has a unique repair technique for putting Holdings, has achieved a milestone as the ? rst company in Japan to receive bent shafts and rudder stocks straight the Approval in Principle (AiP) for its with full-class approval. Its repair his- "Maritime Hydrogen

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    in that way and that our technology is ations and on top of it all, those sensors can be quite expensive. supportive of new vehicles organically built in Japan. Fortunately, that sort of extreme accuracy really isn’t required Recently, we supported Cornell University with a specially to capture operationally

  • MR Jan-24#40  and construction conditions in Japan, allowing it to be used)
    January 2024 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 40

    worldwide. It will have an optimal hull design to suit natural The vessel will be equipped with a DP3 positioning and sea- and construction conditions in Japan, allowing it to be used in keeping systems and will be operational by beginning of 2027. both shallow and deep water for power generation in ? oating

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    compli- and his team were ? elding inquiries The general cargo vessel, designed ant with class and ? ag to burn both from around the world, as far as Japan, jointly with Handelskade, will contain hydrogen and traditional diesel when on the feasibility of hydrogen fuel for diesel-electric engines placed

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    to third party 95% positions < 2 cms Processing Time: < 2 mins software (SBET/ ASCII) Max error < 30 cms Many thanks to Hydro Systems Development (HSD Japan) for their kind collaboration. Full data available upon request at [email protected] www.sbg-systems.com MTR #8 (1-17).indd 7 11/28/2022

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    December 2023 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 37

    Copyright Shimizu Corporation The Self-Elevating Platform vessel Blue Wind even with obstructions at the quay. was built by Japan Marine United for Shimizu The ship is equipped to work in varying sea Corporation, a ship with the size and the lifting conditions, out? tted with 90m legs, able to be

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    December 2023 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 30

    Ship Owner Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. 2023 Shipbuilder Oshima Shipbuilding LOA 235m Breadth 43m Deadweight About 100,422 tons Flag/Port of registry Japan/Port of Noshiro WIND CHALLENGER SPECIFICATIONS Height Up to about 53 m (4-tier) Width About 15 m Sail material Fiber Reinforced Plastic MOL W IND apanes

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    of linear action window weighs 3 tons. Yanmar participated low the minimum requirement for wiping systems for marine and other in the development of Japan’s safety IMO certi? cation. specialized applications. Optimum guidelines for hydrogen fuel cell ships 5. LubeMonitor window coverage can be

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    September 2023 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 22

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    dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD-48), moor a Gov’t Shipbuilding landing craft, utility during amphibious operations, off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, in March 2023. Christopher R. Lape / U.S. Marine Corps A ’ S S MERICA S EA ERVICES UILDING ARGE LEET OF MALL HIPS AND RAFT S L B S F

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    August 2023 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 46

    Vessel KEYS Azalea Mitsubishi Shipbuilding christened and launced a lique? ed natural gas (LNG) bunker- ing vessel, the ? rst to operate in western Japan, built under contract for KEYS Bunkering West Japan Co., Ltd. The ceremony took place at the Enoura Plant at MHI's Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery

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    to third party 95% positions < 2 cms Processing Time: < 2 mins software (SBET/ ASCII) Max error < 30 cms Many thanks to Hydro Systems Development (HSD Japan) for their kind collaboration. Full data available upon request at [email protected] www.sbg-systems.com MTR #8 (1-17).indd 7 11/28/2022

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    , Build LCO2 Carrier Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and Nihon Shipyard—a Tokyo- based joint venture for ship design and sales between Imabari Shipbuilding and Japan Marine United Corporation—have started a joint study for the development of an oceangoing liqui? ed CO2 (LCO2) carrier. Nihon Shipyard is pursuing

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    May 2023 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 47

    PIONEERING PROPULSION PROJECTS that cooperation with the Japanese vehicle company on fuel cell development and optimisation of the system for marine applica- tions is central to the hybrid setup. Weekly meetings, tests and workshop activity continue both in Europe and Japan, he said. The workshop, factory

  • MR May-23#35  
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    May 2023 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 35

    8%. “We solved the 'unknown' design matters one by one.” As designed, Wind Challenger was expected to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions about 5% on a Japan-Australia voyage and about 8% on a Japan-North America West Coast voyage, compared to a conventional vessel of the same type. Shofu Maru has been

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    411-184 00 is expected to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) 26), “Protesters cause disruption but, for Germany, Austria & Switzerland emissions about 5% on a Japan-Australia the moment, hydrocarbon energy underpins Tony Stein [email protected] voyage and about 8% on a Japan-North life as we know it

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    an initial construction contract was awarded last fall to like old friends disappearing!” McCaul said that the market had been in literal freefall since Japan’s Modec. This will mark Modec’s debut in Guyana. Exxon and its partners Hess and CNOOC Ltd. inaugurated 2016 “when the Saudis decided to put all the

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    December 2022 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 35

    during a missile exercise. Mustin is one of seven guided missile destroyers assigned to Destroyer Squadron 15 and is forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Devon Dow/Released www.marinelink.com 35 MR #12 (34-43).indd 35 12/5/2022 3:18:24 P

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    The Japanese government also The U.S. is not unique in possessing showed support, approving four media burdensome bureaucracy. In complet- About the Authors personnel from the Japanese National ing 25 global expeditions over 4 years Broadcaster NHK to document the to conduct over 100 dives in seventeen

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    themselves. I respect by pressure compensated LiPo battery modules. In 2019 and their energy density, but also their willingness to do a job. 2020, Japan launched two new diesel-electric submarines, There is a large body of work describing fundamentals of LiPo Taigei, or “Great Whale,” and Toryu, or