Japan’s Government Oil Spill Response System:
From the Perspective of Crisis Management

Kazuo Inaba, Cabinet Counsellor(National Security and Crisis Management)
Cabinet Secretariat

1. The Japanese Crisis Management System
Most accidents and incidents that occur on a day-to-day basis can be
sufficiently addressed and resolved by the concerned government organs.
Nevertheless, there are also major crises that demand a coordinatedresponse by the entire government. Like other nations, Japan has acrisis-management system for responding to such emergencies.
What, then, are the types of crises that need to be addressed by entire
governments?
For example, the Cabinet Law defines such crises as “emergencies that havecaused, or are likely to cause, severe material damage to the lives, persons
or property of citizens.” Nevertheless, in actual practice, judgments must
be made on a case-by-case basis. Specifically, the following types of events
may be considered as crises.
ŸŸLarge scale natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions,and storm and flood damage
Major accidents such as nuclear power accidents, oil spills, aircraftŸaccidents, and industrial complex fires
Serious incidents such as hijackings and terrorism resulting in a large
number of casualtiesŸEmergencies requiring the evacuation of Japanese living abroad

Although the necessary measures to respond to these types of crises areprimarily the responsibility of local government bodies and the concerned
central government ministries and agencies, the preparation of a system1whereby the entire government can promptly mobilize its comprehensive
strengths is deemed to be an important role of the cabinet. This is alsosignificant in that government-wide efforts to address such incidents in ahighly visible fashion, by themselves, help to secure the peace of mind of thecitizenry. Based on this understanding, the Government of Japan has
prepared a crisis management system centered around the cabinet, whereby
the cabinet functions effectively as a type of control tower to direct theefforts of all government organs.
In general, the ultimate responsibility for all cabinet works lies with thePrime Minister, and the Chief Cabinet Secretary plays a supporting role.
Under the present cabinet system, Mr. Bunmei Ibuki is the Minister of Statefor Crisis Management, and bears the responsibility for the initial cabinetresponse.
On the other hand, the Cabinet Secretariat includes a Deputy Chief Cabinet
Secretary for Crisis Management and other staff who are exclusively
responsible for crisis management. When emergencies suddenly arise, theDeputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for Crisis Management is responsible formaking the initial judgments regarding the necessary measures on behalf ofthe cabinet, and for communicating with and providing guidance to theconcerned ministries and agencies regarding the initial measures, asappropriate.
How would this crisis management system function in the event of an actual
crisis? Let us consider the overall flow of events.
Ÿ Various information is collected and processed 24 hours a day at theCabinet Information Collection Center located within the Prime

Ÿ

Minister’s Official Residence. The initial information from the sitewould rush into this Center.
The information grasped by the Cabinet Information Collection Center
would be immediately reported to all the concerned parties, beginningwith the Prime Minister, the Chief Cabinet Secretary, and the Ministerof State for Crisis Management.

ŸAt this stage, a Countermeasures Office (or Liaison Office) would beestablished within the Prime Minister’s Official Residence, and all the2concerned staff beginning with the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for
Crisis Management would promptly assemble at the Crisis
Management Center in the Prime Minister’s Official Residence. In
the event of a large-scale earthquake or similar incidents, theŸdirector-generals of all concerned ministry and agency bureaus would
also automatically gather at the Crisis Management Center.
At the Countermeasures Office, information would be collected
regarding the general outline of the incident and the damages suffered,and concerning the initial responses implemented by the concerned
ministries and agencies. The necessary measures would then beŸ

implemented to coordinate these initial responses.
The status of the government’s response would be explained to thepeople through press conferences and other means by the Chief
Cabinet Secretary, the Minister of State for Crisis Management, andthe Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for Crisis Management.

The present organization of the government’s crisis management system
was established in 1998. The Minister of State for Crisis Management
assumed his duties from January 2001, and the post of Deputy ChiefCabinet Secretary for Crisis Management was established in April 1998.
During the few years prior to 1998, Japan suffered a series of
unprecedentedly grave incidents including the Great Hanshin-Awaji
Earthquake (1995), the release of sarin gas on Tokyo subways (1995), the All
Nippon Airways hijack incident (1995), the takeover of the Japanese
embassy in Peru (1996), and the shipwreck and oil spill of the Russian
tanker Nakhodka (1997). These events resulted in a greater awarenessregarding the necessity of crisis management, and in response thegovernment has been working to reinforce its crisis management function.
These efforts are also taking place in conjunction with the administrative
reorganization of Japan’s central government ministries and agencies,
which began in 1996 and was completed this January. One of the main
thrusts of the reorganization is to strengthen the functions of the cabinet,
and the upgrading of the cabinet’s crisis management function is consistentwith this goal.

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Since 1998, under the new crisis management system, the government has
responded to several serious situations including the evacuation of Japanesenationals amid the political crisis in Indonesia, responding to the presenceof a suspicious vessel in the Sea of Japan, the Tokai Mura uranium
processing plant accident, the year 2000 computer problem, and the volcanic
eruptions at Mt. Usuzan and Miyake-jima Island.
To date, this crisis
management system centered around the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary
for Crisis Management has functioned as initially expected.
The
government is now working to further upgrade its crisis response function
by establishing still closer daily ties among the concerned ministries andagencies, preparing and upgrading all types of manuals, and conducting
drills assuming various cases.
2. Government Response to a Major Oil Spill
As demonstrated by the fact that the Nakhodka oil spill of 1998 was one of
the incidents that sparked the reinforcement of Japan’s crisis management
system, large-scale oil spills clearly fall under the purview of the nation’s
crisis management system.
In Japan, the government response to oil spill accidents is stipulated by theLaw Relating to the Prevention of Marine Pollution and Maritime Disasterand other legislation, and the government has also prepared a basic
response plan and other measures. The necessary countermeasures in
response to individual incidents are devised based on these legal andadministrative guidelines.
¡ “National Emergency Planning to Prepare and Respond to Oil Pollution
Incidents” (Cabinet Resolution of December 1997)
This Resolution systematically summarizes the government’s system for
preparation and response to oil pollution incidents, as a “National
Contingency Plan for Preparedness and Response to Oil Pollution
Incidents“ in accordance with the International Convention on Oil
Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation, 1990 (the OPRCConvention).
4¡ “Basic Disaster Prevention Plan” (June 1997)
This plan was prepared based on the Disaster Measures Basic Law, andspecifically stipulates the measures to be implemented at each stage ofdisaster prevention, emergency response, restoration and reconstruction.
Chapter 6 of this Plan is entitled “Maritime Disasters,” and specificallystipulates the measures to be implemented by all the concerned
ministries and agencies in the event of a shipwreck resulting in a large
number of casualties or when a large volume of hazardous materials are
released from a vessel resulting in conspicuous marine pollution, etc.
¡ “Measures to be Implemented by the Cabinet Secretariat When Oil SpillAccidents Occur” (December 1998)
This document stipulates the Cabinet Secretariat response procedures aspart of the government’s crisis management system.
The oil spill accidents that fall under the purview of the government’s crisis
management are limited to those of a relatively large scale. What would
the cabinet’s crisis management team actually do if a large-scale oil spill
were to occur? Fundamentally, the necessary works would be implemented
in accordance with the crisis management procedures that I have alreadyexplained to you. The government’s essential mission would be to establish
a response structure for the specific incident, collect all the relevant
information, and arrange a coordinated, comprehensive response by all theconcerned ministries and agencies. I will now describe these activities insomewhat greater detail.
(1) The Government’s Response Structure for Specific Incidents
When oil spill accidents occur, it is critical for the government to firstestablish the necessary response structure. The following type ofstructure would be established, in accordance with the severity of theincident.

5¡ Establishment of a Countermeasures Office (or Liaison Office) within
the Prime Minister’s Official Residence
When oil spill accidents occur, the captain of the vessel that is leaking oil
first notifies Japan Coast Guard. Japan Coast Guard contacts theCabinet Information Collection Center whenever oil spills occur, or are
likely to occur, within Japan’s territorial waters. Japan Coast Guard
also contacts the Cabinet Information Collection Center when oil spills
occur outside of Japan’s territorial waters, but are deemed likely tocause damage in Japan’s territorial waters or exclusive economic zone.
After being contacted by Japan Coast Guard, the Deputy Chief Cabinet
Secretary for Crisis Management would establish a Countermeasures
Office (or Liaison Office) within the Prime Minister’s Official Residence
if he deems it so necessary, and the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for
Crisis Management and other Cabinet Secretariat staff responsible forcrisis management would then assemble at this Countermeasures Office.
The liaison personnel from all the concerned ministries and agencies
would also be dispatched to the Prime Minister’s Official Residence.
¡ Establishment of a Precautions Headquarters
A Precautions Headquarters would be established in cases when anincident does not constitute a “large-scale disaster,” but when theincident and the range of the damage are still of a sufficient scale todemand a vigorous and well-coordinated emergency response, and theDirector-General of Japan Coast Guard would serve as theDirector-General of this Precautions Headquarters.
Under theprovisions of the Disaster Measures Basic Law, an Emergency Disaster
Response Headquarters cannot be established until damages actuallyoccur, which was initially the case during the Nakhodka incident.
Reflecting on this experience, arrangements have subsequently been
made to permit the establishment of a Precautions Headquarters in suchcases, at the stage prior to the actual occurrence of damage.

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The Precautions Headquarters would be responsible for coordinating
accident response measures, exchanging information concerning theon-site conditions and evaluations of these conditions, coordinating thecollection and deployment of clean-up equipment, and preparing
emergency measures for anticipated damage, including coastal areas
where the oil is expected to drift ashore.
¡ Establishment of an Emergency Disaster Response Headquarters
An Emergency Disaster Response Headquarters would be established in
the event of a “large-scale disaster,” and the Minister of Land,
Infrastructure and Transport would serve as the Director-General of thisEmergency Disaster Response Headquarters. Under the provisions ofthe Disaster Measures Basic Law, the Emergency Disaster Response
Headquarters is responsible for the overall coordination of theemergency response measures implemented by all the concerned
ministries and agencies, and has the authority to direct the activities of
the concerned ministries and agencies as necessary.
(2) Collection of Disaster Information, and Implementation of Liaison
Activities
In the initial stages, along with the establishment of the government’sresponse structure, the collection of all relevant information is also of theutmost importance. The following types of information would be collected
and processed at the Countermeasures Office within the Prime Minister’s
Official Residence.
ŸŸ

General Outline of the Incident- General information regarding the vessel (or other maritimefacility) leaking oil- General information regarding the oil spill incident- Information regarding the area where the oil spill occurredInformation Regarding Clean-up Operations-Information regarding the organizationalconcerned government organs
7structures of the-Information regarding the organizational structures of the local-

Coast Guard offices, police, fire departments, etc.
Information regarding the status of the response taken by theparties who caused the accident

Information regarding measures taken to prevent secondary
disasters
Other related information-

ŸTo accurately assess the conditions based on these types of information, the“Concerned Ministries and Agencies Analysis and Evaluation Investigation
Commission” would hold a meeting, as necessary. This Commission
presently includes seven oil clean-up experts, and the meeting would be heldto estimate the volume of spilt oil, determine the likelihood of the spilt oil
drifting ashore, determine the existence of facilities that require protection
on the coast, evaluate and analyze the conditions of the accident, andconsider the required initial response measures.
(3) Coordination among the Concerned Ministries and Agencies
As I explained at the outset, the actual capabilities for responding to oil spill
accidents are held by the concerned ministries and agencies, and the cabinet
is responsible for the coordination works to ensure that these government
capabilities are fully manifest in an effective manner. Specifically, thecabinet would jointly hold the following types of meetings in conjunction
with the Precautions Headquarters or Emergency Disaster Response
Headquarters that would be established depending upon the severity of theaccident, and thus work to confirm and share information regarding theconditions of the incident and the damages, coordinate the emergency
response measures, and arrange the government response policy.
¡ Liaison meetings of the concerned ministries and agencies (at thedivision director level)¡ Meetings of the director-generals of all concerned ministry and agencybureaus¡ Meetings of all concerned cabinet ministers

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Japan Coast Guard plays a central role in responding to oil spill accidents.
When the volume of spilt oil is large, and oil drifts ashore or the conditions
otherwise become more severe, many other ministries and agencies such as
the Defense Agency and the National Police Agency will participate, witheach fulfilling its proper roles (please refer to the Appendix). Under theconditions where a large number of concerned ministries and agencies areactively engaged and mutual liaison is essential, it is particularly effective
for all of the parties concerned to gather together in one location at thePrime Minister’s Official Residence and coordinate their response measures.

9(Appendix)
Roles of the Concerned Ministries and Agencies in the Event of an Oil Spill
Accident
While the actual roles fulfilled by the concerned ministries and agencies inthe event of an oil spill will vary depending on the type and scale of theaccident, these roles may generally be summarized as follows.
Collection and Transmission of InformationŸCollection of information and observation of the accident and damage
conditions by aircraft, shipping vessel, and satellite:Ü Japan Coast Guard; Defense Agency; Ministry of Education,Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; Ministry of Public
Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications;
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport; National Police
AgencyResident Evacuation Guidance, Etc.
ŸProvision of information and evacuation guidance to local residents:
Ü National Police Agency; Fire Defense Agency

Oil Clean-up and Recovery WorksŸ Oil clean-up and recovery works on sea and on land:Ü Self-Defense Forces; Japan Coast Guard; Fire Defense Agency;
National Police Agency; Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,Science and Technology; Fisheries Agency; Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure and TransportŸProvision of oil booms and other equipment for clean-up and recovery:Ü Japan Coast Guard; Fire Defense Agency; Self-Defense Forces;
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology;ŸAgency of Natural Resources and Energy; Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure and Transport
Transport and other support for equipment for oil clean-up andrecovery:
Ü Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport; Defense Agency;
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Fire Defense Agency; National Police AgencyEvaluation and Environmental Preservation Works
Ÿ Evaluation of the effects on the environment:Ü Ministry ofŸ

the Environment (environment); Fisheries Agency(fisheries resources)
Rescue of Wildlife:Ü Ministry of the EnvironmentŸSurveys of the effects on residents’ health:Ü Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare; Ministry of theEnvironment

Other WorksŸ

Securing communications means:Ü Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts andTelecommunications

ŸLiaison and coordination with foreign governments:
Ü Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Transport regulation and other measures to prevent secondaryŸdamages:Ü National Police Agency; Japan Coast Guard11

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