Translation

NATIONAL CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR OIL POLLUTION
PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE
Chapter IPreamble

Section 1 - Purpose of the PlanJapan, as a country surrounded by the sea and rich in natural environment,
benefits. from its rich fishing grounds, and people in. Japan live with close relationshipto such environment. It is essential for Japan, therefore, to take actions immediately
and effectively at early stage in order to protect marine environment, human life andproperty, in case an oil pollution incident occurs in the sea near Japan, and given thefact, that Japan has a number of tanker fleets as a petroleum importing country, tohave a system for oil pollution preparedness and response, according to which nationalgovernment, local governments, oil manufactures, shipping industry, mining industry,
fishing industry and other parties concerned co-operate with one another.
The National Contingency Plan, prepared to comply with Article 6 of theInternational Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation,
1990, which will be effective to Japan on 17 January 1996, contains the above
mentioned Japanese system, the purpose of which is to satisfy the internationalrequirement and to response oil pollution incidents immediately and effectively inorder to protect marine environment, human life and property.

Section 2 - Relationship with other Plans
The plan is harmonized with other national plans such as "Basic, Operationaland Local Plan for Disaster Prevention" which is based on Disaster Countermeasures
Basic Act (Law No.223, 1961), "Basic Environment Plan" which is based on Basic
Environment Law (Law No.91, 1993), "Plan for Cleaning of Spilled Oil" which is basedon Law Relating to the Prevention of Marine Pollution and Maritime Disaster (LawNo.136, 1970), and "Plan for Disaster Prevention in Petroleum Industrial Complexes"
which is based on Law on the Prevention of Disaster in Petroleum Industrial
Complexes and Other Petroleum Facilities (Law No.84, 1975), so that they can respondto oil pollution incident immediately and adequately.

Chapter II Basic matters on preparedness for oil pollution incidents
Section 1 - Maintenance of information on oil pollution
National government agencies should collect the information on oil pollution sothat they can respond to oil pollution incidents comprehensively and effectively andexchange those information at the meeting among the government agencies for oil
pollution preparedness and response.
National government agencies should also collect and keep up-to-date theinformation on natural, social and economical characteristic, such as information on
fishing grounds, facilities for aquaculture, water inlets for factories, beaches, coral reefs,seaweed beds, tidelands and breeding, staging or wintering sites, so that they can

−2−respond to oil pollution incidents adequately and minimize the damage. In addition, thenational government agencies should systematize information for use in theadministration in such an appropriate manner as information maps.
National government agencies should provide information to local governments,
if necessary, to promote the activities of the local governments concerning thepreparedness and response to oil pollution incidents.

Section 2 - Systems for oil pollution response
Maritime Safety Agency should strengthen its special rescue team and nationalstrike team and keep their vessels and aircraft available for 24 hours.
In accordance with Law Relating to the Prevention of Marine Pollution andMaritime Disaster, Commanders of the Regional Maritime Safety Headquarter, ownersof tankers and so forth, should establish a co-ordinating panel (hereinafter referred toas "the Panel") which consists of representatives from government agencies and private
sector in order to organize a joint training for cleaning of the spilled-oil and to consider
other important subjects.
Environment Agency and Fisheries Agency should prepare administrative
systems in order to protect wildlife and fishing grounds from oil pollution, and cooperate with local governments and other organizations concerned.

Section 3 - System for notification and communication
Masters of ships, supervisors of factories including a land-based factory and soforth, should inform the nearest Maritime Safety Office by telephone, telex or other fastcommunication system when a large quantity of oil has been spilled or may be spilled
into the sea from their ship or facility, in accordance with Law Relating to thePrevention of Marine Pollution and Maritime Disaster. Other persons who have founda wide spilled oil on the sea should also inform the Office.
Supervisors of petroleum industrial complexes, when they have found oil-spilland other unusual phenomenon in their complex, should inform the fire station
immediately in accordance with the Act on Disaster Prevention in Petrochemical
Complex.
Supervisors of mining companies, when oil has been spilled or may be spilled
into the sea from their mine, should inform the Mine Safety and Inspection
Department in accordance with Mine Safety Law.
Maritime Safety Agency, fire station, police station and so forth, should keep 24hours' contact, improve their internal communication network to exchange informationsmoothly and ensure, using disaster control radio network and so forth, thecommunication to other national government agencies, local governments and otherorganizations concerned.
National government agencies should improve the communication system withlocal governments and other organizations concerned so that appropriate actions can betaken.
Furthermore, each local government should establish a communication network
for their internal communication and to other local governments, if necessary, so thatthey can communicate each other when they arc notified of oil pollution.

Section 4 - Preparation of equipments

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In accordance with Law Relating to the Prevention of Marine Pollution andMaritime Disaster, shipowners and so forth should facilitate their ships with necessary
equipments to clean the spilled oil, and the Maritime Disaster Prevention Centre
should have necessary equipments for cleaning of the spilled oil so that the Centre canuse them when requested by the Commandant of Maritime Safety Agency or byshipowners, or so that shipowners and so forth can use them by themselves.
Supervisors of mining companies should have necessary equipments to clean thespilled oil in accordance with the Act on Mine Security.
Supervisors of ports should have necessary equipments to clean the spilled oil inports in accordance with Ports and Harbours Law.
Maritime Safety Agency should prepare vessels, aircraft, communi6ationequipments and necessary equipments to clean the spilled oil in order to respond oil
pollution incidents immediately and effectively.
Ministry of International Trade and Industry should encourage oil industries toprepare necessary equipments to clean the spilled oil for use by persons concerned.
Fisheries Agency should promote preparation of necessary equipments toprevent fishing grounds from oil pollution or to reduce oil pollution.
Environment Agency should promote preparation of necessary equipments toprotect wildlife from oil pollution.
Each national government agency concerned should prepare necessaryequipments to respond oil pollution in each administrative field.
They should also ensure a co-operation between national government andprivate sector with regard to the use of the equipments.

Section 5 - Exercises
Maritime Safety Agency should carry out exercises, under the co-ordination of
the Panel, in order to respond oil pollution immediately and effectively.
Environment Agency should organize seminars for local governments and otherorganizations concerned with regard to the technique and knowledge to protect wildlife
from oil pollution.
Furthermore, national government agencies should assist voluntary exercises, totrain up personnel, which private companies organize by themselves so that they canrespond to oil pollution immediately and effectively.
In accordance with Law Relating to the Prevention of Marine Pollution andMaritime Disaster, the Maritime Disaster Prevention Centre should organize exercises
for maritime disaster prevention to promote more effective disaster prevention
technique, and should also make efforts to improve its own technique regarding
maritime disaster prevention.
When such exercises are conducted, should be taken into account protection ofmarine environment, human life, human body and property.
National government agencies should give guidance to people concerned throughseminars and visits to ships with regard to oil pollution prevention and response, andenlighten people on protection of marine environment by such actions.

Chapter III Basic matters on response for oil pollution
Section 1 - Objects to be protected
When an oil pollution incident has occurred, with a view to protection of marine

−4−environments, human life, human body and property, appropriate actions should betaken. In this case, every efforts should be made to minimize the damage, taking into
account the information contained in section 1 of Chapter II.

Section 2 - Establishment of response system
When an oil pollution incident has occurred, organizations concerned should
establish their own system to respond it and should also establish co-operation systems
with others. In this case, national government agencies should exchange informationand co-ordinate the operation through a meeting among government agencies or thelike.
National and local governments should establish headquarters for disaster
control in accordance with Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act or local disasterprevention centres for petrochemical complex in accordance with Law on thePrevention of Disaster in Petroleum Industrial Complexes and Other Petroleum
Facilities, if necessary. When such centres have been established, organizations
concerned should make efforts to promote the exchange of the information and should
establish appropriate systems to respond oil pollution incidents.
Furthermore, the Commandant of Maritime Safety Agency or Commanders ofRegional Maritime Safety Headquarters or governors of local governments should
request the Self-Defence Force to dispatch its units, if necessary, in accordance with theregulation concerning the use of the Self-Defence Force for disaster prescribed in theSelf-Defence Force Law.
Maritime Safety Agency. when they have been informed of any oil pollution,
should make emergency arrangements and establish response systems to clean thespilled oil in co-operation with other organization concerned as soon as possible. In
order to clean the spilled oil effectively, taking into account the location where thepollution occurred, circumstance, scale and ways of communication, Maritime Safety
Agency should establish an emergency control centre, if necessary.

Section 3 - Exchange of information concerning oil pollution incident
National government agencies and local governments, when they have been
informed that an oil pollution incident had occurred or might occur, should provide
necessary information which they obtained to other relevant national government
agencies and local governments for their response, using the contact network as
established for this purpose, if necessary. From the viewpoint that it is important totake actions immediately and appropriately for oil pollution incidents, national andlocal governments concerned should exchange information as appropriate until theincident ends.

Section 4 - Evaluation of oil-spilled pollution
Maritime Safety Agency, when they have been informed that an oil pollution
incident had occurred, should dispatch its vessels and aircrafts to the position where
the pollution had occurred in order to obtain further information and conduct furtherinvestigation. With reference to the information mentioned in the Section 1 of Chapter
I and taking into account the condition on weather, sea and traffic, Maritime Safety
Agency should evaluate the effect of the incident and provide the result of theevaluation to other national government agencies and other parties concerned for theirresponse.

−5−Environment Agency and Fisheries Agency should evaluate the influence of theoil pollution to wildlife and fishing resources on the basis of the information provided
by Maritime Safety Agency, other national government agencies and local governments
concerned, use them for their decision-making so that the wildlife and fishing grounds
can be protected, and provide the result of the evaluation immediately to Maritime
Safety Agency and other national government agencies concerned for their responses.

Section 5 - Operation for cleaning spilled oil
1
When an oil pollution incident has occurred, Maritime Safety Agency should give
advice and assistance for masters and others who have duties to take emergency
measures and for shipowners who have duties to take cleaning measures in accordancewith Law Relating to the Prevention of Marine Pollution and Maritime Disaster andshould give advice for cooperators, taking into account the progress made by such
persons. In case that masters and shipowners have not taken appropriate measures,Maritime Safety Agency should order them to do so.
In case that there is an urgent need to take measures, Maritime Safety Agency
should request the Maritime Disaster Prevention Centre to take measures for cleaning,or should take measures by themselves.
2As the measures to be taken for an oil pollution are different as the case may be,depending on the kind and the chemical behavior of the spilled-oil, the state of thediffusion of the oil, the conditions of the weather and the sea and other conditions, theyshould get hold of the circumstance of the diffusing oil and the change of its chemicalarid physical properties, prior to taking measures for cleaning, make decisions on how
to clean the spilled-oil properly, taking into account the results of the evaluation
contained in Section 4, concentrate forces for cleaning as early as possible and takemeasures for prevention of expansion and for cleaning of the spilled oil.
Measures for cleaning of the spilled-oil should be combined to minimize thedamage, measures to be used for cleaning, in general, are as follows;(1) Prevention of further oil spill
Measures such as closing of the gas outlet, control of the list and transfer of theoil from the damaged tank to other facility in order to stop the oil spill;(2) Prevention of oil diffusion
Measures such as surrounding the oil by oil boom to stop the oil diffusion, since
the spilled oil is diffused quickly because of the wind and the tide;(3) Recovery of spilled oil
Measures such as mechanical recovery by using an oil recovery boat, an oil
recovery machine and so forth, and physical recovery by using oil absorbent orgelling agents, and temporary and supplementary measures by using ladles andbuckets and so forth. The best measure among these should be used asappropriate. The recovered oil should be transferred to a waste oil processfacility and an incinerate facility by oil collection boats.; and(4) Chemical treatment
Chemical treatment by using oil dispersant for decomposition. This measure
should be only used when it is difficult to collect the spilled oil by the measure
mentioned in paragraph (3), taking into account the situation to conduct thecollection, the weather and sea condition, the natural environment, and the areaof fishing grounds or aquaculture grounds.
3When they take such measures, they should conduct the measures, taking intoaccount the characteristics of such measures and the influence to marine environment
comprehensively, with a reference to information map mentioned in Section 1 of

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Chapter 2 , and recover the oil on the sea, and even in the case when it is impossible toprevent the oil from reaching the shore, they should lead the spilled oil into the area
where it is easy to recover the oil and to restore the environment.

Section 6 - Relief of wildlife
Environment Agency, when a damage to wildlife has occurred due to an oil
pollution incident, should take appropriate actions for washing the animal which havebeen smeared with the oil, for prevention of disease due to that oil, and for relief of thewildlife, in co-operation with veterinarians and organizations concerned.

Section 7 - Protection of fishing grounds
Fisheries Agency, when a pollution may occur or has occurred in fishing grounds
due to an oil pollution incident, should take appropriate actions to maintain and restore
the fishing grounds, such as recovery of the oil on waste-oil balls.

Section 8 - Safety of Navigation and Prevention of Danger
Maritime Safety Agency should take appropriate actions such as removal ofships and restriction of navigation, in cases that there is traffic congestion because ofclosing of route caused by an oil pollution incident, that an another maritime accident
might occur, or that there is something to be an obstruction of cleaning work.
Furthermore, in case that dangerous oil has been spilled, actions for preventionof danger, such as checking the dangerous area by using a gas detector and imposing
restriction on use of fire, should be taken, in order to prevent secondary disaster, suchas a fire, an explosion and a gas poisoning, when they take oil cleaning action.

Section 9 - Public Relations
National government agencies and local governments concerned should publicize
the information immediately and appropriately in co-operation with other national
government agencies and local governments, in order to ensure the safety of navigation,
to ensure the security of the residents and to clean the spilled-oil smoothly.
National government agencies should record the cause of the accident, the stateof the pollution and actions taken, in order to prevent recurrence of the same accidentand to stock knowledge for responding general oil pollution, when an oil pollution
incident has occurred.

Section 10 - Observation after the incident
National government agencies and local governments concerned, under themutual co-operation, should investigate the influence to the environment and thedamage to the property, even after the actions have been taken, if necessary. Especially,
because sometimes it takes long time to recover from the influence on the ecosystem
around that area, the influence on the water, on the bottom of the sea and on thewildlife should be investigated into detail and the effect of the action taken should bechecked. Furthermore, national government agencies and local governments concerned
should take supplementary actions, taking into account the result of such investigation,
if necessary.

−7−Chapter IV Co-operation among national government agencies and so forth
Section 1 - Co-operation at national level
National government agencies, in accordance with latest regulations andcompetence, should prepare and implement a comprehensive plan, prepare nationalregulations related to this matter and promote research and study for preparedness
and response to oil pollution incidents.
In this case, national government agencies should ensure a good mutual cooperation, taking advantage of consultation meetings among the government agencies
and so forth.
Furthermore, oil industry, shipping industry, mining industry and otherorganization concerned are expected to take positive actions for preparedness andresponse to oil pollution, by using their capability, and national government agencies
should assist them actively and ensure a good mutual co-operation with them.

Section 2 - Co-operation at regional level
Regional branch offices of national government agencies, in accordance withlaws and regulations and competence, should take appropriate actions for oil pollution
preparedness and response suitable for their region in harmony with the actions taken
at national level referred in Section 1 of this Chapter.
Furthermore, local governments, private companies and other organizations
concerned, In accordance with laws regulations or on their own initiative, are expected
to take positive actions for oil pollution preparedness and response, using theircapability, suitable for their region.
In this case, parties concerned, taking advantage of the Panel and so forth,should ensure a good mutual co-operation. Furthermore, if necessary, they should cooperate with experts for protection of wildlife, fishing grounds and other marine
environment so that advice of the experts can be taken into account.

Chapter V Others
Section 1 - Promotion of research, study and development of technology
National government agencies and local governments concerned, if necessary,
promote research, study and development of technology on prevention of oil pollution
incidents and protection of marine environment in co-operation with the private sector.

Section 2- Review of the Plan
National government should keep this plan under review and revise the Plan, ifnecessary.