## Establishing a Response System for Accident Disasters

When accident disasters such as accidents involving multiple fatalities occur on rail, air, etc. or ships are involved in oil spill accidents, the disaster conditions are assessed and an disaster measures headquarters is established within MLIT (for especially large-scale accident disasters in the field of transport the government will establish an emergency disaster measures headquarters, etc.) to collect and aggregate information and comprehensively coordinate with relevant government organizations and other parties for urgent disaster measures to ensure that swift and appropriate disaster measures are implemented.

For accident disasters at sea, coordination with relevant organizations is being furthered such as ensuring a dispatch system for patrol vessels and aircraft and readying disaster mitigation equipment in addition to implementing joint training. Also, for pollution accidents involving oil or hazardous and noxious substances, response equipment is being improved to strengthen the system for a swift and effective response and environmental protection information on coastal waters needed to contain oil, etc., is being compiled and provided.

## Strengthening the Maritime Safety/Security System

## (1) Improving and Strengthening the Operational System

In accordance with the recent changes in the conditions regarding the protection of territorial sea and properly respond against intrusion into territorial sea, 1,000 ton patrol vessels with control capacity, patrol capacity, and speed and helicopters with the capacity to pursue, capture, and monitor are readied and to appropriately respond to distant waters and major incidents, Shikishima-class patrol vessels equipped with helicopters are readied. Also, mainly to respond to large-scale disasters expected to occur in the future, patrol vessels with the ability to respond to disasters are being readied. Additionally, improvements such as establishing an operational command department for patrol vessels and establishing rotating crews for patrol vessels are being undertaken to strengthen the coast guard system.

## (2) Promoting Counter-Terrorism Measures

For measures to proactively prevent terrorism, hazardous material facilities such as nuclear power plants and petrochemical complexes as well as U.S. Armed Forces facilities in coastal areas are being patrolled as needed by patrol vessels and aircraft. Also, during Golden Week, summer vacation, and the Year-end and New Year holidays and other periods where passenger travel is the most active, security is especially tightened in passenger ship terminals where many people are concentrated.

Also, as noted previously, to proactively prevent terrorism, there is a need to not only coordinate with relevant organizations but the private sector as well and the Japan Coast Guard encourages those in the maritime industry to strengthen their self-protection security efforts and provide information on suspicious activity for the implementation of initiatives involving coordination with the region.

## (3) Promoting Measures Against Suspicious Vessels and Spy Ships

There are suspicions that suspicious vessels and spy ships are engaged in serious violent crime in the territorial sea of Japan and to shed light on their objectives and activity details, suspicious boats needs to be detained to implement a site inspection and if crime is discovered to arrest criminals and carry out a proper criminal investigation. For this reason, in response to suspicious vessels and spy ships, relevant government agencies will be coordinated with but the Japan Coast Guard will serve as the policing organization and carry out the initial response.

The Japan Coast Guard will conduct various training as well as closely work with relevant agencies, etc. to exchange information to strive for the early discovery of suspicious boats and spy ships as well as maintain and improve capabilities for responding to suspicious ships.

## (4) Promoting Measures against Maritime Crimes

Some major characteristics of recent maritime crimes include a diversity of non-fishermen casually engaging in maritime poaching crimes as well as organized criminals seeking sources of funding and environmental crimes such as