illegal dumping of waste into the ocean to save processing costs and its characteristics are becoming more malicious and sophisticated. Also, it is suspected that much of the domestic crimes involving drugs and guns as well as violent crimes by visiting foreigners have some degree of involvement with organized crime and international crime syndicates engaged in smuggling and illegal entry.

Regarding various maritime crimes, there is still a need for vigilance and the Japan Coast Guard is strengthening monitoring and surveillance, gathering and analyzing crime information, and strengthening site inspections by effectively utilizing patrol vessels and aircraft as well as sharing information with relevant domestic and international organizations as part of the efforts to pursue effective measures and take strict and appropriate measures against maritime crimes.

## 4 Protecting Our Country’s Interests in Maritime Rights

## (1) Security Activities to Protect Maritime Interests

Recently around Senkaku Islands, there have been cases where foreign fishing boats have operated fishery in the territorial sea of Japan, official boats from China and Taiwan have encroached upon the territorial sea of Japan and Chinese and Taiwanese activists have sought to stake territorial claims. Particularly since the government acquisition and possession of three of Senkaku Islands, Official boats from China constantly loiter around those islands and the number of cases is increasing where they intrude into the territorial sea of Japan.

Also, unauthorized scientific ocean surveys by vessels from China, Taiwan, etc., were conducted in Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone in the East China Sea, etc. Foreign countries are increasing their activities threatening Japan’s maritime interests.

In response to these tense conditions, the Japan Coast Guard advanced legislative changes to strengthen maritime policing powers including the improvement and strengthening of prosecution powers of Japan Coast Guard officers among other measures by coming into force the “Law for the Partial Revision of the Japan Coast Guard Act and the Law on Navigation of Foreign Ships through the Territorial Sea and Internal Waters, etc.” in September 2012. Additionally, the security system of territorial sea is being strengthened by conducting appropriate territorial sea patrols through patrol vessels and aircraft as well as monitoring and vigilance activities in Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone to secure Japan’s sovereignty and protect maritime rights.

## (2) Promoting Maritime Surveys in Territorial sea and the Exclusive Economic Zone and Consolidating Maritime Information

In our country’s territorial sea and the exclusive economic zone there are sea areas lacking adequate survey data. The Japan Coast Guard (JCG) is conducting intensive hydrographic surveys in these sea areas including seafloor topography, crustal structure and the territorial sea baselines to strategically and continuously implement the basic information that contributes to the safety of navigation, secure our country’s maritime interests, and ocean development. Also, under the synthesis coordination of the Secretariat of the Headquarters for Ocean Policy, Cabinet Secretariat, JCG operates the web service “Marine Information Clearing House” which provides unified information concerning locations and meta-data of various marine information and ocean scientific data that governmental agencies or institutes preserve. In addition, JCG developed and started to operate the “Marine Cadastre” which is a WEB-GIS service that enables users to overlay information on maps for easy utilization of various natural information (seafloor topography, ocean currents, water temperature, etc.) and social information (port areas, fishery rights areas, etc.).

## (3) Initiatives to Delineate the Outer Limits of the Continental Shelf

In April 20, 2012, the UN “Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf” adopted the recommendation in regard to the submission made by Japan in November 2008 on the outer limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. In the recommendation, the seafloor equivalent to roughly 80% of Japan’s land territory in dimension was approved as Japan’s extended continental shelf but the examinations for some area were postponed. Therefore, the Japan Coast Guard is continuously working for delineating the continental shelf under the synthesis coordination of the Secretariat of the Headquarters for Ocean Policy Secretariat, Cabinet Secretariat in cooperation with relevant government agencies.