(1) Improving ship safety and ensuring ship navigation safety

### a. Improving Ship Safety

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is central in stipulating international standards for safety of the ships, and in July, 2014, in accordance with the SOLAS convention Note $ ^{1} $ , development of the national laws were carried out, along with the changes to fire protection requirements for the deck and bulkhead in passenger ships carrying not more than 36 people, and additional protection requirements for noise was implemented, while actively participating in IMO discussions.

A committee on large container ship safety is held to consider the safety measures of large container ships, in the wake of large container MOL COMFORT Pat. Breakage accident of Bahama flagged, which occurred in the Indian Ocean in June, 2013, and in March, 2015, a report on the safety measures of large container ships that are currently in service was compiled and published.

Also, Port State Control (PSC) $ {}^{Note 2} $ is being implemented, in order to eliminate substandard ships $ {}^{Note 3} $ .

### b. Ensuring Ship Navigation Safety

In accordance with the “Law for Ships’ Officers and Boats’ Operators” which complies with the STCW Convention Note $ ^{4} $ , the qualifications for seafarers are defined to ensure ship navigation safety from human factors. In June 2010, the revised STCW Convention (Manila Amendments) with amendments stipulating additional competencies required for seafarers was adopted and the partial amendments to domestic Ministerial Ordinances came into force in April 2014. Also, for the pilotage system, qualifications for people who can perform pilotage are defined for the safety of vessel traffic but finding successors is turning out to be challenging, therefore, securing a stable supply of human resources and the provision of necessary incubation training are being promoted.

Investigation and inquiry, in accordance with the “Act on Marine Accident Inquiry”, are conducted for a marine technician, a small craft operator, or a pilot who causes a marine accident intentionally or negligently in the course of duties and in 2014 there were 339 cases of determinations and a total of 424 marine technicians, small craft operators, or pilots were performed disciplinary actions of suspension of business operation (one to two months) or admonition to prevent the occurrence of marine accidents.

As marine casualty prevention measures, Maritime Information and Communication System (MICS), provides information through weather information providing system that has lighted buoy platform, and a marine casualty prevention and liaison meeting with the relevant ministries was held with the aim to achieve effective cooperation of maritime casualty prevention measures, and the relevant organizations have cooperated and deployed “National Campaign for Preventing Marine Casualties”. In addition, a marine casualty prevention workshop, in cooperation with relevant ministries and organization was held, and has implemented a variety of marine casualty prevention campaign in the region, for marine casualty prevention for small boats.

Based on the report of Council of Traffic Policy, “Initiatives for Maritime Traffic Safety” (October, 2013), when a large-scale disaster occurs, safe and smooth evacuation, and damage to ship has been minimized, and the construction of centralized maritime traffic control in Tokyo Bay has been promoted, in order to alleviate congestion and control the signal wait for the ships, during peacetime.

In addition, to improve efficiency of safety and navigation of the ship transit in the narrow water ways, Kurushima Strait was subjected to detailed and accurate tidal observation, and it provides a tidal information on the Internet through entire region simulation.

Regarding the nautical charts, efforts are being made to further enhance the electronic charts, with increased importance, along with popularizing the electronic chart information display device (ECDIS). Moreover, in 2014, for the navigation in complex water, publication for the English version of the routing guide began to promote the understanding of the navigation, along with, printing the nautical charts in just English for the foreign seafarers as part of marine casualty.