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JSMEA takes part in Sea Japan 2018

Japan Ship Machinery and Equipment Association (JSMEA) participated in Sea Japan 2018 with financial support from The Nippon Foundation and other assistance from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and other relevant organizations. At the 13th international exhibition, it ran the Japan Maritime Industry Cluster Pavilion to exhibit products, services, technologies and so on, and give events. According to a preliminary announcement by the organizer, Sea Japan 2018 hosted a total of 580 exhibitors from Japan and overseas, and welcomed 20,226 visitors, more than at Sea Japan 2017. Like last year, the MLIT and other governmental organizations as well as relevant private organizations and enterprises had set up a Japan Maritime Cluster Committee, which was overseen by Mr. Takemasa Minemoto, director, Boat Affairs Office, Shipbuilding and Ship Machinery Division, Maritime Bureau, MLIT. Activities included maritime cluster exhibitions; international maritime affairs, ship technology and marine engineering seminars; events for students and a field trip on board the Yokosuka, a support vessel for deep-sea surveys, and the Shinkai 6500, a deep submergence research vehicle, both of which are owned by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC).

At the commencement ceremony on Day 1, Mr. Shinichiro Otsubo, senior deputy director-general of MLIT’s Maritime Bureau, gave the opening speech, conveying a message from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. After his address, industry heavyweights joined in the ribbon-cutting ceremony. At the International Maritime Seminar, held immediately after the opening ceremony, Mr. Mitsuyuki Unno, executive director of The Nippon Foundation, and Mr. Daniel Bjarmann-Simonsen, state secretary of trade and industry of Norway, gave keynote speeches in Session 1. In Session 2, a Southeast Asia Maritime Summit was held for the first time. Moderated by Mr. Hiroaki Sakashita, advisor of Nippon Hakuyohin Kentei Kyokai, a panel discussion was joined by Mr. Masaharu Ono, vicechairman of JSMEA; Mr. Otsubo and representatives from Southeast Asian ship owners associations. The panelists exchanged views on future cooperation between Japan and Southeast Asia. The seminar was attended by about 500 people.

In the evening of April 11, JSMEA and the MLIT cohosted an International Maritime Seminar Reception at the Grand Nikko Tokyo Daiba, at which Mr. Katsunori Takahashi, MLIT parliamentary vice-minister, was a guest speaker. A total of 80 individuals—including employees of JSMEA-affiliated ship machinery and equipment manufacturers, and those of other compatriot parties concerned with maritime affairs—held dialogues with Mr. Simonsen and other speakers from the Southeast Asia Maritime Summit. Under the catchphrase: “Green Innovation & Digitalization—Japan: Leading the Way to the Future,” exhibition spaces were created in the Thematic Zone of the Japan Pavilion for environmental technologies, offshore development and the Internet of Things (IoT), among others. Marine resource exploitation-related exhibitions saw the return of JAMSTEC, Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC), INPEX Corporation, Japan Drilling Co., Ltd. (JDC) and others that were present at the last Sea Japan exhibition. As for domestic ferries, a new subject in 2018, eight member operators of the Japan Long Course Ferry Service Association (JLCFSA) displayed models of cutting-edge ferries. They also offered a virtual reality (VR) experience program so that visitors were allowed to virtually board a ferry newbuilding to be deployed soon.

 

 

In the Members Zone, meanwhile, 73 JSMEA members participated, the highest number ever, to showcase their respective products, services and so on. Sea Japan 2018 welcomed VIPs including Mr. Tsukasa Akimoto, MLIT state minister, and Mr. Mitsuyuki Unno, executive director of The Nippon Foundation, along with so many more guests from Japan and other economies to lead many of the Japan Pavilion members to claim that this year’s exhibition was more successful than Sea Japan 2017.

On Day 2 (April 12), Mr. Shinzo Yamada, chairman of JSMEA, spoke at the Sea Japan 2018 International Conference. The speech was heard by some 400 people, according to Kaiji Press Co., Ltd., the organizer of the meeting. On the afternoon of the second and third days, several events were geared for invited students—nearly 80—from universities and colleges across the country. Mr. Yasuo Tanaka, president of Monohakobi Technology Institute Co., Ltd. (MTI), Mr. Masato Oda, CEO and president of Uzushio Electric Co., Ltd. and other industry stakeholders gave presentations to the attendees, who were given opportunities to meet with former employees of JSMEA affiliated manufacturers, go on a field trip on board JAMSTC research vessels and participate in a guided tour of the exhibitions. These programs allowed JSMEA to help the students better understand the industry. Also on April 12, JSMEA welcomed individuals from Iceland’s maritime industry and affairs—who were attending Sea Japan for the first time—to meet with members of JSMEA’s Overseas Fishing Vessel Market Development Working Group. Icelandic enterprises JSMEA takes part in Sea Japan 2018 introduced their respective business activities, while staff members from the Nordic nation’s embassy in Tokyo were also present. The parties exchanged information on their countries’ fishing industries and vessels. On the final day (April 13), JSMEA organized a Ships and Marine Technology Seminar together with the MLIT and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK). Members of the association’s Smart Ship Application Platform 2 Project (SSAP2) gave briefings on an outline of the proposal for a new ISO standard in the works along with other subjects.

JSMEA also did something new at Sea Japan 2018. With help from JAMSTEC, it opened to the public, the Yokosuka and Shinkai 6500. A total of 1,430 visitors were provided the opportunity to see firsthand by going on board these vessels constructed with Japanese technologies. On April 12 and 13, JSMEA organized its annual meetings to boost exchanges between its executives and members companies and those from the Korea Marine Equipment Association (KOMEA). Sea Japan 2018 was reported on April 12 in TV Asahi Corporation’s news programs.

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Please see JSMEANEWS number 116(Autumn 2018) for more information.

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