I. Maritime Accidents in Recent Years
The average number of vessels which required assistance as a result of maritime accident, not including typhoon and unusual weather, in the seas surrounding Japan each year during the First Five-Year Plan for Coastal Works (1971 - 1975) stood at 2,506. In 1996, the first fiscal year of the Sixth Five-Year Plan for Coastal Works the figure was 1,754, demonstrating a substantial reduction.
A breakdown of these figures in the same two periods shows that maritime accidents involving fishing vessels fell from 1,127 (45.0% of the total) to 664 (still over 37.0% of the total) and maritime accidents involving cargo vessels fell from 676 to 222. Meanwhile, maritime accidents involving motor boats, yachts and other pleasure boats and recreational fishing vessels (hereinafter referred to as pleasure boats) rose from 252 (10.1% of the total,to 649 (37.0%) of the total.
The average annual number of deaths or missing persons among occupants of vessels requiring assistance stood at 488 during the period of the First Five-Year Plan for Coastal Works, but fell convincingly to 213 in 1996, the first year of the Sixth Five-Year Plan for Coastal Works (Fig.18).
II. Maritime Accidents Involving Pleasure Boats and Rescues
In 1996, 673 pleasure boats required assistance and 40 people died or went missing. This was 7 less than the previous year. The ratio of maritime accidents involving pleasure boats to all vessels requiring assistance (1,858) remained high in 1996 at 36.2% due to the increasing popularity of boating activities. A breakdown of 649 of these, not including those affected by typhoon or unusual weather, shows that 456 (70.3%) were motor boats, 76 (11.7%) were yachts, 49 (7.6%) were recreational fishing vessels, 37 (5.7%) were jet skis and 31 (4.8%) were rowboats (Fig.19).
To cope with the increase in pleasure boat accidents as a result of the popularity of marine recreation, the Maritime Safety Agency polices popular recreational waterways in patrol boats. In the coastal areas where the probability of accident is particularly high, the Agency is attempting to deploy patrol boats more effectively and improve rescue systems in seasons and areas where marine recreation activities are most popular. It is also publicizing the Marine VHF Shipping Broadcast Station to encourage the use of radio and providing safety awareness for those who participate in marine recreation activities . The police also use their boats to impose guidelines for the purposes of safety in other harbor waterways where boating traffic is heavy, popular bathing resorts and coastal areas which are used heavily for recreational sports. They also conduct patrols in conjunction with police aircraft and provide more effective safety strategies by strengthening the cooperative framework with local organizations, private boating safety associations and other relevant organizations.
The Agency builds earthquake-resistant coastal walls to improve there silience of harbors and fishing ports to earthquake, establishes disaster prevention centers and shipping facilities.
July 20 is Marine Day, a national holiday, and the Maritime Safety Agency uses this day as an opportunity to hold a commemorative symposium on maritime safety and at the same time works to publicize the concept of maritime disaster prevention through the National Maritime Disaster Prevention Movement.