Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Coast guard leaders from around the world Wednesday ended a two-day summit in Tokyo that brought together officials of a record 96 countries, regions, and organizations.

The third Coast Guard Global Summit was jointly hosted by the Japan Coast Guard and the Nippon Foundation and was attended by 200 senior officials from the world’s coast guard bodies, including those of the United States, China, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Oman, Djibouti, Somalia, and Iran.

The heads of the various coast guard agencies reaffirmed that maritime safety, peace, and a beautiful marine environment are essential to the happiness and prosperity of the international community.

They added that coast guard agencies must ensure the safety of human life at sea, prepare for distress and disaster response, protect the marine environment, and maintain maritime order based on the rule of law at sea and the international law of the sea.

They also recognized the need to address global climate change, environmental impacts, IUU fishing (illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing) and social instability caused by organized crime.

They noted that piracy and armed robbery against ships continue to be a universal threat to humanity, and that a continuous and cooperative response is not possible.

One method to counter this is to use cutting-edge technologies such as unmanned and autonomously navigable ships. The International Maritime Organization has announced the progress of discussions regarding unmanned and autonomously navigable vessels and the Nippon Foundation provided an overview of the unmanned navigable vessel project “MEGUR12040”.

In his summary, the Chairman reaffirmed the importance of deepening understanding of a common behavioral philosophy in the maritime sector and improving the capabilities of coast guard agencies around the world to pass on the rich oceans to the next generation.