Japan’s EEZ: Ogasawara continental shelf expands
・The Ogasawara ocean floor is rich in cobalt and nickel.
・Priority exploration rights under the UNCLOS treaty
We will provide you with a summary of articles published in the Nihon Keizai Shimbun.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida:
On December 22nd, he announced that he would expand the continental shelf in the waters of the Ogasawara Plateau.
Approximately 120,000 square meters of sea area will be added.
Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), seabed resources will be given priority exploration.
Ogasawara continental shelf:
The ocean floor in the Ogasawara region is made up of piles of cobalt-rich crust.
Agency for Natural Resources and Energy:
We will begin investigating the amount and content ratio of sediment.
1. Cobalt is used in EV batteries.
2. It is an important mineral for economic security.
Ocean Policy Headquarters meeting:
Coordination with related countries and the United States has progressed. Promptly proceed with the procedures in Japan.
The ‘Cabinet Order Determining the Scope of Japan’s Continental Shelf’ will be revised by the spring of 2024.
UNCLOS rules:
The continental shelf is defined as 200 nautical miles (approximately 370 km) from the baseline of the territorial sea of the governing state.
It is positioned as an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) that has priority rights such as exploration, development, and extraction of resources.
Recognition of ‘extended continental shelf’:
The scope of the extended continental shelf must be topographically and geologically connected to the land.
If this is approved, it will become an “extended continental shelf.”
Coastal countries can be set beyond 200 nautical miles.
This is subject to approval by the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.
United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf:
In 2012, the Continental Shelf Commission recommended that the Ogasawara Plateau area could be defined as an extended continental shelf.
The Japanese government has been coordinating with the United States, which shares its waters, for the past 10 years.
Across the Pacific Ocean, in the United States, parallel surveys were being conducted to establish an extended continental shelf.
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUA222E90S3A221C2000000/
Japan to draw up strategy for ocean development
NHK WORLD-JAPAN News
Japan’s government：
a strategy for increased ocean development to secure marine resources and maintain security.
The government plans to compile the strategy by the end of next March.
It is based on a five-year basic ocean policy plan that the Cabinet approved this past April.
The main strategy discussion topics：
to include creating an environment on and around Minamitorishima,
１．an island at the easternmost point of Japan, for exploring rare earth elements.
２．the installation of offshore wind power generation facilities inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
３． to discuss the use of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, or AUVs, for ocean research.
Another likely agenda topic：
１．a surveillance system called Maritime Domain Awareness, to enhance the capability to identify suspicious ships.
２．The system uses satellites, among other means.
The government plans to accelerate strategy discussions on issues and timelines.