The regime under which humankind has governed its uses of the ocean is in the process of change—shifting away from the traditional freedom of the seas toward a “mixed†system in which most of the valuable near-shore resources come under coastal jurisdiction. The transition to a new regime has been difficult for many states, most notably Japan, whose rights to use the entire ocean were well protected by the traditional regime. Japan’s response to the need to develop a modern ocean policy— to adapt to the emerging ocean management regime—is the subject of this multiauthor volume. U.S. and Japanese scholars look at what Japan is doing, how, and with what results. They first assess general trends in ocean management, then examine the role of Japan in the international political economy of the oceans, and finally look at Japan’s ocean policy in various sectors: shipbuilding, fisheries, mineral resources, offshore petroleum, and nuclear power generation. Given Japan’s importance in ocean affairs, the authors point out that the lessons that can be learned from its experience are of prime international importance.

The regime under which humankind has governed its uses of the ocean is in the process of change—shifting away from the traditional freedom of the seas toward a “mixed†system in which most of the valuable near-shore resources come under coastal jurisdiction. The transition to a new regime has been difficult for many states, most notably Japan, whose rights to use the entire ocean were well protected by the traditional regime. Japan’s response to the need to develop a modern ocean policy— to adapt to the emerging ocean management regime—is the subject of this multiauthor volume. U.S. and Japanese scholars look at what Japan is doing, how, and with what results. They first assess general trends in ocean management, then examine the role of Japan in the international political economy of the oceans, and finally look at Japan’s ocean policy in various sectors: shipbuilding, fisheries, mineral resources, offshore petroleum, and nuclear power generation. Given Japan’s importance in ocean affairs, the authors point out that the lessons that can be learned from its experience are of prime international importance.

Japan, the geopolitical lynchpin in the East Asian region, has developed a unique maritime security policy and interpretation of the law of the sea. Japanese Maritime Security and the Law of the Sea examines Japan’s domestic laws and its approach to international law.

Japan and the U.S. must establish a genuine partnership on the high seas, one that responds to new and traditional security threats. The U.S. must have faith in and be ready to rely on Japanese maritime assets. The Maritime Self-Defense Forces will be at the center of that effort, but this strategy will rely on all of Japan's maritime related agencies and assets. This strategy should 'maintain and strengthen the existing infrastructure of Japan-U.S. security cooperation in the western Pacific' and develop a new infrastructure for cooperation in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea. Japanese experience and know how can be applied to future SLOCs in the Arctic Ocean. Japan must assume key roles and missions in theaters to which Japan can apply its capabilities, resources, and expertise. For that to happen, Japan should state clearly its right to exercise collective self-defense. The existing limits make the least effort to contribute to regional or global security initiatives an almost Herculean task. This undermines Japan's international image, contributes to political divisions, and harms it own security. The two nations should promote a 'global ocean regime of peace and stability' and organize a loose-knit 'Union of Seafaring Nations' composed of nations who support the tenets of the alliance to help safeguard an increasingly vital resource and ensure the health and security of the world's oceans.