For the ocean going maritime industry, which faces stiff international competition, a policy to address the declining numbers of Japanese officers (professional mariners) has become a matter of the utmost urgency. Although the securing and training of staff is a basic responsibility of each company, to supplement this a cooperative scheme for developing professional mariners who can contribute to Japan's maritime industry overall is being carried out through the cooperative efforts of those involved in the industry. This new scheme to help secure and train Japanese ocean going seafarers was launched in 2007 with the cooperation of government, labor, and management.

In the last few years, the term 'home sea' has come to be used when discussing use of coastal zone areas. It will take some time to settle on a concrete definition of the term, but it can be said that the time for making policy has finally arrived. The rules for self-governance that have developed over time in local areas are indeed important, but to further stabilize management and use, it is the people who developed the rules that are essential.

The external combustion Stirling engine was invented in 1816. Due to high fuel prices and global warming, it has gained attention in recent years as an energy-saving device not dependent on oil. As the applications of the Stirling engine's unique characteristics include the main engines of small vessels required to be environmentally friendly and waste heat recovery systems for diesel engines, further development is anticipated in the future.