Ama-cho in Oki County, Shimane Prefecture, is a remote oceanic island surrounded by the Sea of Japan. At one time, the island was on the verge of financial ruin. Then bold administrative and fiscal reforms were pushed through under the philosophy of "suffer now, enjoy later". A strategy that turned the island into its own "brand" was proposed; strenuous efforts have been made to create new merchandise, industries and employment, drawing on the local resources that exist on the island. In the process, perhaps, we have glimpsed the ideal lifestyle for a sustainable island nation that makes use of the oceans.

It cannot be said that the Japanese have a high level of interest in the sealanes. 
We do not think of the people who protect the ocean nor properly thank them. On the occasion of the dispatch of the Maritime Self Defense Force to waters off Somalia, we should reform our attitudes and do away with this neglect unworthy of an ocean state.

The Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB) was established by integrating the Japan Marine Accident Inquiry Agency (JMAIA) and the Aircraft and Railway Accidents Investigation Commission (ARAIC) on 1 October 2008, in order to enhance and combine investigation capacities for dealing with the causes of aircraft, marine and railway accidents/incidents and to prevent their recurrences. This integration resulted in the Japan Transport Safety Board carrying out investigations into the causes of air, marine and rail accidents and the Japan Marine Accident Tribunal taking disciplinary actions against licenses of seafarers. This article gives the background to the reorganization and overviews of the new entities.