In the 22nd year of the Meiji era (1889) the Ertuğrul disaster at sea occurred when the Ottoman Navy Frigate sank off the coast of Kashinozaki, in Kushimoto Village, Wakayama Prefecture. The rescue efforts in the midst of a raging typhoon by the fisher-folk of Kashinozaki and the later care extended to the survivors is considered the starting point of Japanese-Turkish friendship. This bond between the two peoples, difficult to put into words, has not been forgotten over the years, but has if anything grown stronger. We can see the ideal of private diplomacy embodied in this heartwarming story, which deserves to be passed on to future generations.

In recent years, there have been many attacks on merchant and fishing vessels off the coast of Somalia. As these waters linking the Suez Canal and Indian Ocean are of great strategic importance on the route in the Middle East, the incidents can by no means be ignored by Japan. In light of the fact that threats to the safety of maritime transport impinge on our nation's very survival, we must ask if our current maritime security initiatives are indeed sufficient.

As all of Japan's borders are on the ocean, most Japanese can go about their lives without ever being conscious of them. However, with the increase of its ocean areas due to its EEZ the shape of the country has changed, so that it now shares borders with seven countries. An international ocean strategy is thus called for, in which we can share ideas with our neighbors to bring about the fruits of economic growth and peace in the region.