It is well known that Japan's rapid post-war economic recovery was based on free trade and the development of its coastal industrial zones. What is less well known is that this economic strategy was the direct result of then Prime Minister Yoshida's conviction that Japan should go forward as a maritime nation. The time is past however, when we can view the ocean only from the perspective of its economic advantages. As the conditions of our current century demand a reexamination of man's relationship with the ocean, Japan should make ocean initiatives a national priority and exert international leadership in searching for solutions to ocean problems.

The Malacca and Singapore Straits is navigated by seventy-five thousand ships per year and is the import route for ninety percent of Japan's oil. At present, the three coastal countries have proposed and are seeking cooperation on six projects as part of a navigation safety initiative, but these are largely counter-measures for the prevention of collisions and groundings. What are most needed now are counter-measures to stem the growing threat of terrorism in the Straits.

Although the Coast Guard is generally considered a policing body, there is a real possibility of its having to undertake aggressive action in an armed conflict. Given the Coast Guard's extensive manpower resources and increasingly sophisticated armament, there is a need to regulate its activities with an Armed Conflict Law.