PORTS OF

Report Details of Japanese and their value in Submitted to Sir Pacific ocean Sohail Bashir Author:

S.M.Misbah

Ce-063

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PORTS OF JAPAN Table of Content

1. Introduction 2

2. Background 3

3. Infrastructure 5

4. Details of Major Japanese Ports 6

5. References 19

Ports of Japan 2

Introduction:

Japan is a long, narrow island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the , , North , South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and in the south.

Japan has a large industrial capacity, and is home to some of the largest and most technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronics, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemical substances, textiles, and processed foods. Agricultural businesses in Japan cultivate 13 percent of Japan's land, and Japan accounts for nearly 15 percent of the global fish catch. Japan's exports amounted to US$4,210 per capita in 2005. Its main imports are machinery and equipment, fossil fuels, foodstuffs (in particular beef), chemicals, textiles and raw materials for its industries. By market share measures, domestic markets are the least open of any OECD country. Junichiro Koizumi's administration began some pro-competition reforms, and foreign investment in Japan has soared.

Trade with other nations stimulated cultural development in Japan, and the limited amount of space prompted a national policy establishing foreign trade early on. The development of ports and harbors has therefore been particularly important to the economy, and the Japanese government plays a leading role in maintaining the country's ports, as well as its shipping. The remarkably high proportion of coastline, which spans 34,600km, to total land area (380,000 sq. km) has generated an extremely large number of ports. Approximately 42% of the entire population of Japan lives near a harbor. Ports are the mainstay for 99% of Japan's foreign trade and 42% of its domestic distribution.

Major ports of Japan are listed below:

 Port of  Port of  Port of Funagawa  Port of  Port of Hakodate  Port of Ibaraki   Port of  Port of Noshiro  Port of  Port of Sakata  Port of  Port of Takamatsu  Port of  Port of Yokosuka

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Background:

Pre-19th Century (Ancient times to the Period)

Exchanges between Japan and the continent (China) began to flourish from the 6th century. At this time, the Inland Sea of Japan, which formed a large, natural shipping canal, was a particularly important waterway. In the 11th century, an artificial island (Kyoga Island) was constructed at the site of what is now Hyogo Prefecture where trade ships from the continent could anchor. Sakai Port in Osaka began to flourish in the 16th century when it served as the main port of call for the Chinese and Europeans (the Spanish and Portuguese).

Japan entered the in the 17th century, an approximately 250-year period of official national isolation. Ports that had previously been opened to foreign countries now focused on domestic distribution, and the bulk of Japan's current port structure foundation were established during this period. The country's commodity distribution bases were in Osaka and Tokyo, with the "Eastern Roundabout" and the "Western Roundabout" as the two main shipping routes. The Eastern Roundabout ran along the Pacific Ocean, connecting Northeastern Japan with Tokyo, while the Western Roundabout ran along the Sea of Japan and the Inland Sea, tying Northeastern Japan with Osaka. In the mid-19th century, international trading ports were opened in Yokohama, Nagasaki and Hakodate, followed by Kobe and Osaka at the end of the Edo Period and the beginning of the Period.

1870 to 1945 (Meiji Period to World War II) Industrial Promotion Policy

Japan's ports and harbors matured under the Meiji government's policy of industrial promotion, national wealth and military strength. Ports, harbors, railroads, roads and other types of social infrastructure were established at this time. The Meiji government policy of modernization under a centralized government was designed to help Japan catch up with advanced Western nations.

Yokohama and Kobe were established as major foreign trading ports during the Meiji Period. The coastal region was developing into a heavy chemical industrial belt under the government's aforesaid policy. Yokohama Port, the center of raw silk thread distribution, and Kobe Port, an import/export base for cotton, wool and other raw materials for the textile industry, both flourished at the time as gateways for international distribution.

Under the government policy regarding ports and harbors enacted in 1873, ports were deemed "government-owned structures," which brought them under government jurisdiction. These facilities were ranked (Class One, Two and Three), and the government was directly responsible for the improvement of the five major Class One ports, which were central to the country's international trade. Class two and three ports were either under the sole jurisdiction of local governments or managed by several prefecture and municipal governments.

From the 1880s, fiscal restrictions forced the new government to shift its industrial promotion policy toward the development of industry through private capital. State management companies were sold off to the private sector. The resulting remarkable growth in private business was one of the reasons that industry was concentrated in four major industrial belts along Japan's coastal area (Keihin, Chukyo, Hanshin and Kitakyushu).

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From 1945 (World War II to Present)

Modern Port Management System

The Port and Harbor Law was enacted during the postwar period, in 1950, as Japan's first basic law concerning the construction, improvement, management, and operation of ports and harbors. This law clearly stated that ports were to be managed by port management bodies, and the foundation for the current Japanese system of port management by local government entities was established.

National Port Development Plan

In the course of postwar recovery, the amount of freight handled by Japanese ports had recovered to prewar levels by 1953. During the 1950s, Japan experienced both a rapid population increase and increased population density in urban areas. Intensive efforts were made to improve the network of ports, railroads, and highways in these metropolitan areas, particularly in the Pacific industrial belt.

Subsequently, in the 1960s, the Japanese economy enjoyed a high growth rate, leading to a shortage of port capacity. In 1961, therefore, the Law on Emergency Measures for Port Development was enacted, and the first Five-Year Port Development Plan was devised (FY 1961-1965). Linked to the Plan to Double the People's Income, the national economic plan, this plan stimulated the promotion of port and harbor development.

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Port Infrastructure:

Infrastructure Development

In order of regional development plan, which included ports and harbors, to be publicly approved, adjustments were needed at various levels of administration. In response to requests by local governments regarding the new development system, the central government (Economic Planning Agency) formed council comprising members of related government offices, experts and other representatives to select the sites for new industrial cities. This process involved discussions on city planning, as well as various infrastructure development plans, and officials from related ministries, as well as prefectural and municipal officials, coordinated the selection process.

The new industrial city plans were not limited to industrial sites and port plans, but also covered housing, highways and roads, railroads, general and industrial water and sewage, and electricity. This system of coordination was also used to put the plans into action. The government prepared a supplemental budget to be used, for example, when infrastructure construction projects were delayed. The government's function was expanded in the early 1970s with the creation of the National Land Agency. Under government restructuring in 2001, the National Land Agency, the Ministry of the Hokkaido Development Agency, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Construction are integrated to form the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Effects of New Industrial Cities Development and the Role of Ports

In terms of promoting new industrial zones in areas outside of existing development zones, the development plan has succeeded in the majority of selected sites, even though with some regional differences. Development has not only provided thousands of people in these areas with jobs, but it has also helped regenerate the economies in these areas.

Ports are one of the most crucial aspects of infrastructure in supporting the development of the new industrial zones. Regional development plants incorporated the type and scale of the industry to be developed in the area, as well as thoroughly designed highway and road networks, railroads, water supplies and port facilities.

The public and private sector provided investment capital for the new industrial zones. The government, which also financed basic infrastructure facilities such as highways, roads and industrial water supplies, subsidized basic port infrastructure such as the construction of breakwaters and public wharves; and the dredging of navigation channels and anchorage. When industries required extra water depth in order to use the facilities, however, the party that would profit from this construction bore a certain amount of the cost.

Sites prepared by local government were sold to industries settling at a specific location. This industry was also responsible for the construction of port facilities attached to the land and intended for their exclusive use. In effect, the total investment by the public sector for a new industrial area was much smaller compared to the amount spent by the private sector.

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Details of Major Japanese Ports:

Japanese Ports and Container Terminals

Major Ports of Japan

Ports of Japan 7

1. Port of Akita

The Port of Akita is a seaport on the Sea of Japan coast of Akita Prefecture, to the west of the city center of Akita in the Tōhoku region of northern Honshū, Japan. It is classified as a Major Port by the Japanese government. The port has a total land area of 662.5 hectares.

During the Edo period, Akita was an important port of call on the Kitamaebune route of coastal trade from Osaka to Hokkaido and an important source of revenue for the Satake clan’s Kubota Domain. In modern times, during the Meiji period a breakwater was completed in 1885 and enlarged in 1902, and Tsuchizakiko Port was designated a “secondary port” by the Japanese government in 1910. When the town of Tsuchizaki was annexed by the city of Akita in 1941, the port was officially renamed “Akita Port”. The port facilities were extensively damaged in American air raids on August 14, 1945.

After World War II, the port was improved, with the breakwater extended partly though the sinking of the hulks of the kaibokan Ikara and destroyers Momo and Take. Akita Port received the designation of “major port” from the Japanese government on January 19, 1951 and “special port” designation in 1962. A customs office was opened in 1964, permitting international trade. The Akita Northern Port extension was opened in 1970.

2.

The Port of Chiba is the largest seaport in Japan, located in on the interior of . The Port spans 24,800 hectares (61,000 acres) across the cities of Ichikawa, , , Chiba, Ichihara, and .

Port activity has existed in the area since the Kamakura period. By the end of the Edo period the port had an active trade in salt and grain with the . Land reclamation for port facilities began in 1910. The port sustained extensive damage in aerial bombing during World War II. The modern Port of Chiba opened in August 1953, and played a large part in the building of the import/export economy following the war. The port became an integral part of the Keiyō Industrial Zone.

The Port of Chiba handles 166,964,000 tons of annually, ranking it second in Japan in terms of cargo handling. The Port handles 41,780 TEU, eighth in Japan. 65,200 vessels are

Ports of Japan 8 handled annually. 94% of its cargo is industrial in nature. It imports crude petroleum, liquid natural gas, and other oil products, and exports chemical and steel products, and vehicles.

It is managed by the prefectural government, and is open continuously throughout the year. The central office of the port is in the Chūō-ku ward of the City of Chiba, with branch offices in Ichihara and Sodegaura. The port is accessed by rail via the JR East (1 kilometre (0.62 mi)) and Narita International Airport (30 kilometres (19 mi)).

3. Port of Funagawa

The Port of Funagawa is a seaport on the Sea of Japan coast of Akita Prefecture, in the city of Oga in the Tohoku region of northern Honshu, Japan. It is classified as a Major Port by the Japanese government. The port has a total land area of 253.4 hectares.

Located on the southern coast of Oga Peninsula, the site of Funagawa Port was a natural harbor used by fishermen since ancient times. In 1951, the port was earmarked for development by the Japanese government with the designation of a “major port” and in 1965 with its designation as part of the Akita Bay Industrial Development Zone. The main industries served by Funagawa Port are oil refineries and wood processing plants. In 1982, Funagawa Port was designated as part of Japan’s strategic petroleum reserve, with a tank farm consisting of 12 underground and four above ground tanks with a total capacity of 4,480,000 kiloliters completed and at full capacity by 1995.

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4.

The Port of Hachinohe is a seaport on the Pacific coast of , in the city of Hachinohe in the Tohoku region of northern Honshu, Japan. It is classified as a Specially- Authorized Port by the Japanese government as an official port of entry into Japan with associated immigration and customs facilities. The port is divided into five sectors, with a total land area of 619 hectares.

Hachinohe developed as a castle town of the ’s Hachinohe Domain in the Edo period. The port was a major fishing port, and a port of call for the coastal trade from Osaka and Edo to Hokkido.

In modern times, the area was earmarked for economic development by the Meiji government, which hired Dutch to redesign and rebuilt the port facilities along western lines. Immigration facilities were established in 1925, and the port was officially opened for foreign trade by the Home Ministry in 1928. It was designated a primary seaport by the Japanese government in 1954.

The port facilities suffered minor damage from a caused by the off and again in 1968 from the Tokaichi-oki earthquake. The port facilities were continually expanded from the 1970s through the 1990s, with additional berths and the construction of a port island. Regularly scheduled container services to Southeast Asia began in 1994, to Korea and the in 1998, and to China in 1999. In 2001, the Hattaro Refrigerated Warehouse was completed, furnishing the Port of Hachinohe with a temperature control and humidification system for storage of agricultural products.

In March 2011, the port facilities were severely damaged by a tsunami from the 2011 Tohoku earthquake.

Hachinohe Port Authority administers the Port of Hachinohe and its 48 berths for both domestic and international container services. Domestic routes include Tokyo and Yokohama, and overseas routes include Taiwan, , Korea, , , , , and the United States.

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The port has seven fuel terminals with capacity to store over 11 million barrels of oil, and supplies fuel for the local fishing fleet as well as nearby operated by the United States Air Force.

5. Port of Kobe

The Port of Kobe is a Japanese maritime port in Kobe, Hyōgo in the greater Osaka area, surrounded grounded by the Hanshin Industrial Region.

Located at a foothill of the range of Mount Rokkō, flat lands are limited and constructions of artificial islands have carried out, to make Port Island, Rokko Island, island of Kobe Airport to name some.

After the World War II pillars were occupied by the Allied Forces, later by United States Forces Japan. In the 1970s the port boasted it handled the most containers in the world. It was the world's busiest container port from 1973 to 1978.The 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake diminished much of the port city's prominence when it destroyed and halted much of the facilities and services there, causing approximately ten trillion yen or $102.5 billion in damage, 2.5% of Japan's GDP at the time. Most of the losses were uninsured, as only 3% of property in the Kobe area was covered by earthquake insurance, compared to 16% in Tokyo. Kobe was one of the world's busiest ports prior to the earthquake, but despite the repair and rebuilding, it has never regained its former status as Japan's principal shipping port. It remains Japan's fourth busiest container port.

Harborland - Meriken Park area with cruise ship Nautica seen in sight.

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6.

The Port of Nagoya, located in , is the largest and busiest trading port in Japan, accounting for about 10% of the total trade value of Japan. Notably, this port is the largest exporter of cars in Japan and where the Motor Corporation exports most of its cars. It has piers in Nagoya, Tokai, Aichi, Chita, Aichi, , Aichi, and , Aichi.

The port draws tourists from the Chukyo Metropolitan Area as one of its primary tourist attractions. The main attraction is the port's famous Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium. Nearby are also an amusement park and the now-retired Antarctic survey ship Fuji which moors at the Port of Nagoya as a museum of the South Pole and its journeys there.

The includes three impressive bridges, collectively known as the Meiko Triton, which span the port. In the waters of the port on a small artificial island, there is a wildflower garden called Bluebonnet.

7. Port of Noshiro

The Port of Noshiro is a seaport on the Sea of Japan coast of Akita Prefecture, in the city of Noshiro in the Tohoku region of northern Honshū, Japan. It is classified as a Major Port by the Japanese government. The port has a total land area of 276 hectares.

Per the Nihon Shoki and other ancient chronicles, Noshiro is the location where an expedition sent by the Yamato Court led by Abe no Hirafu landed in 658 AD with orders to force the local Emishi tribes into submission. Trade vessels from Balhae were calling at Noshiro Port as late as 771 AD. During the Edo period, Noshiro port was an important port of call on the Kitamaebune route of coastal trade from Osaka to Hokkaido and an important source of

Ports of Japan 12 revenue for the Satake clan’s Kubota Domain based at nearby Akita, who exported lumber from the clans holdings in Dewa Province.

In modern times, the port declined in importance after the Meiji period as silting made the port unusable for larger vessels, despite its status as a “designated port” from 1922 by the Japanese government. After World War II, the port was improved, gaining status as an international trade port in 1972 with the establishment of a customs office, and designation as a Major Port in 1981. The Noshiro Thermal Power Plant was constructed in 1993, powered by coal imported into the port.

The port facilities were upgraded in 2001 with the completion of a multi-purpose international terminal and the port was designated an official “recycling port” in 2006 for the export of scrap metal. Coal imports can take up a large percentage of the cargo handling capacity of the port at present.

8. Port of Osaka

The Port of Osaka is the main port in Japan, located in Osaka within Osaka Bay. The Port of Osaka also has several sister ports include Busan Port. Known in ancient times as "Naniwazu," the Osaka Port served as an embarkation point for ships travelling to and from the Korean Peninsula and China. Since its opening to foreign trade in 1868, Osaka based industry and trade began to thrive and the number of vessels utilizing the Osaka Port increased dramatically thanks to the construction of a new ports. The Osaka Port, as one of the nation's leading ports, entered an age of prosperity, becoming one of Asia's major trade ports. The port continues to prosper as a thriving international trading port through its commitment to overhauling facilities, utilizing state-of-the-art technology and providing improved port services.

Known in ancient times as "Naniwazu," the Port of Osaka served as an embarkation point for ships travelling to and from the Korean Peninsula and China. Since its opening to foreign trade in 1868, Osaka based industry and trade began to thrive and the number of vessels utilizing the Port of Osaka increased dramatically thanks to the construction of a new port. The Port of Osaka, as one of the nation's leading ports, entered an age of prosperity, becoming one of Asia's major trade ports. The port continues to prosper as a thriving international trading port through its commitment to overhauling facilities, utilizing state-of- the-art technology and providing improved port services. Handling around 85 million tons of cargo annually and linked to about 600 ports in approximately 140 countries and regions, the port is supporting economic activities and everyday lives of 21 million people in Kinki region. At Yumeshima Container Terminals C10-12, a mega-operator , Dream Island

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Container Terminal Co., Ltd. is operating the terminals in an integrated manner , and providing efficient container handling services through its centralized berth window and yard planning operations. Moreover, the construction at C-12(extension part) has been started for open in 2016.

9. Port of Sakata

The Port of Sakata is a seaport on the Sea of Japan coast of Yamagata Prefecture, to the west of the city center of Sakata at the mouth of the Mogami River in the Tohoku region of northern Honshu , Japan. It is classified as a Major Port and as a Special Port by the Japanese government.

A port existed at the mouth of the Mogami River since at least the Kamakura period. It developed during the Edo period, as one of the most important ports of call on the Kitamaebune route of coastal trade from Osaka to Hokkaido, rivaling Sakai in revenue. Much of the trade was under the control of the local Homma clan, which became the largest landowners in Japan during Meiji period. During the Meiji period, the port facilities were gradually improved and enlarged, with international shipping routes established by Nippon Yusen in 1885, and a lighthouse established in 1895. The port received the designation of “major port” from the Japanese government on January 19, 1951. In 1957, Sakata was designated a port for the import of timber. The first timber ship from the Soviet Union called on the port in 1958. A 10,000 ton quay was completed in 1962. In 1966, development began on Sakata North Port, which opened in 1974. A thermal power plant was completed in 1977, with the part of the power for an aluminum mill by Sumitomo Light Metals nearby. The aluminum mill closed in 1982. In 2004, Japan’s first offshore wind power plant started operation off of Sakata North Port.

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10. Port of Yokohama

The Port of Yokohama is operated by the Port and Harbor Bureau of the City of Yokohama in Japan. It opens onto Tokyo Bay. To the south lies the Port of Yokosuka; to the north, the ports of Kawasaki and Tokyo. The Treaty of Amity and Commerce of 1858 specified Kanagawa as an open port. The Port of Yokohama formally opened to foreign trade on the 2nd of June 1859. The port grew rapidly through the Meiji and Taisho periods as a center for raw silk export and technology import.

Yokohama Port has ten major piers. Honmoku Pier is the port's core facility with 24 berths including 14 container berths. Osanbashi Pier handles passenger traffic including cruises, and has customs, immigration and quarantine facilities for international travel. Detamachi, the "banana pier," is outfitted for receiving fresh fruits and vegetables. Daikoku Pier, on an artificial island measuring 321 hectares, is equipped with container logistics facilities including seven container berths and houses a million square meters of warehouse space at the Yokohama Port Cargo Center.

At Minami Honmoku, the newest facility to be developed, there are two 350 meter operational berths with a depth of 16 meters capable of handling larger post Panamax container ships with 6 mega container cranes for 22 lines of containers. Additional berths are under construction for larger ships in dimensions equal to or exceeding the size of a Mærsk E-class .

Seven berths of Mizuho Pier are used by the United States Forces Japan. Additional piers handle timber and serve other functions. In 2013, the Port of Yokohama served 37,706 ships. It handled 271,276,977 tons of cargo and 2,888,220 TEU containers. The total value of the cargo was 10,921,656 million yen. APM Terminals Yokohama facility at Minami Honmoku was recognised in 2013 as the most productive container terminal in the world averaging 163 crane moves per hour, per ship between the vessel's arrival and departure at the berth.

11. Port of Yokosuka

The Port of Yokosuka lies to the south of the Port of Yokohama on Tokyo Bay. Under the Ports and Harbors Law of Japan it is classified as an Important Port. The city of Yokosuka administers the port.

The Port of Yokosuka has 100 berths of length 4.5 m or more. It covers 13 areas from Oppama in the north to Kurihama and Nobi in the south. Kurihama is the place where Commodore Matthew Perry landed in 1853. Since then it has been developed for military,

Ports of Japan 15 shipping, and ferry traffic. The U.S. Navy Base and the Maritime Self-Defense force base lie within the Port of Yokosuka.

Located near the Nissan Oppama plant, Yokosuka is a major port for shipping of automobiles. The fishing fleet brings in tuna and other ocean products. Tokyo-Wan Ferry links Yokosuka with the Port of Kanaya in Futtsu, Chiba Prefecture. Other ferries go to Tokyo, Izu Ōshima, and Ōita in Kyūshū.

12.

The Port of Tokyo is one of the largest Japanese seaports and one of the largest seaports in the Pacific Ocean basin having an annual traffic capacity of around 100 million tonnes of cargo and 4,500,000 TEU's.The port is also an important employer in the area having more than 30,000 employees that provide services to more than 32,000 ships every year.

The forerunner of the Port of Tokyo, the Edo Port (Edo Minato) played a very important role in the history of marine transport of Japan and as a distribution point for supplying goods for the people of Edo. During the the Port of Tokyo was not allowed to open to international trade, although the neighbouring Port of Yokohama was already open for this kind of trade.The development of the port was finally encouraged during the Meiji Period with the influence of a project that was ment to improve the estuary of the by dredging channels and reclaiming land at Tsukishima and .

The Kanto earthquake in 1923 served as a starting point of a full - scale terminal construction project, which was topped out with the opening of the first terminal Hinode in 1925. Alongside with the completion of another two terminals, Shibaura and Takeshiba, the Port of Tokyo opened for international trade on May 20, 1941.After World War II the development of the port became a vital task for the reconstruction of the Japanese industry, and construction started on the Toyosu coal terminal, the Harumi terminal and other terminals one after another.

By the late 1960s, the container transport system had become a major factor in shipping world-wide. In 1967, Nippon Container Terminals, Ltd. (NCT), became the port's (and Japan's) first container terminal operator. That same year, the first container ship to call on a Japanese port was the first such ship handled by NCT. This significantly contributed to establishing the Port of Tokyo as a major international trade port. In 2007 the Port of Tokyo handled 90,810,000 tonnes of cargo and 3,696,000 TEU's making it one of the busiest cargo ports in Japan and one of the largest container ports in the country.

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Terminals

Container terminals

The Port of Tokyo has three container terminals with an area of 1,504,718 m2 with a total number of 15 berths and a quay length of 4,479 metres.

Oi container terminal

The terminal has seven berths with an area of 945,700 m2 and a quay length of 2,354 metres.

Aomi container terminal

The terminal has five berths with an area of 479,079 m2 and a quay length of 1,570 metres.

Shinagawa container terminal

The terminal has three berths with an area of 79,939 m2 and a quay length of 333 metres. Opened in 1967 it is the oldest container terminal in Japan.

Kamigumi Tokyo container terminal

The terminal has one berth with a quay length of 260 metres. Private berth by Kamigumi.

Foodstuff terminal

There are two foodstuff terminals opened in February, 1999, Oi marine products and Oi foodstuff ,with five berths with a quay length of 1,060 metres and a storage area of 359,000 m2.

General cargo

The general cargo section of the port has five terminals: one for bulk cargo, one for timber, one for construction materials, one for log handling and one for linear products with a storage area of 900,000 m2, a quay length of 3,500 metres, storage for 200,000 cubic metres of timber and storage for 210,000 tonnes of logs.

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Automobile terminal

The Port of Tokyo has two RoRo terminals with a total length of 1,200 metres, a land area of 100,000 m2, storage capacity of 22,000 cars and a transshipment capacity of 3,500,000 units per year.

13. Tsuruga Port

The Tsuruga Port is now one of the three main ports on the Sea of Japan. Since the early 9th century, Tsuruga port has been involved in Japan maritime trade. Tsuruga Port has been prospering as a trade gateway between Japan and the Asian Continent since the Nara era, and as transit base for Kitamaebune intra-Japan ships since the middle of Edo era. In the Meiji era, shipping routes between Tsuruga, Korea, and, respectively Eastern Russia (Vladivostok) were opened, and in 1912, a railway connecting Tokyo with the port of Tsuruga was completed.

Today, Tsuruga port serves an important role as a gateway on the Sea of Japan for the Fukui Prefecture and the two major economic areas of Hanshin Industrial Region, , and Chukyo, Chubu Region, as well as with other regions of Japan and with foreign countries such as Korea, China and Russia. Ships of different types, i.e. cargo and passenger ferries, container ships, RoRo (Roll-on/roll-off) ships and dry bulk ships call at Tsuruga port, carrying general merchandises, coal, lumber, cars, buses and trucks…etc.

A three-weekly container service connects Tsuruga and Busan, the largest South Korean port. A bi-weekly Roll-on/roll-off ship service was also introduced with Busan in 2010, and has been in the meantime expanded to a five-weekly service, thereby providing vital links between these two ports. Tsuruga Port includes the original "Main Port area", which was the birthplace of the port, and a "New Port area" which has been opened in 2010 in the Mariyama area to serve the expanding freight logistics activities. A coal-powered power station and cement factory are located immediately North of the New Port area, served by large bulk ships.

Within the New Port complex, there is a public wharf with 12 meters depth of water and 8 meters wide, and a private wharf with 14 meters depth of water and 10 meters wide, and a common ferry wharf for large ferries compatible with facilities at Tomakomai (Hokkaido) port, Akita port and port.

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A multi-purpose International Terminal and a new breakwater have been developed at Mariyama New Port to serve the increasing volume of container cargoes and related freight logistics activities. This multi-purpose International Terminal is designed to meet the logistics needs of The Fukui Prefecture and the adjacent regions of Kansai and Chubu, in relation to both their domestic and foreign trades; it has a deep water depth (14 meters). The adjacent terminal area is of approximately 25 hectares, which makes it the largest on the coast of the Sea of Japan.

Japanese Ports Summarised Details

References

1. http://www.worldportsource.com/ports/review/JPN_Port_of_Osaka_1383.php 2. http://www.city.osaka.lg.jp/contents/wdu020/port/information/facilities.html 3. http://www.city.yokohama.lg.jp/kowan/english/other.html 4. www.jtbgmt.com/japaninfocus/cruise/hokkaido.pdf 5. http://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/cruise/list/index.html 6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Ports_and_harbors_of_Japan 7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Tokyo 8. http://www.city.yokohama.lg.jp/kowan/english/other.html

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Ports of Japan