Japanese transport minister Yasushi Kaneko on Saturday underscored the urgency of strengthening Japan’s shipbuilding industry, stressing that domestic shipyards must be expanded to sustain competitiveness. His comments followed an inspection of Imabari Shipbuilding Co.’s flagship facility in Marugame, Kagawa Prefecture, while the company’s headquarters remain in Imabari, Ehime Prefecture.
Kaneko warned that Japan could fall further behind China and South Korea if existing shipyard capacity is not enlarged. He pointed to physical expansion as a key requirement for maintaining a viable position in the regional shipbuilding market.
On Friday, the government approved a comprehensive economic package that calls for preparing a year-end road map to revive the sector, supported by around ¥1 trillion in combined public- and private-sector investment.
The initiative targets a substantial rise in output, aiming to increase annual ship production from the current 9.1 million gross tonnes to double that level by 2035.
Kaneko said investment needs to span the entire manufacturing process to substantially expand production capacity. He added that applying digital transformation technology will be critical in addressing ongoing labor shortages.
