Inviting persons in charge of seafarer administration (division chief class) of the ASEAN nations and China, we held the meeting with the participation, from our country, of the Director General, Maritime Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, together with the relevant divisions in charge of seafarer administration and education of the same ministry.
The following organizations were also represented in the meeting: from seafarer education institutes, The Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Kobe University, Marine Technology College, and The National Institute for Sea Training; from other maritime organizations, The Japanese Shipowners’ Association, The International Mariners Management Association of Japan, and The All Japan Seamen’s Union.
In the meeting, we exchanged views to reach a common realization of various problems related to seafarers and over international efforts to cope with such problems. The need for coordination and cooperation, both international and domestic, in relation to the following items was highlighted as future approaches to secure and nurture competent seafarers:
Following the conclusion of the ‘Experts Meeting on Improving the Quality of Seafarers in Asia’, Japan proposed an ‘ASEAN-Japan Seafarer Training Cooperative Program’—as a new framework for international coordination in the field of seafarers—which was approved by the member countries.
This ‘ASEAN-Japan Seafarer Training Cooperative Program’ has the following three principal pillars and Japan is expected, in coordination and cooperation with the ASEAN countries, to proceed with specific measures in respective projects.
New individual projects will be added at various meetings (e.g., maritime working group) for ASEAN-Japan transport coordination and cooperation, as and when they emerge.
Mr. Kaneko, then Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Communication, Transport and Tourism, and Philippine Labor and Employment Secretary Roque held a ceremony of signing a memorandum for the promotion of the ‘International Cooperative Training Project for Asian Seafarers’. They agreed to continue dialogues in the Philippine-Japan Seafarer Policy Forum and confirmed to hold a working session in Manila in April, when the project is planned to start.
With the presence of then President Gloria Arroyo of the Philippines, the inauguration ceremony of the new school building of the Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific is held. From Japan, Senior Deputy Director-General Ohno of the Maritime Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, attended the ceremony and delivered a congratulation message.
Philippine-Japan meeting concerning the promotion of the ‘International Cooperative Training Project for Asian Seafarers’ (in Manila, the Philippines, on April 8)
A discussion was held with the attendance of high-level government, management and labor representatives from the Philippines and Japan. They agreed to set up an executive committee to promote the project and hold a committee meeting once a year. The discussion was attended by:
| Japanese representatives | |
| Maritime Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism: |
Senior Deputy Director-General Ohno |
| The Japanese Shipowners’ Association | Vice President Iizuka |
| The International Mariners Management Association of Japan | Chairman Manji |
| All Japan Seamen’s Union | President Fujisawa |
| Philippine representatives | |
| Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) | Marianito D. Roque (Secretary) |
| Philippine-Japan Manning Consultative Council(PJMCC) | Eduardo U.Manese(President) |
| Associated Marine Officers' and Seamen's Union of the Philippines(AMOSUP) | Gregorio S. Oca (President) |
The attendees of the meeting confirmed the progress of the project made in Fiscal Year 2009 and worked to reach a common realization between the public and private sectors. With the aim of further promotion of the project, they agreed to establish an Executive Committee, in order to have opportunities to discuss specific operating methods, along with a Technical Committee—as its subordinate organization—specialized to study seafarer education, welfare and other relevant subjects.