Japan

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Japan’s contemporary ventures in the Arctic began in 1990 when the Arctic Environment Research Center was created. Shortly thereafter, the National Institute of Polar Research established a Japanese research station in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, Norway to pursue work in atmospheric physics, glaciology, meteorology, oceanography, and terrestrial biology. In the 1990s, Japan was invited to participate in the International Arctic Science Committee and the founding of the International Northern Sea Route Program, a six-year project between Japan, Norway, and Russia to study the viability of Arctic shipping lanes. Today, the program has become the Japan Northern Sea Route Program and is still dedicated to Arctic shipping research.

In 2009 Japan applied for observer status at the Arctic Council. To buttress its application, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs established an Arctic Task Force within the Ocean Division “in order to make a cross-sectorial approach towards foreign policy on the Arctic including the aspect of International Law.” Japan was awarded permanent observer status in 2013, the same year it adopted the Basic Plan on Ocean Policy. The Plan lays out Japan’s priority areas in the Arctic: international cooperation and trans-Arctic shipping. In 2013, Japan established the Liaison Conference of Relevant Ministers and Agencies for Arctic Issues, which has held a total of 10 meetings to share information and draft Japan’s Arctic policy. This led to Japan’s adoption of their Arctic policy in 2015.

This page was updated on 1 August 2022. If we have missed anything, please contact info@thearcticinstitute.org.