The sea covers approximately seventy percent of the earth's surface. It is one of humankind's irreplaceable treasures, holding fishery, mineral and other natural resources; in addition, it is international in nature as many countries utilize it in diverse ways. Consequently, its use and development have given rise to problems that countries must deal with by working together closely, such as the establishment of maritime safety, protection and preservation of the marine environment, and restoration and protection of resources.
It is for this reason that the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea deliberated the "United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)," for the purpose of establishing international order anew at sea. The Conference adopted UNCLOS in 1982, and it came into force on November 16, 1994.
Many countries have already ratified UNCLOS. After the 136th Session of the National Diet approved it, Japan also deposited its instrument of ratification with the Secretary General of the United Nations on June 20, and UNCLOS came into force for Japan on July 20. As one of the world's principal maritime nations, Japan views this as an extremely significant development from the perspectives of contributing to the establishment of order at sea through law and prescribing the framework for activities involving the sea.
The four Geneva Conventions prescribe provisions concerning conventional laws of the sea, such as territorial seas, contiguous zones and high seas. In addition to these, UNCLOS includes new provisions, such as those related to exclusive economic zones, sea-bed and ocean floor and subsoil thereof beyond the limit of national jurisdiction (referred to as "Area" in UNCLOS), and prescribes provisions comprehensively for marine-related issues in general. It's intent is the establishment of order anew at sea internationally in a broad range of fields, such as fisheries, exploration and exploitation of natural resources, and protection and preservation of the marine environment. Therefore, UNCLOS is expected to change conditions in these fields greatly hereafter.
In particular, as a result of the ratification of UNCLOS and the enactment of related national laws, the employment of straight baselines and the establishment of contiguous zones mean that the sea area to be guarded and supervised, including internal waters, has approximately doubled. It has made it possible to exercise a certain degree of enforcement in contiguous zones regarding illegal immigration, which still continues, and illegal firearms and drugs, which have become serious social problems. Furthermore, the size of Japan's exclusive economic zone has increased by about 1.15 times, compared with the sea area supervised heretofore related to fisheries. It is now possible to exercise Japan's sovereign rights in a wide range of fields, such as the control and development of marine products and other natural resources and the protection and preservation of the marine environment.
