(3) Establishment of a Search and Rescue System in the Asia Pacific Region
Recently, efforts for the establishment of an international search and rescue system have been made at the International Maritime Organization (IMO), for example.
3. Preservation of the Marine Environment
(1) Regional Cooperation for Marine Environment Preservation
As regards cooperation with neighboring countries, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been promoting
Northwest Pacific Action Plan (NOWPAP) aimed at marine environment preservation in the Sea of Japan and Yellow Sea, with Japan, China, the Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation as its participants. JCG has been contributing to the Action Plan by actively taking part in the review in the areas of oceanographic data and marine pollution prevention.
(2) International Cooperation to Perceive the Status of Marine Environment
The concept of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) was proposed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Inter-governmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), among others, in order mainly to deepen the understanding of global climate change and to make long-term predictions on maritime phenomena.
The Northeast Asian Regional Global Ocean Observing System (NEAR/GOOS), which covers West Pacific water, has been active since October 1996. The Japan Oceanographic Data Center has played the role of administering data obtained through the system.
