The purpose of this Law is to contribute to the safety of traffic at sea and in the air by arranging results of hydrographic survey and other scientific basic data concerning the ocean and to contribute to the exchange of international hydrographic information.

　

"Hydrographic Survey" in this Law shall mean the survey of the water area, the land area pertaining thereto and the observation of terrestrial magnetism to have the results utilized for navigation of vessels.

2. The provision of the preceding paragraph shall not be construed as to exclude the application of the Survey Law (Law No. 188 of 1949).

　

"Oceanographic Observation" in this Law shall mean the observation of tide, current, wave, ice drift and any other phenomena related to the above.

　

"Hydrographic Publication" in this Law shall mean the chart, sailing direction, tide table, light list, nautical almanac and other hydrographic charts and publications.

　

"Aeronautical charts and publications" in this Law shall mean the aeronautical charts, air almanac, and other aeronautical charts and publications.

　

"Hydrographic Survey Mark" in this Law shall mean the mark established for the hydrographic survey or oceanographic observation operated by the Japan Coast Guard or by persons permitted by the Japan Coast Guard in accordance with the provision of Article 6.

2. The kind and shape of the hydrographic survey mark shall be determined by the Ministry of LIT Ordinance.

　

Any person other than the Japan Coast Guard who intends to conduct hydrographic survey with the whole or part of the expenses borne or subsizges by the state or a local public entity shall obtain permission of the Commandant of the Japan Coast Guard in advance. However, this shall not apply to such surveys conducted for scientific purposes or surveys conducted locally as provided by the Ministry of LIT Ordinance.

　

The Commandant of the Japan Coast Guard may, when deemed necessary, give advice in regard to the implementation plan for a hydrographic survey to the person who has obtained the permission in accordance with the provision of the preceding Article.

　

The Commandant of the Japan Coast Guard shall, in case he intends to conduct any hydrographic survey, give a public notice on the area, period and other necessary matters concerned in advance; the same shall apply to the case where a permission has been given under the provision of Article 6.

　

Any hydrographic survey as conducted by the Japan Coast Guard or by the person obtained the permission under Article 6 shall conform to the survey standards as enumerated in the following items. However, hydrographic surveys conducted mainly to exchange hydrographic data with other countries, and those specified by the Ministry of LIT Ordinance as being unfit to be conducted in accordance with the survey standards enumerated in the following items may be conducted in accordance with the standards prescribed by the Ministry of LIT Ordinance.

　

The Commandant of the Japan Coast Guard may, especially when deemed necessary, request local public entities and other administrators of harbor facilities to submit the data or reports on the conditions of the harbor facilities under their control.

The Commandant of the Japan Coast Guard may, especially when deemed necessary, request ships to submit necessary reports for the compilation of hydrographic publications.

　

Any official of the Japan Coast Guard may, in case of necessity for conducting hydrographic survey or oceanographic observation, enter any land or water area owned, occupied or exclusively used by the State, local public entities or private persons.

2. In case any official enters a residential land, a water area or land enclosed by fences or stockades, etc. in accordance with the provision of the preceding paragraph, he shall notify to that effect in advance to the owner, occupants or a person using it exclusively. However, this shall not apply to the case where it is difficult to do so in advance.

3. In case where any official of the Japan Coast Guard enters land or water area in accordance with the provision of paragraph 1, he shall carry with him an identification card and shall show it when requested by the person concerned.

　

The official of the Japan Coast Guard may, in case of special necessity for conducting hydrographic survey, cut down or remove plants, fences or stockades, etc. obstructing the operation, with obtaining, in advance, the permission of the owner or occupant.

In case where the official of the Japan Coast Guard conducts hydrographic survey at an isolated island or places similar to it, he may cut down or remove plants, fences or stockades, etc. without obtaining permission regardless of the provision of the preceding Article, when it is difficult to get the permission of the owner or occupant in advance and when it is expected that any marked damage is not inflicted upon the said objects; in this case, he shall notify without delay, the owner or occupant to that effect.

　

In case where any damage is caused by the entry, cutting down or removal in accordance with the provisions of the preceding three Articles, the State shall compensate for the losses with the amount corresponding to the losses to the owner, occupant or the person using them exclusively.

2. The amount of the compensation under the preceding paragraph shall be decided by the commandant of the Japan Coast Guard.

3. Any person who is dissatisfied with the decision under the preceding paragraph may make an appeal to demand the increase of the amount of the compensation within three months from the day when he was aware of the decision.

4. For making the apeal under the preceding paragraph, the State shall be the defendant.

　

No person shall, without any justifiable reason, damage or remove the hydrographic survey marks or do any act liable to impair the effective value of those marks.

Vessels of the Japan Coast Guard or of those persons who have got permission in accordance with the provision of Article 6 shall, in case where they are conducting hydrographic survey or oceanographic observation, put up such marks as provided by the Ministry of LIT Ordinance.

The master of a vessel shall not sail his vessel too close to a vessel putting up the mark of vessel under the preceding paragraph, without any justifiable reason.

　

Any person who is going to start any harbor repair work or any other works causing a marked change in the coast line, shall notify the Commandant of the Japan Coast Guard to that effect.

2. The governor of a prefecture shall, in case where he has licensed the fixednet fishery or the common fishery which was designated by the Minister of LIT, under the provision of Article 10 or Article 22 of the Fisheries Law (Law No. 267 of 1949), or he has permitted the fishery designated by the Minister of LIT in accordance with the regulations of prefecture based on the provision of Article 65 Paragraph 1 of the said Law, report the following items to the Commandant of the Japan Coast Guard. In cases where he has annulled or altered the fishery right in accordance with the provisions of Article 37 to Article 40 inclusive of the said Law, or changed the reported items, the same shall also apply to those matters:

The master of a vessel shall, in case he has found any sunken object or object menacing the safety of navigation, or found any phenomenon remarkably different from the descriptions in hydrographic publications published by the Japan Coast Guard, notify without delay the Commandant of Japan Coast Guard.

　

The Commandant of the Japan Coast Guard shall publish the results obtained by the hydrographic survey or oceanographic observation conducted by the Japan Coast Guard.

　

The person who has obtained any results by conducting the hydrographic survey with the permission in accordance with the provision of Article 6 shall submit, without delay, a copy of the survey record to the Commandant of the Japan Coast Guard.

In case where any person other than the Japan Coast Guard has found, from the results of the oceanographic observation he has conducted, any phenomenon remarkably different from the description in hydrographic publications published by the Japan Coast Guard, he shall notify the Commandant of the Japan Coast Guard without delay to that effect.

　

Any person other than the Japan Coast Guard who intends to reproduce or issue any hydrographic publications or aeronautical charts and publications, prepared by the Japan Coast Guard for use in navigation or aviation, or to utilize such hydrographic publications or aeronautical charts and publications to make other publications for navigation or aviation shall obtain approval of the Commandant of the Japan Coast Guard.

Any person who intends to issue any publication similar to the charts, aeronautical charts, sailing directions, light list published by the Maritime Safety Agency shall obtain the permission of the Commandant of the Japan Coast Guard.

2. The Commandant of the Japan Coast Guard shall give approval to the publication under the preceding paragraph as long as it does not impede the security of safety at sea.

　

The Japan Coast Guard may conduct the hydrographic survey and oceanographic observation, and mapping or compilation or printing of the results thereof at the request of the general public as long as these works do not interrupt the smooth execution of its proper functions.

Deleted.

　

The person who has violated the provision of Article 16 shall be punished with an imprisonment not exceeding one year or with a fine not more than 50,000 yen.

Any person who comes under any of the following items shall be punished with a fine not more than 30,000 yen:

In case where any representative of a juridical person, proxy, employee, or the other worker of a juridical person or of a natural person commits the violation under the provision of the preceding Article item (3) for the business of the juridical person or the natural person, not only the offender shall be punished, but the juridical person or the natural person concerned shall be liable to a fine under the same Article, unless it is proved that due care and supervision has been exercised in connection with the business of said juridical or natural person in order to prevent such violation by the proxy, employee, or other worker thereof.