SAIL TRAINING IN JAPAN

BY HOKUTO MATSUMURA, THE ASAHI SHIMBUNT
The modern age has finally caught up with two graceful sailing ships used to train prospective ocean-faring officers.

The Nippon Maru, left, and the Kaiwo Maru at Nagasaki Port on April 28 (Tadashi Mizowaki/ The Asahi Shimbun)

The Nippon Maru and Kaiwo Maru, two sailing ships that belong to the Yokohama-based National Institute for Sea Training, will take on a new role in raising interest in the sea and shipping among the nation's youth.
Next year, the transport ministry will halt the exercises aboard the vessels that trainees must take to earn government certification for officer status.
A ministry ordinance stipulates that the required 12-month onboard training for officer qualification for international routes, ocean training must be done on sail-equipped ships.
The Nippon Maru and Kaiwo Maru sail between Japan and Hawaii or the U.S. West coast for up to six months as part of the training given to students or new graduates of mercantile colleges and other institutions.
Teamwork among crew members is essential to operate a sailing ship. Special attention must also be paid to wind, currents and the weather.
Training on such ships "nurtures cooperation and leadership," said Toshio Iida, head of education at the institute.
But officials of shipping firms have urged that the requirement be dropped, on the grounds that learning how to sail does not meet today's modern shipping needs.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will, therefore, revise its ordinance this fiscal year to allow ocean-faring training onboard engine-powered ships of the training institute or aboard vessels owned by shipping firms that meet training standards.
The ministry, however, plans to continue using the sailing ships for short training voyages in Japanese waters.
At the same time, the ministry plans to promote interest in the sea and ships among the public by using the tall-masted ships. The aim is to have young people interested in a career in shipping take day trips on the rigged vessels and learn what it is like to work and sail on such majestic ships.(IHT/Asahi: May 28,2007)