PM Abe Inspects Japan Coast Guard's Marine Day Drill

Yokohama, July 20 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe inspected a Japan Coast Guard drill held in Tokyo Bay to mark the Marine Day on Monday. Aboard the patrol ship Matsunami, Abe watched such exercises as seizure of a suspected terror boat and water cannon shooting. After the inspection, the prime minister cheered up special rescue team members and other coast guard officers at a disaster prevention base in Yokohama, south of Tokyo. Abe also visited the Japan Coast Guard Museum and watched the inside of the coast guard's Akitsushima, a patrol boat that provided accommodation for the Japanese Emperor and Empress during their trip to Palau in April. Before moving to Yokohama, Abe attended a special Marine Day event at a Tokyo hotel, and unveiled his plan to launch a consortium of the government, businesses and academics to increase the number of technicians engaged in marine development projects from the current 2,000 or so to some 10,000 by 2030. "Experts to be provided by the consortium are expected to lead Japan's natural resource development, helping the country receive new bounties from the sea," he said. As for China's maritime push, Abe stressed the importance of the rule of law to keep seas as public assets indispensable for peace and prosperity for the entire international community. END