Japan eases cruising regulations for all foreign super yachts
SYL JAPAN reports that Japan’s Ministry of Transport changes rules to issue annual cruising permit for all ports in Japan.
From May 7th Japan’s MLIT (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport) issued an order to lift the rules on applications to enter port areas by foreign vessels. This is mainly aimed at foreign yachts who are transiting, staying & cruising in Japan more and more.
Under the old system Closed Ports (which account for more than 90% of ports in Japan) would have to be applied for permission one by one and 7 days in advance of arrival. Under the new system one application allows a foreign yacht to cruise any ports in Japan for up to a year.
There is still some declarations to Coastguard, Immigration and Customs to be submitted for each vessel movement, but with Japans new electronic submission system this is relatively easy.
An Advisory Board was set up in 2017, by persons in the yachting industry and business, to advise the government on how to proceed with large yachts, especially in the run up to the Rugby World Cup 2019 and Olympic Games 2020, and this seems to be the first step forward on the road to making it easy for yachts to cruise.
Kenta Inaba and Nigel Beatty, co-owners of SYL JAPAN and APSA members, said, “this step makes life so much easier for large yachts cruising in Japan, and it paves the way for a full cruising permit that is endorsed by all departments; as well as pushing the introduction of private charter permits for foreign yachts in Japan.”