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| Accidents at sea are reported to 118. |
| Many people work at sea in Akitsu Cho, Higashihiroshima City. How is the safety of people working at sea protected? This is the work that the Maritime Safety Agency does to ensure maritime safety. |
Maritime Safety Agency system
The Maritime Safety Agency divides Japan into 11 areas and ensures maritime safety in each area. Maritime safety in Hiroshima Prefecture is protected by the 6th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters.
Main tasks of the 6th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters
Fighting crime at sea
They arrest illegal fishers and foreigners who try to enter Japan without a passport. They promote and enforce maritime rules.
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Saving people from accidents at sea
Accidents at sea are all matters of life and death. They rescue people who are drowning, etc.
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| ＜What are coast guard officers? ＞ |
| Have you watched the movie “Umizaru”? That movie tells the story of coast guard officers who have special diving skills. Officers called “Umizaru” also work at Kure Maritime Safety Agency in Kure City. They train themselves every day to go into action immediately and rescue people in case of accidents at sea. |
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Preventing disasters at sea
They hold disaster prevention drills to prevent fires and accidents on ships and increase awareness of preventative measures. Some drills are conducted together with rescue drills. Rescue from the sky is sometimes necessary at sea.
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Protecting the safety of maritime traffic
As there are many islands in the Seto Inland Sea, so ship traffic must be organized. To do this, information on ships is gathered at Coast Guard Headquarters. Lighthouses are also important guides on the sea.
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Protecting the marine environment
They examine abandoned ships and waste and patrol to keep the sea clean. They also clean beaches and hold environmental classes to protect marine safety and the environment.
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| ＜Japan Coast Guard Academy＞ (Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture ) |
| This school trains coast guard officers. They learn a lot of things to ensure maritime safety. As the final lesson in the last year of school, they go on a long cruise, stopping at major ports around the world. |
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| ＜Keeping the Seto Inland Sea beautiful ＞ |
| To keep the Seto Inland Sea beautiful, coast guard officers work with volunteers to clean beaches and examine the waste found there. They also hold a drawing competition for children every year with the slogan of “Let’s leave a blue sea to the future” to make people interested in the sea from childhood. |
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