Tamotsu Saito, chairman of the Shipbuilders' Association of Japan, said at a press conference on the 24th that orders were decreasing due to the influence of the new coronavirus and the industry was in a critical situation, and that the state-of-the-art ship will be developed using the national support system. He acknowledged that improving competitiveness is indispensable.
The Shipbuilders' Association of Japan held a regular online meeting on the 24th, in which Chairman Saito said, "In addition to the influence of the new coronavirus, Chinese and Korean manufacturers have received orders against the background of the generous support of the country. On the other hand, orders from Japan have not been accepted, and the number of construction works on hand has dropped sharply, which is a critical situation. "
In addition, he mentioned that the government's support measures for the shipbuilding industry and the shipping industry were expanded by the revision of the law this month. We would like to promote development and digitization of shipyards, "he said, recognizing that improving competitiveness is essential.
According to the Shipbuilders' Association of Japan, the amount of construction work on hand secured by Japanese shipbuilding companies has dropped to 16.4 million gross tons as of the end of last month, which is about half of what it was five years ago, and rebuilding is an issue.