The JCG is established as an affiliated agency of the MLIT, and has Regional Coast Guard Headquarters and Coast Guard Offices nationwide, which are operated centrally under the JCG Headquarters in Tokyo.
Message from Commandant
The Japan Coast Guard (JCG) was established in 1948 with the mission of ensuring maritime safety and security. Since its establishment, the JCG has been engaged law enforcement, maritime security operations, search and rescue, marine environmental preservation, disaster response, oceanographic research, and maritime safety.
As the issues surrounding the oceans have become more complex, diverse, and globalized in recent years, we will further strengthen our organizational structure from both new and long-term perspectives, as well as enhance our field operational capabilities and continue to fulfill our role as a coast guard agency that embodies "the rule of law".
Also, aiming to build a resilient and sustainable organization that values people, we will address challenges such as securing and developing talented human resources, improving operational efficiency, and enhancing the work environment to ensure it is fulfilling.
We will make every effort to safeguard the safety and order of Japan's territorial water and pass on peaceful, beautiful, and bountiful seas to the next generation, while keeping in mind the spirit of "Humanity and Justice" that has been inherited since the establishment of the Japan Coast Guard.
The 48th Japan Coast Guard Commandant
SEGUCHI Yoshio
History
Inauguration of the Japan Coast Guard on May 1. 1948
At this time, Japan was under occupation immediately after WWII. Operations were limited at the onset for the Japan Coast Guard with limitations on the number of crew members, officers, and ships, and also such as ship speed. Such limitations resulting from the United Nations, although not a military entity, being careful in the organization of a units with maritime capabilities.
On May 12, 1948, the official flag of JCG was hoisted for the first time by Takeo Okubo, the first Commandant of the JCG on the roof of the JCG Headquarters.
Opening of the Japan Coast Guard School (June 1949)
The Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11. 2011
On March 19, the Japan Coast Guard patrol craft transporting relief supplies and then handing them over to JSDF trucks (Sendai Shiogama Port, Miyagi Prefecture)
The patrol craft "Kitakami" making an emergency exit from port while as tsunami hits(Kamaishi Port, Miyagi Prefecture)
Organizational chart
The JCG is established as an affiliated agency of the MLIT, and has Regional Coast Guard Headquarters and Coast Guard Offices nationwide, which are operated centrally under the JCG Headquarters in Tokyo.
