Japan plans to double its shipbuilding capacity by 2035 with a ¥1 trillion investment to compete against China and South Korea.
The Japanese government has launched an investment program worth approximately 1 trillion yen to revitalize its declining shipbuilding sector in the face of competition from China and South Korea. The government aims to double the country's shipbuilding capacity by the year 2035.
Japan is implementing a comprehensive investment program to strengthen its position in the global shipbuilding sector. Japan's Minister of Transport, Yasuyuki Kaneko, announced that shipbuilding is one of the 17 priority areas identified in the government's growth strategy.
Once one of the leading shipbuilding centers in the world, Japan has significantly lost its share in the global market in recent years, particularly due to the low-cost advantages of Chinese and South Korean manufacturers.
According to data from the Japan Ship Exporters Association (JSEA), Japanese shipyards received orders for a total of 186 ships, amounting to just under 9 million gross tons, in 2025. This figure indicates a 16.5% decrease compared to 2024. In the same year, Japanese shipyards delivered 191 ships with a total capacity of 8.32 million gross tons for export purposes.
Japan's share of global new ship orders is currently around 9%.
Under the new program, the government aims to double Japan's shipbuilding volume by 2035. The total size of the program, which will combine public and private sector investments, is expected to be approximately 1 trillion yen, or about 6.4 billion dollars.
In the initial phase, investment plans from three major shipbuilding companies will be supported. The total value of investments to be made by Imabari Shipbuilding, Japan Marine United (JMU), and Namura Shipbuilding is expected to be around 600 billion yen.
The Japanese government plans to provide support of approximately 1.4 billion dollars for these investments.
According to information reported by the Japanese news agency Jiji Press, Imabari Shipbuilding and its subsidiary Tadotsu Shipyard will receive the largest share of the program with approximately 114 billion yen in government support.
JMU is expected to benefit from public support of 49.4 billion yen, while Namura Shipbuilding and its subsidiary Hakodate Dock Co. are anticipated to receive around 49.9 billion yen in public assistance.
The financing provided by the companies is expected to be primarily used for increasing shipyard capacities and modernizing existing facilities.
The program aims not only to increase production capacity but also to develop advanced ship technologies for next-generation ocean transportation.
Minister Kaneko stated that the first three investment projects of the program represent only the initial phase of plans across the sector.
Kaneko expressed, 'The revitalization of Japan's shipbuilding industry is finally beginning.'
The minister noted that the three announced projects represent only a small portion of the numerous investment plans prepared by different companies and that government support will be expanded in later phases.
Japan's new strategy is seen as an attempt by Tokyo to regain its footing in the sector in the face of China's strong position in the global shipbuilding industry and South Korea's competitiveness in high-value-added ships.
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
