Research on the Seafarers' Problems in the Japanese Coastal Shipping

Research Project

Project/Area Number	01530061
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Research Field	商学・経営学
Research Institution	Tokyo University of Mercantile Marine
Principal Investigator	ODA Masao Tokyo University of Mercantile Marine The Faculty of Mercantile Marine Professor, 商船学部, 教授 (80016922)
Project Period (FY)	1989 – 1990
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 1990)
Budget Amount *help	¥1,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000) Fiscal Year 1990: ¥600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000) Fiscal Year 1989: ¥900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000)
Keywords	Seafarers' Problems of Coastal Shipping Industry, / Working Conditions of Coastal Ships, / Labour Market of Coastal Shipping Industry, / Coastal Shipping Cartel, / Coastal Shipping. / 内航労働環境
Research Abstract	In Japan, the greater part of domestic cargo transportation in terms of tonkilo-meters is roughly evenly shared by trucking and coastal shipping. Having the advantages of being able to carry large quantities of goods over long distances, coastal shipping accounts for an overwhelming share of the transportation of key industrial materials, such as oil products, nonmetallic minerals, cement and coal. Since late 1987, the demand for coastal shipping has been on the increase, reflecting growing business activities under the government policy to expand domestic demand. As a result of general research, it was identified that the working conditions of seafarers, such as wage rates, working hours and paid holidays in Japanese coastal ships have been considerably inferior to general workers in many other land-based-industries, and Japanese coastal ships present little appeal to seafarers. Because of these working conditions differentials, the Japanese coastal shipping industry has been confronted with critical difficulties of recruitng and serious situation of seafarers shortage. The present circumstances had been caused by "blanket-contract and subcontract system" which has brought about the business connection of master-and-servant relationship in the Japanese coastal shipping industry. In such circumstances, subcontractors can not have dealings with blanket-contractors on an equal footing. Moreover, a matter in question is the fact that many major coastal transport operators who make blanket-contracts with shippers are subsidiary companies of shippers. Because of such relationship, shippers are always in a powerful position to negotiate with coastal transport operators and can force them to accept their demand.