Japan Shipbuilders Need Additional Efforts to Survive, Industry Official

Shipbuilders’ Association of Japan’s chairman Kazuaki Kama said at a press meeting held in Tokyo on Tuesday Japanese shipbuilders’ new order receipt decreased by 14% to 3.75 million compensated gross ton in January-November from same period of 2010. He emphasized the severe business condition under slower demand while the shipbuilders’ new order is much lower than South Korean shipbuilders’ order under historical yen rate.

Mr. Kama expects maritime trade and shipbuilding market keeps slow toward 2012. He expects Japanese shipbuilders could survive the severe condition through across the board efforts including further cost cutting and new technology development for better business base when they don’t have to get loss making order based on order backlog for around 2 years.