Sea Japan, the flagship event for Japan’s maritime industry, was held on 13-15 April 2016 at Tokyo Big Sight exhibition centre with the highest ever number of exhibiting companies and visitors. Despite the weak state of global shipping markets, the mood in the exhibition halls was vibrant with positive sentiment. Japanese shipyards and marine equipment manufacturers are sitting on strong order-books and are not suffering the financial turmoil of their counterparts in China and Korea. Japanese shipbuilders and marine equipment makers are at the forefront of commercializing smart ship technologies – ships that are highly fuel efficient and environmentally friendly. These and other advanced technologies were on display in the Japanese Maritime Industry Cluster pavilion in the center of the exhibition. A total of 550 companies from 28 countries exhibited in the exhibition, an increase of 12% from the last edition and the highest number ever. In addition to a large Japan pavilion there were group pavilions from Germany, Denmark, Holland, Korea and China. Exhibits included marine engines, electronics and communications systems, safety equipment and environmental protection equipment. Running in parallel with the exhibition was a full programme of conferences and seminars covering shipping market analysis, technological development, emission reduction and offshore and deep sea exploration. Keynote speakers included Mr. Tadaaki Naito, President of NYK Line, Japan’s largest shipping company, and Ms Dilek Ayhan, Vice Minister of the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries. Christopher Eve, Managing Director of UBM Japan, the organizer of the exhibition, commented, “The positive mood at this year’s Sea Japan reflects the continued confidence of Japan’s maritime industries. Japanese shipbuilders offer the highest quality and most technologically advanced ships in the world. This allows them to remain competitive even in difficult market conditions.” Shigeru Murayama, Chairman of the Shipbuilders’ Association of Japan, remarked, “the holding of Sea Japan helps to stimulate discussion of the topic of protection of the global environment and serves as a platform for understanding the important contribution that Japanese shipbuilders are making with their cutting-edge technologies.”