Abstract
The capability of technological development for the deep sea submergence vehicles of Japan had been badly behind that of the USA and Europe until the 1970s. From the 1980s through to 2000, Japan put its energy into this area, and so jumped to top in the world by the development of manned submersibles“SI IINKAI 2000”and“SHINKAI 6500”. The“SHIN 6500” was launched in 1990 and has held the deepest diving capability in the world ever since. Remotely Operated Unmanned Vehicle“KAIKO” [launched in 1995] can dive to the deepest point in the oceans, 11000m. There is no other vehicle with this capability; that is for the time-being. There are currently very few further domestic technology development plans in Japan. Instead, the initiative seems to be shifting to such countries as the US, China and Korea. This paper describes the recent trends concerning the technology and its development internationally.
