IOPC Funds’ Director undertakes working visit to Japan

IOPC Funds’ Director, Gaute Sivertsen, accompanied by HNS Project Manager, Ms Gillian Grant, and Policy Officer, Yuji Okugawa, travelled to Japan from 6 to 9 October 2025 for a series of high-level meetings with government officials and representatives of key stakeholders.

The Director and the team held productive discussions with senior officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), the Japan Coast Guard and the Japan Maritime Centre (JMC). They also met with representatives from the Petroleum Industry Marine Association of Japan (PIMA), the Petroleum Association of Japan (PAJ), the Japan Shipowners’ Association (JSA), the Japan P&I Club and Tokio Marine.

While in Japan, Mr Sivertsen and the team were pleased to meet with Mr François Marier, Chair of the 1992 Fund Assembly, Professor Tomotaka Fujita, First Vice-Chair of the 1992 Fund Assembly, Professor Gen Goto, a representative of Japan to the IOPC Funds’ meetings, as well as former IOPC Funds staff who had served as Legal Counsel within the Secretariat.

Japan, a founding Member State of the original IOPC Fund in 1978, has actively supported the work of the organisation over the years, both through the Government and Industry, and is one of the largest contributors to the IOPC Funds. Japan is a Member State of both the 1992 Fund and the Supplementary Fund.

The visit provided the Director with the opportunity to reconnect with key stakeholders, establish new contacts, and further strengthen the longstanding cooperation between the IOPC Funds and its Japanese partners.