On April 1, 2004, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) was inaugurated as one of the independent administrative institutions upon re-organized from its former organization, Japan Marine Science and Technology Center. JAMSTEC has the main objective to contribute to the advancement of academic research in addition to the improvement of marine science and technology by proceeding the fundamental research and development on marine, and the cooperative activities on the academic research related to the Ocean for the benefit of the peace and human welfare.