Letter of Recommendation
From Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
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With the progress of the globalization, international trade volume has increased rapidly. Shipping carries more than ninety percent of the international cargoes and the shipping industry will keep playing a vital role in the world economy.
The world is facing with new emerging issues such as piracy, terrorism and the global warming. Therefore, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has to tackle those complex and difficult issues with traditional safety and environmental issues. It is understood that IMO is a unique organization, which could solve such complex and difficult problems internationally, and the role of IMO has become important more and more.
Mr. Koji SEKIMIZU started his career as a government official of the Ministry of Transport of Japan, specializing in maritime affairs. After that, he moved to IMO to serve as a member of the Secretariat. Since then, for more than 20 years, he has committed himself to serving the international maritime community and has fulfilled significant responsibilities. Mr. SEKIMIZU has coordination skill, all-round knowledge and experience in IMO field, and thus he has highly contributed to vital international projects regarding marine safety, marine environment protection and marine security.
Accordingly, I am confident that he is the best candidate for both IMO and its Members. I sincerely hope that Member Governments make the best choice for the future of IMO with Mr. SEKIMIZU.
Akihiro Ohata
Minister of Land, Infrastructure Transport and Tourism
