What Japan Hydrographic Association does

Japan Hydrographic Association (一般財団法人 日本水路協会, "JHA") is a Tokyo-based general incorporated foundation established on March 18, 1971. It operates as the authorized reproduction and distribution channel for official Japanese nautical charts, electronic navigational charts (ENCs), and nautical publications issued by the Japan Coast Guard (海上保安庁). With 58 employees as of July 2024 and headquarters in the Gotenyama Trust Tower in Shinagawa-ku, the association holds ISO9001:2015 certification (since 2018) and is supported by The Nippon Foundation.

The association's product portfolio spans paper nautical charts for Japanese waters and major international shipping routes, the proprietary new pec Windows-based electronic reference chart software, and a deep ocean data offering that includes the M7000 high-resolution bathymetric series, JTOPO30v2 30-second grid bathymetry, tidal current mesh estimation data for Tokyo Bay, Ise Bay, Ariake Bay, Seto Inland Sea, Kagoshima Bay, and Tsugaru Strait, the Kuroshio current axis dataset (1955-2025), and the MIRC Ocean Dataset developed through its captive Marine Information Research Center. Supplementary publications include sailing directions in Japanese and English, tide tables, light lists, Notices to Mariners, chart correction tracing papers, sunrise/sunset tables, and Y-charts and S-guide images for recreational boaters, as well as aeronautical charts. Distribution runs through the association's own 海図情報ネットワーク店 (chart information network shop) e-commerce platform and direct office sales.

JHA monetizes through three revenue mechanics: one-time chart and publication sales, one-time ocean data product licenses (priced from ¥110 per PDF up to ¥4,290,000 for full ocean data sets), and recurring subscriptions for chart maintenance (Notice to Mariners at ¥22,000/year, chart correction tracing papers at ¥44,000/year). Customers include commercial shipping operators, marine research institutions, and recreational boat owners in Japanese and select international waters. Marketing is conducted through the association's website, boat show participation, chart seminars (海図展覧会), and the periodic journal 『水路』, now at issue 217.

Name

Japan Hydrographic Association

Legal name

一般��団 日本水路協会

Website

https://jha.or.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Japan Hydrographic Association (一般財団法人 日本水路協会), founded 1971 in Tokyo, is the authorized distributor of Japan Coast Guard nautical charts, ENCs, sailing directions, and proprietary ocean data products for commercial shipping, marine research institutions, and recreational boat owners in Japanese and select international waters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Navigation Charts and Marine Information

NAICS

Navigational Services to Shipping (488330), Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883)

akta.pro primary industry

Nautical Safety, Navigation Aids & Hydrographic Services (TLAHAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Marine Surveying, Inspection & Claims (EDAOANAO), Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI)

Keywords

• Nautical charts
• Hydrographic data
• Marine information
• Maritime navigation
• Oceanographic research

Headquarters

HQ city

Setagaya

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Chart and Publication Sales: Sales of nautical charts (航海用海図), electronic nautical charts (ENC), coastal reference charts, sailing directions (水路誌), tide tables, current charts, and special publications through the association's e-commerce platform and direct sales.
2. Ocean Data Products: Sales of specialized ocean data including bathymetric data (M7000 series, JTOPO30v2), depth contour data, tidal current mesh estimation data, Kuroshio axis data sets, sediment data, and日出没時刻表 (sunrise/sunset tables).
3. Chart Maintenance Services: Sales of Notice to Mariners (水路通報) in printed format and chart correction tracing papers for maintaining charts with latest information.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Japan Hydrographic Association reproduces, distributes, and maintains official Japanese nautical charts, electronic navigational charts (ENC), sailing directions, tide tables, light lists, and related marine publications on behalf of the Japan Coast Guard. It also develops and sells proprietary oceanographic data products (bathymetric datasets, tidal current mesh estimations, Kuroshio current axis data), provides hydrographic surveying technology training and certification, and publishes the professional journal 'Suiro' (水路).

Product overview

Japan Hydrographic Association operates as a specialized maritime information organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of nautical charting and marine data products. The core offerings include paper nautical charts (航海用海図) for maritime navigation and electronic navigational charts (ENC) for digital navigation systems, supplemented by the proprietary new pec (ニューペック) electronic reference chart software for Windows. The association provides extensive data products including bathymetric data (M7000 series, JTOPO30v2), tidal current mesh estimation data, seabed sediment data, Kuroshio current axis datasets, and ocean observation datasets. Supporting publications include sailing directions (水路誌), tide tables (潮汐表), light lists (灯台表), Notices to Mariners (水路通報), and chart correction services. For recreational boating, Y-charts and S-guide images serve small vessel operators. The organization also produces aeronautical charts, sunrise/sunset tables, and a 150-year history publication. All products serve maritime navigation, ocean research, and marine safety purposes across commercial shipping, fishing, and recreational boating sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Paper Nautical Charts (航海用海図)

Quantifiable outcome

• Provision of chart updates through weekly Notice to Mariners (水路通報)

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, supportive and minor.

• Japan Coast Guard (海上保安庁)coreOthersFormal working relationship with the Japan Coast Guard, which publishes the official nautical charts that the association distributes. The association receives chart update information and publishes Notice to Mariners based on Coast Guard data. Also provides feedback and corrections from users back to the Coast Guard.
• The Nippon Foundation (日本財団)supportiveOthersThe association receives support from The Nippon Foundation as indicated by the 'Supported by The Nippon Foundation' branding on the website.
• Marine Information Research Center (海洋情報研究センター)coreTechnology or IntegrationThe association operates the Marine Information Research Center (MIRC), which conducts oceanographic research and develops data products including the MIRC Ocean Dataset. The center is part of the association's ecosystem for ocean data research.
• Japan Maritime Public Relations Association (公益財団法人 日本海事広報協会)minorOthersListed as a related organization on the association's links page, supporting maritime public relations activities.
• Japan Association of Marine Surveys (一般社団法人 海洋調査協会)minorOthersListed as a related organization on the association's links page, representing marine survey industry.
• Japanese Society of Marine Survey Technology (海洋調査技術学会)minorOthersListed as a related organization on the association's links page, an academic society for marine survey technology.
• Japan Cartographers Association (日本地図学会)minorOthersListed as a related organization on the association's links page, an academic society for cartography including nautical charts.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• UK Hydrographic Office: UK government trading fund that produces and distributes the Admiralty chart series worldwide. Most directly comparable to JHA as a national hydrographic authority providing official charts, ENCs, and related publications under government authorization.
• NOAA Office of Coast Survey: U.S. government agency that produces official nautical charts and ENCs for U.S. waters. Comparable as a public-sector hydrographic chart producer whose products are distributed through authorized channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Japan Hydrographic Association