Reportage: Japanese Shipowners – Part Two　第2回 ルポ・日本船主　

“Unable to Negotiate with Ship Management Companies”

「船舶管理会社と交渉できない」

In late August 2025, amid relentless heat, the office of a Japanese shipowner based in a regional city in western Japan.

Removing one’s shoes and changing into slippers, the meeting with the shipowner takes place in a room that would ordinarily serve as a reception room in a private home.

The only point that slightly distinguishes it from an ordinary household is that, in the area corresponding to the living room, a female employee—apparently an office worker—remains stationed on a permanent basis.

An employee, believed to be in his 50s and employed by the Japanese shipowner, speaks candidly of the strain weighing on his mind.

(The continuation can be read in the main text, published in both English and Japanese. The Japanese article appears following the English version.)

ルポ・日本船主　第2回

「船舶管理会社と交渉できない」

　2025年8月下旬、酷暑が続く西日本のある地方都市に拠点を置く日本船主のオフィス。

　靴を脱いでスリッパを履きかえ、一般的な家庭の応接間にあたる部屋で日本船主と面談する。

　わずかに一般家庭と異なる点は、リビングに当たる部分に事務員と思われる女性社員が1名常駐している点だろう。

　日本船主に雇用されている50代と思われる社員が苦しい胸の内を語る。

続きは英語と日本語で書かれた本文でお読みください。日本語の記事は英文記事に続いて掲載されています）