Serial Report: Japan’s Mid-Sized Shipowners Under Siege from Within and Without／連載　日本の中規模船主を襲う“内憂外患”

Serial Report: Japan’s Mid-Sized Shipowners Under Siege from Within and Without
Part 1: “When the Next Boom Arrives, I’d Like to Exit”

Japan’s domestic shipping industry is spread across several prefectures including Ehime, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Fukuoka, Ōita and Nagasaki. Yet the term “Japanese shipowner” covers a remarkably wide spectrum in terms of business models, fleet size and managerial direction. Even within the same shipping markets, shipowners operate under vastly different conditions.

In recent years, the sector has been undergoing increasing polarisation between large operators and small to mid-sized shipowners. This series focuses on mid-sized Japanese shipowners operating fleets of between two and fifteen vessels. Internally, they face challenges such as a shortage of successors and financial strain from Japan’s deferred depreciation regime. Externally, they are struggling with surging newbuilding prices and communication gaps with ship management companies.

※This article explores the challenges faced by Japan’s mid-sized shipowners in navigating the country’s deferred depreciation scheme for ships. Despite soaring newbuilding prices, many continue to pursue depreciable assets—highlighting a difficult balancing act between tax strategy and financial sustainability.

連載　日本の中規模船主を襲う“内憂外患”

パート1　次の好況期が来たら「店じまい」したい

　日本には、愛媛、広島、山口、福岡、大分、長崎の各県に船主が存在する。「日本船主」と一口に言っても、その業態や規模、経営方針は多種多様だ。同じ海運市場で事業を行っていても、置かれている環境は異なることが多い。

　近年、日本の船主業界では、大手船主と中規模以下の船主との二極化が進んでいると指摘されている。ここでは、保有船数が2～15隻の中規模日本船主に焦点を当て、内部では「後継者不足」や「船舶の繰り延べ償却制度による財務圧力」、外部では新造船価格の高騰や船舶管理会社とのコミュニケーション不足など、さまざまな課題に直面している現状を追う。

※本文では日本の中規模船主が直面する「船舶の繰り延べ償却制度」との戦い、新造船価格が高いにも関わらず、償却資産を求める実情について迫ります。