名称は「みらいII」　初の北極域研究船―海洋機構

　盛山正仁文部科学相は２２日の閣議後記者会見で、２０２６年度の竣工（しゅんこう）に向け海洋研究開発機構が建造中の初の北極域研究船の名称が「みらいII」に決まったと発表した。海洋機構が一般公募で寄せられた７０７５件の案から選定した。
　北極海の観測は１９９８年以降、海洋機構の研究船「みらい」が担ってきたが、砕氷能力を持たないため、氷のない海域に限られていた。
　地球温暖化の影響が顕著に表れる北極海の観測に各国の関心が高まる中、政府は１５年に「北極政策」を策定。科学的知見の発信や国際ルール形成への貢献を目標に、砕氷能力を持つ北極域研究船の建造を進めてきた。
　新たな船は全長１２８メートルで、南極観測船「しらせ」（同１３８メートル）よりも一回り小ぶり。厚さ１．２メートルまでの海氷を砕いて航行できる。気象レーダーなど、船上の観測・研究施設が充実し、海中ドローンの母船機能も持つ。（2024/02/22-11:31）

Japan's first Arctic research vessel, currently being built by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) for completion in fiscal 2026, will be named "Mirai II," science minister Masahito Moriyama said Thursday.
   The name was selected from over 7,000 suggestions solicited from the public.
   Since 1998, JAMSTEC's oceanographic research vessel "Mirai," which means future, has been conducting research in the Arctic Ocean, but the ship has only been operating in areas without ice because it is not capable of breaking ice.
   In 2015, the Japanese government drew up its Arctic policy in response to growing international interest in observing the Arctic Ocean, where the impact of global warming is evident. With the aim of disseminating its scientific knowledge and contributing to the formation of related international rules, JAMSTEC started building the research vessel capable of breaking ice in the Arctic.
   Mirai II will be 128 meters long, slightly shorter than the 138-meter-long "Shirase," Japan's Antarctic research vessel. Capable of breaking sea ice up to 1.2 meters thick, the new ship will be equipped with observation and research facilities on board, such as weather radar, and will also serve as a mother ship for underwater drones.