In Japan, the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Japan Meteorological Agency, Fisheries Agency, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, Japan Coast Guard, Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC), and educational institutions such as universities own ships for oceanographic observation. These vessels are given different names such as "observation vessels," "research vessels," "research vessels," "survey vessels," and "training vessels" depending on their purpose, and each voyage is conducted in a way that makes the most of their unique characteristics.