Ice-Breaking Research Vessel Set to Be Japan’s 1st Ship to Reach North Pole During Maiden Voyage in ’27

The Yomiuri Shimbun

1:00 JST, July 27, 2025

A Japanese Arctic research vessel scheduled to conduct its maiden voyage in fiscal 2027 will attempt to become the nation’s first research ship to sail to the North Pole, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

Mirai II, a Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) research vessel, is capable of breaking through sea ice up to 1.2 meters thick. The 128-meter-long Mirai II will help open marine transportation routes and conduct weather observations that previously had been difficult because sea routes were unavailable in the Arctic Ocean.

The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry has poured ¥33.9 billion into construction of the Mirai II, which is Japan’s first research vessel equipped with ice-breaking capabilities. Construction began in 2021, the vessel was launched in March this year and it will be completed in autumn 2026. The ship’s ability to smash through thick ice will enable it to sail through the Arctic Ocean almost all year round.

According to JAMSTEC, the Mirai II’s first voyage is scheduled to take place in 2027 from August through October. After departing Japan, the vessel will head northward across the Pacific Ocean, through the Bering Strait and continue north through the Arctic Ocean in a bid to reach the North Pole.

The northernmost point a Japanese ship has reached in the Arctic Ocean was recorded by the Mirai, a soon-to-be-retired research vessel belonging to the agency. Mirai reached 79 degrees 11 minutes north latitude, so the Mirai II’s voyage to 90 degrees north — the North Pole — will be the first by any Japanese vessel, according to the agency.

The Mirai II is brimming with equipment such as water samplers capable of analyzing seawater temperature and salinity; underwater drones that can check sea ice thickness and shape; and balloons that can measure air temperature and humidity. The crew will make full use of these technologies on the vessel’s maiden voyage to examine ecosystems and conduct weather observations near the North Pole.

From fiscal 2029 onward, the Mirai II is scheduled to traverse the Arctic Ocean in order to sail from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean.

Takashi Kikuchi, head of the agency’s Institute of Arctic Climate and Environment Research, said, “The vessel will sail through the sea ice area and try to reach the North Pole, a place Japan has never reached before.”

The Arctic is a region especially prone to experiencing global warming’s effects. As sea temperatures rise, meandering westerly winds strengthen and bring extreme weather events to Japan, including heavy snowfall and torrential rain. However, the shortage of observation data has made it difficult to precisely unravel the mechanisms driving these phenomena. The agency will use data gleaned by the Mirai II to fill in these blanks and thereby help shed light on the impacts and the causes of global warming.

As sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has continued to shrink in recent years, Chinese and Russian icebreakers have pushed into the region to make new shipping routes linking East Asia and Europe.

Japan, the United States and European nations have been concerned that free navigation in these waters could be hindered. The agency believes the Mirai II will help open up new routes, and the government intends to work with the United States, European nations and others to help formulate international rules that will enable vessels to safely sail through the Arctic Ocean.