Port Description

The Port of Busan (also called Pusan) is the second largest city and the largest port in South Korea. Located at the southeastern tip of the Korean peninsula, the Port of Busan is a little over 110 nautical miles east-southeast of the Port of Kitakyushu in Japan and about 247 kilometers east of Korea's Port of Mokpo. The Port of Busan is a metropolitan city under the direct control of South Korea's central government, giving it the effective status of a province. Located at the mouth of the Naktong River, the Port of Busan lies on a deep protected bay that faces Japan's Tsushima Islands about half-way across the Korea Strait between the two countries. In 2005, over 3.5 million people lived in the Port of Busan.

Connected to the mainland by a drawbridge, Yong Island divides the Port of Busan. Foreign trade is focused in the eastern port, and fishing activities are based in the Port of Busan's smaller western port. In 2007, the American Association of Port Authorities ranked the Port of Busan the tenth busiest port in terms of total tonnage and the sixth busiest in terms of 20-foot TEUs of containerized cargoes. Major industries in the Port of Busan include shipbuilding, electronics, steel, automobiles, ceramics, paper, and chemicals. New industrial parks are bringing high-tech manufacturers to the Pusan as well. Tourism is growing in importance as people come for the hot springs and beaches. In addition to ferry routes between the Port of Busan and Japanese ports, the Port of Busan is served by a major railway, the Kimhae International Airport, and express buses.

Port Authority

• Busan Port Authority

• Address:79-9, Jungan-Dong 4GA Jung-Gu
•  Busan 600-016 Korea, South
• Phone:82-51-999-3000
• Email:bpamaster@busanpa.com
• Web Site:www.portbusan.or.kr

Port Description

The Port of Gwangyang is on the south-central coast of South Korea in South Jeolla Province. Just 18 kilometers north of the small Port of Yeosu, the Port of Gwangyang is about 125 kilometers west-southwest of the country's largest port, Busan, and about 160 kilometers southeast of the Port of Gunsan. In 2003, over 137 thousand people called the Port of Gwangyang home.

Gwangyang city is home to POSCO's Gwangyang Steel Works, the world's largest facility of its kind. It's also the development center for the Gwangyang Bay Area Free Economic Zone, scheduled to be completed in 2011, when the Port of Gwangyang will focus on container-handling, shipbuilding, and steel production.

Port Authority

• Yeosu Regional Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Office

• Address:335-1 Sujeong-dong Yeosu City 550-705
•  Korea, South
• Phone:061-650-6000
• Fax:061-654-2358
• Email:ohkt@momaf.go.kr
• Web Site:www.portgy.com

Port Description

The Port of Tokyo lies at the head of Tokyo Bay on Honshu Island's Pacific coast. It is the biggest industrial and urban area in Japan and one of the major centers of the world economy. Located between the estuaries of the Tamagawa and Arakawa Rivers, the Port of Tokyo is just 14 nautical miles west of the Port of Chiba and about 23 kilometers northeast of the Port of Yokohama. It is also the capital of Japan and home to the Japanese Imperial family and the Imperial Palace. Containing 23 special wards, each of which is governed as a city in itself, the Port of Tokyo is the world's most populous urban areas. In 2005, some 8.5 million people lived in the Port of Tokyo, and the prefecture was home to more than 12 million.

The Port of Tokyo is one of the most important financial centers in the world. According to The Economist's Big Mac Index, the Port of Tokyo's workers earn the highest salaries in the world. That's a good thing, since it is also recognized by many economic think tanks as the most expensive city in the world as well. Despite its great urban population, the Tokyo Prefecture is 35% forest, and it contained almost 8.5 thousand hectares of agricultural lands in 2003. While fish was once a major economic sector, the city gets most of its fish from the outer islands today. The Port of Tokyo also supports a busy and productive tourism industry.

Port Authority

• Bureau of Port and Harbor,Tokyo Metropolitan Government

• Address:8-1 Nishishinjuku 2-chome Shinjuku-ku
•  Tokyo 163-8001 Japan
• Phone:81-3-5320-5524
• Fax:81-3-5388-1575
• Web Site:www.kouwan.metro.tokyo.jp

Port Description

The Port of Yokohama is the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture on the eastern Pacific coast of Japan. Located on Tokyo Bay about 15 nautical miles southwest of the Port of Tokyo and nine nautical miles west-northwest of the Port of Kisarazu, the Port of Yokohama lies on a plain surrounded by hills and the sea. The Port of Yokohama was a small fishing community until the mid-19th Century when Japan decided to make nearby Kanagawa its major port for foreign trade and residence. In 2005, almost 3.6 million people lived in the Port of Yokohama.

In the late 20th Century, the modern Port of Yokohama was created with the merger of Yokohama and Kanagawa. Together with Kawasaki, the Port of Yokohama forms the hub of the Keihin Industrial Zone and home to ship-builders and manufacturers of chemicals, primary metals, machinery, automobiles, petroleum products, and metal goods. Other important industries include biotechnology and semi-conductors. Nissan Motor Company is planning to move its headquarters to the Port of Yokohamaby 2010. Handling raw material imports for the industrial zone and a variety of exports, the Port of Yokohama is one of the biggest ports in Japan. The city's business district is clustered around the Port of Yokohama.

Port Authority

• Port and Harbour Bureau City of Yokohama

• Address:2 Yamashita-cho Naka-ku
•  Yokohama 231-0023 Japan
• Phone:81-45-671-2880
• Fax:81-45-671-71581
• Email:portoubo@city.yokohama.jp
• Web Site:www.city.yokohama.jp/me/port/en/index.html

Port Description

The Port of Kobe lies on the northwestern shores of Osaka Bay in west-central Honshu, the main island of Japan. Capital of Hyogo prefecture, the Port of Kobe is about 10 nautical miles west-northwest of the Port of Osaka and some 140 kilometers southwest of the Port of Nagoya. The combined cities of Kobe and Osaka are Japan’s second largest urban area, and the Port of Kobe is Japan’s sixth largest city. In 2005, more than 1.5 million people lived in the Port of Kobe.

The Port of Kobe has been one of Japan’s most important ports for many years. In addition to its role in maritime commerce, the Port of Kobe is home to major steel and shipbuilding industries. Other important industries in the Port of Kobe include the manufacture of small appliances, food products, and communications and transportation equipment. The city is linked with the rest of the nation by a complex network of rail lines, including those serving the famous Shinkansen bullet trains, and expressways. When it was opened in 1998, the Port of Kobe’s Akashi Kaikyo Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world.

Port Authority

• Kobe Port Terminal Corporation

• Address:Kobe C.I.T. Bldg,16F, 1-14,Hamabe-Dori 5-chome,
•  Chuo-ku Kobe 651-0083 Japan
• Phone:+81 (078)231-4672
• Fax:+81 (078)265-6376
• Email:shionkou@kptc.or.jp
• Web Site:www.kptc.or.jp