In school textbooks used when I was a student, the Port of Kobe and the Port of Yokohama were depicted as ports of a leading maritime nation. In today’s fiercely competitive international marine transportation industry, however, Japan is on the decline. This is almost unbearable to watch. While the ports of Hong Kong, Busan, and Singapore have maintained their competitiveness, all Japanese ports have lost theirs. This is attributable to a national policy failure. It is hoped that maximum efforts will be made to enhance the competitiveness of marine infrastructure with the aim of restoring Japan’s status as a maritime nation.