In recent days, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries announced a a plan that provides for investments of 100 billion yen (600 billion yen) million dollars) to expand its capacity in the Japan shipbuilding segment. October 2 the company has signed an agreement with the Municipality of Shimonoseki, in Yamaguchi Prefecture, to acquire an area intended for the industrial development on the artificial island of Choshu Dejima. The Japanese group intends to use it to expand capacity of the subsidiary Mitsubishi Shipbuilding. According to the MHI announced up to 40 billion yen of investment may be covered by public contributions, as part of the measures promoted by the Japanese government to strengthen the capacity of the Japanese government production in the shipbuilding sector. The project, in fact, has been recognized as an intervention useful for consolidating the country's shipbuilding infrastructure and for guarantee the availability of ships in the medium and long term.

The program provides for the transfer to the new site of some functions currently carried out by the Enoura shipbuilding plant, belonging to the Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works complex of MHI, and the construction of a new plant for the production of hull blocks.

MHI explained that the plan aims to enhance the capabilities of the production of Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, improving the organization of activities and setting up an industrial structure in able to support future growth in orders. The goal is to strengthen the Group's competitiveness in a context in the what the ability to build new ships assumes growing importance, both for the prospects of transport maritime world and for the needs of economic security. In addition, the investment is part of industrial policy aimed at strengthening the national construction supply chain considered strategic for a highly dependent economy maritime transport.

On September 11, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding obtained from the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism the approval of its plan for ensure the stable supply of critical products, with particular reference to reference to hulls. Shimonoseki's design constitutes therefore one of the initiatives supported under this public strategy. The regulatory framework of reference is the Economic Security Promotion Act, Japan's law on the promoting economic security, which makes it possible to support the production and availability of goods deemed essential for national security. These include naval components such as engines, propellers, sonar equipment and hulls. The measurement does not concerns Mitsubishi exclusively. In the same round of September, the ministry approved investment plans for other Japanese manufacturers, including Oshima Shipbuilding, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Naikai Zosen and the Shin Kurushima Group. For Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, the maximum potential public contribution envisaged is precisely about 40 billion yen.