1. Introduction
It was submitted the document titled "Vessel Traffic Conditions in the NOWPAP Area 1996" from Japan at the Second Meeting of NOWPAP Forum on Marine Pollution Preparedness and Response, which was held during April 15-17, 1998, in Taejon, Korea, in the light of necessity to recognize the probability of an oil pollution incident, through a complete understanding of the vessel traffic conditions (vessel course, age, size, etc.) in the NOWPAP area.
Followings are extracts of the outcome of consecutive investigation on vessel traffic conditions in the NOWPAP area in 1997. That this investigation will be the basic data for further discussion of the need for regional cooperation in the NOWPAP area.

2. Investigation Methods
For the analysis, 154,772 cases of ocean voyage of vessels of 500 gross tonnage and above were sampled from the movement data of those belonging to Lloyd's in 1997. The result of the analysis has to be considered through the following points;

1) While collating data, any data thought to be suspicious was not used.
2) Data not substantiated by Lloyd's was not included.