Deep sea floor

The deep seabed refers to the ocean floor of the high seas that extends beyond the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf. A new international regime on the deep seabed was established by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This regime stipulates that the area and resources of the deep seabed are the common property of all mankind, and that an international organization representing all mankind should manage the development of resources. To achieve this goal, the International Seabed Authority will be established. The development of deep seabed resources will be carried out by enterprises, which are subordinate organs of the International Seabed Authority, but companies from Contracting Party countries may also engage in resource development under the approval and supervision of the Authority. Profits from resource development will be fairly distributed among the countries of the international community through the Authority. In order to avoid economic damage to countries that produce on land the same types of mineral resources as those extracted from the deep seabed, production of deep seabed resources will be limited. In order to facilitate development by enterprises, Contracting Party countries and companies will be required to make a form of compulsory technology transfer. In addition, in order to continue deep seabed activities with the approval of the Authority, they will be required to make large payments to the Authority. This constitutes an entirely new international management regime for the development of the Earth's resources.

However, the United States and other developed countries in the West were very dissatisfied with the Deep Seabed Regime. They felt that the burden imposed on developed countries and their companies under the Deep Seabed Regime was too great. After the adoption of the UNCLOS, no developed country became a party to the treaty. As a result, UN Secretary-General Pérez de Cuéllar, concerned that the treaty would lose its meaning if developed countries did not join the treaty, proposed informal consultations in the 1990s to review the Deep Seabed Regime. This proposal was successful, and in July 1994, just before the UNCLOS came into force, the Deep Seabed Regime Implementing Agreement was adopted, which substantially amended the Deep Seabed Regime by not applying the provisions of the Deep Seabed Regime that developed countries were dissatisfied with, particularly those that limited production volume and required technology transfer. The Implementing Agreement and the UNCLOS are interpreted and applied together as a single document, and countries that become party to the Implementing Agreement must also become party to the UNCLOS. Thus, since the adoption of the Implementing Agreement, the number of countries, including developed countries, that have become parties to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea has increased dramatically, and its universality has increased rapidly. However, even with the adoption of the Implementing Agreement, the basic mechanisms of the Deep Seabed Regime have been maintained, such as the fact that the Deep Seabed and its resources are regarded as the common property of all humankind, and that the International Seabed Authority, which represents all of humankind, manages resource development.

[Norio Tanaka]

"America's Deep Seabed Development Methods" by Hideo Takabayashi (1981, Kyushu University Press) " "Achievements and Challenges of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea" by Hideo Takabayashi (1996, Toshindo)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

排他的経済水域および大陸棚の外側に広がる公海の海底をいう。1982年の国連海洋法条約により、深海底（Area）に新しい国際制度が設立された。それは、深海底の区域と資源は人類の共同財産であって、人類全体を代表する国際機構が資源開発を管理するという趣旨のものである。そして、この目的を実現するために国際海底機構が設立されること、深海底資源の開発は、国際海底機構の下部機関である事業体（エンタープライズ）によって実施されるが、締約国の企業も機構の認可と管理のもとに資源開発に従事できること、資源開発からあがる利益は、機構を通して国際社会の諸国に公平に分配されること、深海底から得られる鉱物と同種の鉱物資源を陸上で生産している国に経済的打撃を与えないために、深海底資源の生産量を制限すること、締約国や企業に対しては、事業体の行う開発を容易にする観点から、いわば強制的な技術移転の義務が課されること、また、機構の認可を得て深海底活動を続けるうえでは、機構に対して高額の支払義務を課されることなど、まったく新しい地球資源の開発に関する国際管理制度が設立された。

　しかし、アメリカなど欧米の先進国は、深海底制度に強い不満を持っていた。深海底制度の下で先進国やその企業に課される負担が大きすぎると考えたからである。国連海洋法条約の採択後、先進国で条約の締約国になる国はまったくない状況が続いた。そのため、先進国が条約に参加しなければ、条約の意義が失われてしまうと危惧(きぐ)したペレス・デクエヤル国連事務総長は、1990年代に入り、深海底制度を見直すための非公式協議を提唱した。この提唱は功を奏し、国連海洋法条約が発効する直前の94年7月には、先進国が不満を抱いていた深海底制度の規定、とりわけ生産量を制限したり、技術移転を義務づける規定は適用しないとするなど、深海底制度を実質的に修正する深海底制度実施協定が採択されたのである。実施協定と国連海洋法条約は単一の文書として、一括して解釈・適用され、実施協定の締約国になる国は、国連海洋法条約の締約国にもなる必要がある。こうして、実施協定の採択以後、国連海洋法条約の締約国になる国は先進諸国も含め一挙に増加し、その普遍性は急速に高まった。なお、実施協定が採択されたといっても、深海底とその資源が人類の共同財産とされることや、人類全体を代表する国際海底機構が資源開発を管理するといった、深海底制度の基本的な仕組みは維持されている。

［田中則夫］

『高林秀雄著『アメリカの深海底開発法』（1981・九州大学出版会）』▽『高林秀雄著『国連海洋法条約の成果と課題』（1996・東信堂）』

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