History

Background of the Establishment of the Japan Welding Engineering Society

　In the 1920s, all-welded ocean-going ships were built in the United Kingdom, and the welding technologies used in shipbuilding improved significantly.
Around this time, the all-welded ocean-going ship, the "Suwa Maru," was launched in Japan.
This was a time when Japan's welding technologies were world-class and advanced.

　However, in 1935, the "Fourth Fleet Incident" occurred. A Japanese fleet encountered a typhoon, destroying many of its ships during a training exercise.
  In response to this, the Japanese Navy banned welding on essential parts.

　Around the same time, a series of breakage accidents occurred overseas, including on the Liberty ship "Schenectady."
In contrast to Japan, which banned welding, the cause of these welding defects was investigated, and the construction of all-welded ships was established.

　In 1947, after the war ended, a "Cambell survey team" from the U.S. came to Japan to investigate Japanese shipbuilding technologies and visited shipyards and laboratories. At that time, he said, "During and after the war, the progress of welding technology in Japan stopped. During this period, U.S. technology advanced by 30 years, resulting in a 30-year gap," he pointed out.

　In response to these observations, there was growing momentum for the need for industry, government, and academia to join forces to revive Japanese industry, and the Japan Welding Engineering Society was established to develop the welding technologies to support Japan's industry.