About Japanese Committee on Undersea Feature Names (JCUFN)

You can find miscellaneous topographic features on the seafloor, such as mountains, valleys and basins, same as on land.

If people call an undersea feature the different name as they like, it leads to cause confusion.

Avoiding these problems mentioned above, Japan Coast Guard have hosted “the Meeting on Undersea Feature Names” for the standardization of undersea feature names around Japan since 1966, invited the experts on topographic features from the domestic ocean research institutes and related academic societies.

From 2001, the meeting renewed to “Japanese Committee on Undersea Feature Names: JCUFN”. JCUFN have considered undersea feature names which will be listed on Japanese nautical charts.

This committee is the only authorized committee to decide the final undersea feature names in Japan. The committee members are consisted of the persons below.
・the academic experts according to the undersea feature names
・the representatives from related organizations
(Fisheries Agency, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology: AIST and Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology: JAMSTEC)

JCUFN Members (2024)

Change Log

Information for submitting name proposals of new undersea feature name

Japan Coast Guard assigns the name to newly revealed undersea features by marine surveys. These names are listed on the Japanese nautical charts and bathymetric maps and encouraged to use in academic fields. JCUFN welcomes proposals for new undersea feature names as shown below.
Proposed undersea feature names are considered and decided in JCUFN once in a year.

1. Name proposals
You need to prepare the proposals for new undersea feature names including the bathymetric map using the survey data in the relevant area.
For more detailed questions about the proposals, please contact to the secretariat. The secretariat will provide you the related information such as the proposal forms.

2. Deadline of submitting proposals
JCUFN receives proposals as necessary.

3. Secretariat
Marine Data Management Division, Hydrographic and Oceanographic Department of Japan Coast Guard
(TEL.+81-3-3595-3611）