Japan's Deep Sea Probe Capable of 8,000-Meter Dives Displayed

   Yokosuka, Kanagawa Pref., May 12 (Jiji Press)--The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, or JAMSTEC, unveiled on Monday a deep sea explorer capable of reaching a depth of 8,000 meters, deepest among the country's existing deep sea probes.
   The explorer, Urashima 8000, is an improved version of the Urashima vehicle, which can dive to a depth of 3,500 meters.
   Researchers hope that studying in detail the topography of the seabed such as around the Japan Trench can help uncover the mechanism behind the occurrence of giant earthquakes.
   The Urashima is an autonomous probe under development since 1998. It can navigate without crew on board by following a route entered into the built-in computer and can avoid obstacles by itself.
   It was used to study landslides and volcanoes on the seabed.

(2025/05/12-22:02)