30-07-2025
Japan probe dives 8,000 meters undersea after upgrade
The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology says its unmanned deep-sea probe reached a depth of as low as 8,000 meters.
Agency officials say the URASHIMA stayed more than 24 hours at a depth of 7,200 to 7,500 meters during a trial in the Izu-Ogasawara Trench this month.
The probe had been used to map the seafloor down to 3,500 meters deep. After being upgraded to withstand greater pressure, it is able to go deeper.
The new capability will allow the URASHIMA to check the Japan Trench, where a massive earthquake is expected to strike, and most of deepest waters within the country's exclusive economic zone.
The agency plans to begin full operation of the vehicle as early as fiscal 2026.
An agency official says it is a great step forward in research on quakes and deep-sea science.
