# Mitsui Ocean Cruises fleet expansion and Japanese cruise's's

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/mitsui-ocean-cruises-fleet-expansion-and-japanese-cruisess
> Updated: 2026-09-27T23:30:34.000Z. Sources: 5. Developments: 2.

Mitsui Ocean Cruises has expanded its fleet with the christening and launch of the Mitsui Ocean Sakura in Yokohama. Formerly the Seabourn Sojourn, the all-suite vessel is designed to access smaller Japanese ports and remote islands in Hokkaido and Okinawa that are inaccessible to larger ships.

The company plans to operate 29 debut cruises through December 2026 and a total of 61 cruises through September 2027. This expansion coincides with broader efforts by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) to promote cruise tourism to international travelers via a new dedicated website.

These developments align with Japanese government objectives to increase the annual cruise passenger population to 1 million by 2030. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism aims for a passenger demographic consisting of 70% domestic and 30% foreign ship users.

## Timeline

### 2026-09-27: Mitsui Ocean Cruises launches new ship as Japan promotes cruise tourism

Mitsui Ocean Cruises launched the ‘MITSUI OCEAN SAKURA’ in Yokohama, while the JNTO launched a new website to promote Japanese cruise travel to international tourists.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/mitsui-ocean-cruises-launches-new-ship-as-japan-promotes-cruise-tourism

### 2026-09-20: Mitsui Ocean Cruises christens new luxury ship Sakura

Mitsui Ocean Cruises has christened the Mitsui Ocean Sakura, a 458-guest luxury ship set to begin voyages in September 2026, doubling the company's fleet.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/mitsui-ocean-sakura-cruise-ship-enters-service-from-yokohama

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Cite as: Mitsui Ocean Cruises fleet expansion and Japanese cruise's's. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/mitsui-ocean-cruises-fleet-expansion-and-japanese-cruisess