Beneath the Ocean: The Invisible Network That Connects the World (Part 2)

 

Japan: An Island Connected by Cables

For Japan, submarine cables have particular importance.

Japan is an island nation. There is no terrestrial fiber-optic route that can simply cross a land border and connect Japan with another country.

According to statements by the Japanese government, approximately 99% of Japan's international communications pass through submarine cables.

Japan is therefore both a major user of submarine cables and an important part of the international cable ecosystem.

Japan has numerous international cable landing stations connecting it with North America and countries throughout Asia and beyond. Japanese companies are also involved in operating, maintaining and constructing this infrastructure.

One particularly important player is NEC.

NEC says it has been involved in submarine cable systems since 1964 and has installed more than 450,000 kilometers of cable — enough to circle the Earth approximately eleven times.

Japan's geographical position also makes it a natural telecommunications bridge between Asia and North America.

For example, the JUNO system was designed to connect Chiba and Mie in Japan with California across roughly 10,000 kilometers of the Pacific Ocean.

Japan is therefore not simply sitting at the end of the world's telecommunications network. It is one of its important hubs.

A Cable We Rarely See — Until Something Goes Wrong

Submarine cables are extremely reliable, but they are not indestructible.

Fishing activity, anchors, earthquakes, and other natural events can damage them. Governments have also become increasingly concerned about intentional interference with submarine infrastructure.

This has made cable redundancy extremely important.

Rather than depending on one single connection, international networks use multiple routes. If one cable is unavailable, traffic may be redirected through another path, although the exact effect depends on network capacity and topology.

For Japan, protecting this infrastructure has consequently become an issue not only of telecommunications but also of economic security. In 2026, Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications examined additional measures for protecting international submarine cables and their associated infrastructure, including cable landing stations.

Where Does Brastel Fit Into This Story?

Brastel was founded in the age when international telecommunications were rapidly becoming more accessible.

International calling services such as Brastel do not need to own a submarine cable stretching from Japan to every country they serve. Telecommunications work through interconnected networks.

Image generated by AI

A Brastel international call enters telecommunications networks that connect with other carriers and international networks until the call reaches the network serving its destination.

Somewhere along that journey, when communication needs to cross an ocean, the underlying international network will very often depend on submarine fiber infrastructure.

The exact physical route of an individual Brastel call can vary according to destination, carrier arrangements, and network routing. For decades, Brastel's telecommunications services have existed for a simple reason: people want to stay connected across borders.

• A person living in Japan calls their parents overseas.
• A worker speaks with family thousands of kilometers away.
• Businesses communicate with partners in other countries.

Today, the technology surrounding those conversations is very different from the first underwater telegraph cable of 1850. What began as electrical signals carrying a few words beneath the English Channel has evolved into optical networks carrying enormous volumes of information around the planet every second.

Yet the purpose remains surprisingly similar ー connecting people separated by distance.

The Invisible Connection Beneath Us

We rarely think about submarine cables.

There is no icon on our smartphones telling us that our information has just crossed the Pacific Ocean. We don't see the cable when we make an international call, send money home, or open a website hosted on another continent.

But beneath the waves, thousands upon thousands of kilometers of optical fiber are working continuously.

• They connect Japan with the world.
• They connect networks with networks.
• And ultimately, they connect people with people.

For Brastel, that idea is particularly meaningful. The technology has changed enormously — from telephone cards and traditional international calls to IP communications and today's digital services — but the fundamental purpose of telecommunications has not: to make distance feel a little smaller.