Shinkai 6500 is a submersible research vehicle that can navigate to depths of 6,500 m. It is 2.7 m in breadth, 3.2 m in height, and weighs about 26 tons. It can accommodate up to two operators and one researcher. Since being completed in 1990, it has been used for research on ocean floor topography, geological conditions, and deep sea life in ocean regions in all parts of the world. It has also been used to obtain valuable data on movements within the Earth (such as plate subduction), the mechanisms of earthquakes, and the origins and evolution of deep sea organisms that do not depend on the sun’s energy.