We, Zeni Lite Navigate the Seas with Confidence.

At Zeni Lite   we understand the critical role that
maritime buoys play in ensuring safe navigation
and effective maritime operations. Our range of
products includes:

  • Navigation Aids: Essential for guiding vessels safely through waterways.
  • Observation Buoys: Indispensable for planning maritime activities and monitoring sea conditions.



"Resilient Infrastructure for the High Seas"

Our buoys are designed to withstand the harshest
marine environments, maintaining their position and
functionality reliably over time.  As a vital piece of
maritime infrastructure, Zeni Lite stand as steadfast
guardians of the sea.

About Zeni Lite Buoy  

Brand Story

  The Sea of Japan, with the world's highest concentration of typhoons, and the world's three largest tidal currents, The Kuroshio Current, known as the world's fastest ocean current, and the Seto Inland Sea, home to the world's three largest tidal currents...

By confronting such a severe maritime environment, we have gained valuable experience and refined our buoy technology,

  When "navigation aids" and "oceanographic data" are needed, the technology of a buoy manufacturer" that can respond to various on-site conditions becomes indispensable. Zeni Lite Buoys will continue to grow through these on-site experiences.

Zeni Lite is born

Zeni Lite is born

  In 1963, the year before the Tokyo Olympics, bamboo poles with red flags were used to mark construction zones at sea. Its disadvantage was that it was easy to lose sight of it in the dark at night. Accidents at sea, especially at night, not only negatively affected the construction work, but were also very dangerous. Isaburo Takeyasu, the founder of Zeniya Aluminum Group, developed a lantern with a photo sensor that automatically lights up in response to the brightness outside and an automatic flash function. This lantern was placed on the end of an aluminum pipe, and after repeated flashing tests, buoyancy tests, and wave tests, the Lighted Buoy Type 1 was developed through a process of trial and error. Isaburo Takeyasu spent many days visiting sites all over Japan, advocating the safety of marine construction.

  Made of lightweight, rustproof aluminum and using dry cell batteries available anywhere, the Lighted Buoy Type 1, which automatically lights up when it gets dark and flashes in precise cycles, gradually became popular at marine construction sites nationwide.

  Buoys with lights made of Zeniya Aluminum came to be known as “Zeni Lite”. In 1972, Zeni Lite Buoy Co., Ltd. was established after obtaining the Zeni Lite trademark.

Fighting the Swift currents

Buoys that stay upright and do not sink even in swift currents

  Initially, ocean buoys had to contend with currents. The fastest ocean current in the world is the Kuroshio Current, which is about 4 knots, but there are areas off the coast of Japan with even faster currents. In 1964, Zeniya Aluminum began research on swift current buoys and developed a buoy that floats upright even in 5-knot currents to meet the demand for a buoy that does not tilt and is not pulled underwater even in fast currents. This technology led to patents in 10 countries around the world and was a clue to our expansion into all areas of Japan and the world.

  Japan's three major tidal currents are concentrated in the Seto Inland Sea. In 1968, construction of the Honshu-Shikoku bridges began in the Seto Inland Sea, and specifications for swift current buoys gradually rose to a higher level. By the time the Honshu-Shikoku Bridge was completed, 400 buoys of various sizes were in use. The technology of swift current buoys was refined under the uniquely stringent conditions at the Akashi Sea State Bridge site: currents of 8 to 9 knots, water depth of 50 m and the buoy watch circle requirement of 50 m or less.

Fighting the High Waves

Buoys that do not wash out in high-wave waters

  The waters around Japan, an island nation, are often subject to high waves caused by monsoons and the passage of large typhoons. In addition, the passage of typhoons is temporary, while on the Japan Sea side, strong winter monsoons cause long periods of stormy weather, which can cause significant damage to floating facilities. Rumoi, one of the world's three largest waves, is also located on the Sea of Japan side.

  Off the coast of Choshi, Chiba Prefecture, and Rumoi, Hokkaido, are areas where waves of 10 m or more surge even in shallow waters. No matter what kind of buoys are deployed, they have been being damaged or washed off. Based on this bitter experience, Zeni Lite Buoy made a series of improvements and developed a wave-resistant buoy in 1971 as well as a buoy for high-wave waters that can withstand wave heights of up to 15 m. In 1990, a wave-resistant weather monitoring buoy was deployed continuously for one year at Yamato Tai Bank (300 m depth) in the Sea of Japan.

  The wave-resistant buoy series has been widely used throughout Japan as buoys that can withstand not only direct hits from typhoons but also any kind of high-wave zone. Zeni Lite’s wave-resistant buoys are considered as ideal platform for offshore observation for the open sea.

The Ocean Observation Buoys

Buoys for Remote Observation of the Marine Environment

  In 1968, a comprehensive national research study of the Sea of Japan started. Zeniya Aluminum Engineering manufactured the first domestically produced observation buoy. A preliminary experimental unit was developed in 1968, and the first unit, a commercial model, was developed in 1969 and installed in the central part of the Sea of Japan (at a depth of 1,680 m). In 1970, the second unit, with an increased power supply capacity of two months, was installed in the Sea of Japan. The second unit is a living witness to the history of ocean observation buoys and can be called a "legend," and is still displayed at the entrance to Zeni Lite Buoys' headquarters in its original state.

  Subsequently, observation buoy technology diversified into disk, cylindrical, spar, and small models, depending on the onboard equipment, the purpose of the maritime activity, and the installation environment.

  Buoys play an important role as reliable platforms to ensure the long-term stable functioning of highly accurate and expensive instruments under severe marine conditions.

New Technology,
New Challenge

Spar buoys with no vertical movement or swaying

  In 1973, the development of the first spar buoy was based on the extremely strict design requirement that an anemometer 10 meters above the sea surface be limited to a sway of no more than 10 cm. In response to such diverse conditions required in the field, Zeni Lite Buoys has cultivated spar buoy technology through a process of trial and error.

  Spar buoys off the southeast coast of Sendai Airport and off the Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant in Miyagi Prefecture were hit by tsunami in the Great East Japan Earthquake, but did not washed away and proved to be tsunami-proof.

Endless Challenges to New Technology

  Since then, we have also developed observation buoys for harsh marine environments and special applications, such as ocean wave observation disc buoys, missile target disc buoys, wave height gauge buoys for wave power generators, floating reef buoys, acoustic feeding buoys for ocean farms, spar buoy-type boring towers, oil slick observation buoys and observation buoys for dams.
We have also developed observation buoys for harsh marine environments and special applications.

  Zeni Lite Buoys will continue to take on the challenge of supporting the maritime activities of various customers through our buoy technology.




Company introduction video





History of Zeni Lite Buoy


  In the wake of developing the aluminum-made buoy light “Zeni Light” at Zeniya Aluminum Engineering Co., Ltd., the establishment of Zeni Lite Buoy Co., Ltd. marked a new chapter. Since then, Zeni Lite has made significant contributions to maritime operations.

  Tracing back the origins, Zeni Lite's voyage commenced in 1948 and continued to illuminate the seas until now. This period encapsulates the relentless pursuit of innovation and dedication to serving the needs of the marine field.