In this study, the distribution of shipyards and former shipyard sites in Japan was investigated, and the use of the sites and the water area were examined according to the location. As a result, shipyards and former shipyard sites were distributed mainly in western Japan. The former shipyards were located in remote areas relatively far from the city center, and the former shipyard sites in particular were located in areas where industrial land use or zoning was not defined. The trend in the use of former shipyard sites was that those located closer to the city center and the nearest train station tended to be converted to other uses. Some of the former shipyard sites were converted to waterfront parks and mooring facilities for ships, making full use of the characteristics of their location at the sea's edge.