[2] This glacier bears the family name of Lieutenant Nobu Shirase, a Japanese pioneer in Antarctic exploration.

[4] In February 2013, the anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society claimed the Shirase was sent to monitor its interference with the Japanese cetacean research fleet.

[5] However, according to the National Institute of Polar Research, the icebreaker was in fact far to the west off the coast of Antarctica near the Showa Base, at the time.

[6] The Japanese government subsequently confirmed that the vessel was not involved in any operation related to the whaling program,[7] and that Sea Shepherd's claims were "completely fake".

[9] On August 17, 2017, a CH-101 helicopter of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force assigned to the Shirase crashed at Iwakuni Air Base in Yamaguchi Prefecture.