During the period from January to December 2020, the JSDF conducted asset protection for the U.S. military vessels and aircraft 25 times in accordance with Article 95-2 of the Self-Defense Forces Law.
This system permits extremely passive and limited use of weapons by the JSDF to protect U.S. Forces, etc., that are concurrently engaged in activities that contribute to the defense of Japan in cooperation with the SDF from infringement which do not amount to an armed attack.
Amid the severe security environment, the number of asset protection operations increased significantly from 2019. As such, MOD/JSDF will continue to strive to further strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance.