(Provisional translation by an external company for reference purpose only)
I have an announcement about the termination of transport of medical goods necessary for international disaster relief activities in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. In response to the disaster caused by an earthquake that struck central Myanmar on March 28, I issued an order to the Commander of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) Joint Operations Command (JJOC) on April 7 to transport medical goods necessary for international disaster relief activities on SDF aircraft. Under this order, a C-130 transport aircraft, which departed Komaki Air Base on April 8, arrived at Mandalay International Airport on April 9, and handed over medical goods necessary for humanitarian assistance activities conducted by the Japan Disaster Relief (JDR) Medical Team operating in the affected area. Since then, while keeping one C-130 transport aircraft on standby in Japan, personnel at the SDF’s local coordination center continued to gather information on-site. Based on a comprehensive judgment of the situation, including a significant decrease in the number of patients needing care for reasons attributed to the disaster compared to its initial aftermath, I issued an order to the JJOC Commander today to terminate the transport of medical goods necessary for the SDF’s international disaster relief activities in Myanmar. I recently welcomed back the C-130 transport aircraft that returned from Myanmar at Komaki Air Base. I have been briefed by personnel dispatched to the affected area that the people of Myanmar appreciated the SDF for coming when the country was in a dire situation. This mission was the first international disaster relief activity following the establishment of the JJOC. I am proud of our dependable personnel who dedicated themselves to carrying out the mission from the perspective of standing with the people of Myanmar. Even after the end of the SDF’s activities, the Government as a whole will continue to explore the provision of humanitarian assistance that directly benefits the people of Myanmar as much as possible from the perspective of standing with the people of Myanmar.