(Provisional translation by an external company for reference purpose only)
I have an announcement about the rescheduled flight of the Blue Impulse at the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. It has been decided that the Air Self-Defense Force aerobatic squadron Blue Impulse will conduct demonstration flights over the Expo venue on Saturday, July 12, and Sunday, July 13, this year. While the Blue Impulse was scheduled to fly for the Expo’s opening ceremony on April 13 this year, the flight was canceled due to unfavorable weather conditions. That day, I was at the Expo venue, atop the Grand Ring, awaiting the demonstration flight with other visitors at the venue. However, the flight got canceled, and I saw that the visitors were greatly disappointed. At the same time, warm words of encouragement and support were extended to me for the Ministry of Defense (MOD), the Self-Defense Forces (SDF), and the Blue Impulse for which I was deeply grateful. Subsequently, we received requests for a rescheduled flight from numerus people, including local residents and through social media posts. Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai is the first international exposition to be held in Japan in 20 years, and it is an event that requires the full commitment of all relevant parties, including the Government, the business community, and local governments working together. Therefore, the MOD/SDF has decided to reschedule the Blue Impulse flight to build further momentum for this commemorative Expo. For details, please ask the department in charge. On both days, the Blue Impulse will take off from Kansai International Airport at around 2:40 p.m. and fly northward over southern Osaka, passing over landmarks, such as the Tsutenkaku Tower, Osaka Castle, Tower of the Sun Museum, and Hirakata Park. Afterwards, the Blue Impulse is scheduled to perform an aerobatic demonstration over the Expo venue from around 3:00 p.m. for approximately 15 minutes. I hope we will have good weather this time, and that the demonstration flight will be carried out safely. We will continue to fulfill our roles as much as possible to contribute to the success of the Expo.
Next, I have an announcement about the termination of the preparation for the transportation of Japanese nationals and others. On the 19th of last month, considering the situation in the Middle East at the time when tensions were rising, including ongoing exchanges of attacks between Israel and Iran, and at the request of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, I ordered the Commander of the JSDF Joint Operations Command (JJOC) to deploy SDF transport aircraft to the Republic of Djibouti to ensure that Japanese nationals and others can be transported swiftly if necessary. Based on this order, two C-2 transport aircraft were deployed to the Republic of Djibouti, and they have been put on standby there. A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran has since been reached and currently remains in place, and Japanese nationals and their families who wished to evacuate have already done so by land. Taking such factors into account, at 10:00 a.m. today, July 1, the Minister for Foreign Affairs (MOFA) requested the termination of the preparation for transportation, and at 10:30 a.m., I ordered the JJOC Commander to terminate the preparation. The two C-2 transport aircraft that had been on standby in the Republic of Djibouti will return to Japan promptly as soon as preparations are complete. The MOD/SDF will continue to work closely with the MOFA and other relevant ministries and agencies and address the situation appropriately with a strong sense of urgency, taking all possible measures to secure the safety of Japanese nationals across the region.