(Provisional translation by an external company for reference purpose only)
I have two announcements today. The first is about the departure ceremony that was just held. Today, here at the Maritime Self-Defense Force Atsugi Air Base, I attended the departure ceremony for the 60th Deployment Air Force for Counter Piracy Enforcement and offered words of encouragement to the personnel who are departing for Djibouti. The unit to be deployed will be the first to conduct counter-piracy operations and information-gathering activities in the Middle East on P-1 patrol aircraft. I felt very hopeful seeing the personnel standing tall and confidently today. I expect that they will fully carry out their important mission of supporting peaceful livelihoods in Japan and contributing to the peace and stability of the international community. Today, I also interacted with the families of the personnel and with members of cooperating organizations. I once again expressed my gratitude for their continued support of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) and renewed my determination to firmly support both the personnel performing the missions and their families. I just saw them off, but I remain committed to creating an environment in which SDF personnel can devote themselves to their missions with peace of mind, and in which their families can also feel reassured.
Second, I would like to brief you on the current operations in response to the Kumamoto Earthquake. Today, to support the areas affected by the Kumamoto Earthquake, the U.S. Forces is scheduled to transport relief supplies on their KC-130 transport aircraft from Yokota Air Base in Tokyo to Vice-Camp Takayubaru in Kumamoto Prefecture. The SDF will then provide ground transportation support from Vice-Camp Takayubaru to the depots. This support by the U.S. Forces is aimed at, above all, protecting the lives and livelihoods of those affected. In the wake of a large-scale disaster, the fact that Japan and the U.S. are collaborating by leveraging their respective capabilities demonstrates the strong bonds or Kizuna of the Japan-U.S. Alliance and that the cooperative relationship fostered in peacetime is functioning to support those affected. I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who made this support possible, including the U.S. Forces Japan, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, the U.S. Pacific Command, the U.S. Department of War, and the U.S. Department of State. We will continue to devote our full efforts to achieve the recovery of the affected areas as early as possible, guided by our determination to do everything we can. Additionally, HAKUOU II, which had been away from Yatsushiro Port since August 6 due to the approach of Typhoon No. 13, will re-enter Yatsushiro Port in the evening of tomorrow, August 10. It will resume the provision of bathing support and air-conditioned rest areas from the day after tomorrow, August 11. As before, people are asked to apply for these services from the Kumamoto Prefecture website beginning at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. Information and the link have also been posted on the Ministry of Defense website and its social media accounts, so I encourage people to access them. Numbered tickets will also be distributed at evacuation shelters in the prefecture. That concludes my update for today.