Minister of Defense Iwaya visits JS Izumo

Minister of Defense Iwaya visited JS Izumo on December 19th. The refurbishment of Izumo is stated in the new National Defense Program Guidelines and the Mid-Term Defense Program. Izumo is a multipurpose and multifunctional destroyer with helicopter operation capabilities, command and control center, medical functions, personnel accommodation and transport capabilities.

Japan-India Joint Training Shinyuu Maitri-18 and Dispatch of Personnel to US-India Joint Training “Exercise Cope India”

From December 1st to 8th, the JASDF took part in the Japan-India joint training “Shinyuu-Maitri” to enhance the air transportation capabilities and build mutual understanding between the forces of both countries.

This is the first ever joint exercise between the JASDF and IAF, and also this symbolizes the further deepening of Japan-India bilateral defense cooperation.

Also, following an agreement made at the Japan-India Defense Ministerial Meeting in August 2018, four personnel from the JSDF joined the US-India joint training exercise “Cope India” as open observers from December 3rd to 10th.

Japan and India agreed to seek more concrete and effective cooperation between the two countries to promote cooperation and exchange in wide variety of fields including training.

FY 2018 Japan-U.S. Bilateral Command Post Training Exercise Yama Sakura (YS-75)

From December 3rd to 17th, Japan-U.S. bilateral command post training exercise called Yama Sakura (YS-75) was conducted at Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) Camp Higashi-Chitose.

Approx. 5,000 personnel from the Japan side including members of the JGSDF Northern Army and approx. 1,600 U.S. forces service members from I Corps (Washington State) participated in this training.

This is the largest-scale command post training exercise of the JGSDF. It is conducted by the JGSDF, U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps to improve judgement of unit commanders in the size smaller than army-level and enhance coordination capabilities of the staff for conducting joint operations.

Such joint training not only contributes to enhance tactical skills of the JSDF, but also strengthens cooperation of the Japan-U.S. alliance. Also, demonstrating such ties is effective to enhance deterrence and coping skills of the Japan-U.S. alliance as a whole and show Japan’s will and high capabilities toward stabilization of Asia Pacific region.

Operation Christmas Drop (OCD) 2018

The JSDF took part in a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) training called Operation Christmas Drop (OCD) in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and other countries from December 5th to 17th to improve interoperability with the U.S. and Australian forces.

One JASDF C-130 transport aircraft and approx. 30 personnel joined the U.S. and Australian forces in Guam and visited FSM, the Republic of Palau, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to conduct the airdrop supply training.

This training provided a valuable opportunity for the JSDF to gain experience with maritime airdrop training that is difficult to conduct domestically and continued participation in this mission will contribute to improving the capabilities of the JSDF.

The MOD/JSDF will continue to take part in such joint trainings to enhance the abilities of the JSDF and to further improve interoperability with the U.S. and Australia.

The JSDF Transports Donated Goods to the Republic of the Marshall Islands from Japan

The JASDF transported and handed the donated goods given to the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) from Japan, landing on the Marshall Islands on December 7th, en route to the training at the U.S. Air Force Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center (AATTC).

The JASDF C-130 transport aircraft and approx. 30 JASDF personnel departed Japan with ten wheelchairs, 330 volley balls, baseball equipment, and stationary which were donated by organizations including public interest incorporated foundations in Japan and made a visit to the RMI. These wheelchairs were once used in families and later repaired for reuse by technical high school students in Japan.

This year celebrates the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Japan and the RMI. There was a ceremony to hand over the donated goods to the RMI on the day of the JSDF transporter arrival, and there attended RMI President Heine as well as all the JSDF personnel participating in the training. It contributed to further deepen the friendly relations between the two countries.