JS OSUMI departed for international disaster relief activities in the Kingdom of Tonga

On January 24, the JS OSUMI (commanding officer : Commander Landing Ship Divission1, MATUMI Toshiki, Captain) of the Japan Disaster Relief Team in Tonga completed the loading of emergency relief supplies, and left the KURE base.
On the occasion of the departure, the commander, Landing Ship Division1 said, “After arriving in the area of operations in the Kingdom of Tonga, we will share information with the Royal Australian Navy and other naval forces, and we will try to operate flexibly in accordance with the needs of the Kingdom of Tonga to contribute to its early recovery and sustainable development. Finally, all the members of the team will work as one to meet the expectations of all the people.”
The Self-Defense Fleet has been making efforts to deepen friendly relations and strengthen cooperation with the Pacific island nations by conducting goodwill visits and exercises at ordinary times, with the aim of realizing a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific”. In this next round of activities, we will continue to do our utmost to support the reconstruction of our friend, the Kingdom of Tonga, hoping for its early recovery and sustainable development.