Highlighting JAPAN

SECURING ASIA-PACIFIC RELATIONS

Caption: The JMSDF transport vessel Kunisaki alongside the U.S. Navy hospital ship Mercy during their deployment under the Pacific Partnership 2010 banner
Credit: COURTESY OF MINISTRY OF DEFENSE

Pacific Partnership 2010

On May 23, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) transport vessel Kunisaki set out from the MSDF Kure Base in Hiroshima Prefecture in the pouring rain. The ship and the 160 or so JMSDF personnel on board were leaving to participate in the Pacific Partnership 2010 (PP10) program that would take place over the next two months.

The PP10 program is an international civilian assistance activity led by the United States, which has been held in the Asia Pacific region every year since 2007. Since the program first started, the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) sent several medical officers. Participation is now on a much larger scale, following the “Yuai” (Fraternity) Boat concept that the government came up with last year, whereby Japan sends JMSDF vessels to countries in the Asia-Pacific region so that JSDF personnel can work together with NGOs to conduct medical and cultural activities, with the agreement of foreign governments.

In June, the JSDF personnel engaged in medical activities and cross-cultural activities in Vietnam and Cambodia, together with NGOs from Japan and other participating countries.

“The goal of PP10 is to create cooperative relation-ships with the countries that we visit, the participating NGOs and defense forces. According to the reports that I have received from people in the group, in Vietnam more than 200 patients a day came to receive medical or dental treatment, so many that it became necessary to restrict admissions. Apparently the kendo lessons offered by the Japanese personnel were also very well received, with many children attending,” says Kyosuke Matsumoto of the International Policy Division of the Ministry of Defense.

“To date, the Japan Self-Defense Forces have been involved in many assistance efforts, such as following the Indonesian tsunami and the Haiti earthquake disasters. In the future, I expect that we can continue to contribute to these kinds of foreign assistance activities.”

A Cambodian man receives free medical treatment from some of the 160 JSDF medical staff who took part in Pacific Partnership 2010.
Credit: COURTESY OF MINISTRY OF DEFENSE

U.S. Navy and Japan Self-Defense Forces medical officers meet on board the U.S. Navy hospital ship, Mercy.
Credit: COURTESY OF MINISTRY OF DEFENSE

As part of cultural exchanges in Vietnam and Cambodia, JSDF personnel taught primary school children kendo (pictured), origami and bamboo crafts, as well as basic Japanese.
Credit: COURTESY OF MINISTRY OF DEFENSE