The Japanese government has extended the Self-Defense Force's mission in the Middle East by one year, citing continued tension in the region.
The SDF's destroyer and patrol aircraft have been deployed in the region for an intelligence-gathering mission to ensure safe navigation for vessels related to Japan.
The Japanese government has decided to extend by another year the Maritime Self-Defense Force's mission in Middle East waters to ensure safe navigation for vessels related to Japan.
Japan deployed a destroyer and patrol aircraft for its intelligence-gathering mission classified as a study and research activity under the ministry's establishment law.
A destroyer of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force has left for the Middle East to take on an intelligence-gathering mission to ensure the safe navigation of Japan-related vessels in the region's waters.
The Kirisame left Sasebo Base in Nagasaki Prefecture on Sunday after a ceremony that was scaled back due to the coronavirus. The ship has a crew of around 200.
A member of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces in the Middle East has tested positive for the new coronavirus.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force has a destroyer and a patrol aircraft unit conducting anti-piracy operations off Somalia. In addition, it has about a dozen contact personnel working at a command center of a US-led international coalition in Bahrain.
A Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer has begun its mission in the Middle East.
The Takanami left Japan on February 2. On Wednesday, it began intelligence-gathering operations to protect Japan-linked ships sailing through the Gulf of Oman and the northern part of the Arabian Sea.
Japan's Defense Minister Taro Kono says a Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer will start operating in the Middle East as soon as Wednesday.
The government dispatched the destroyer Takanami and aircraft to the Middle East for an intelligence gathering operation to safeguard commercial ships with links to Japan. The Takanami left the Yokosuka base, near Tokyo, on February 2.
A Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer has left for the Middle East to conduct survey and research activities. It is the first time an MSDF ship has gone on an international mission that will last longer than a year.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saw off the destroyer Takanami at Yokosuka Naval Base south of Tokyo in a ceremony on Sunday morning.
Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono has downplayed the danger to the Self-Defense Forces' intelligence-gathering mission in the Middle East. The government hopes the information will help safeguard commercial ships at a time of regional tension.
Kono discussed the mission in an exclusive interview with NHK World on Thursday.
A patrol plane unit from Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force has begun its intelligence-gathering mission in the Middle East amid heightened tensions in the region.
The unit has two P-3C aircraft, flying from the East African nation of Djibouti to the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday.
A patrol plane unit of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force is preparing for its intelligence-gathering mission in the Middle East.
The defense ministry announced that as of Monday local time, two P-3C aircrafts which departed from Japan on January 11 had replaced a unit engaged in anti-piracy activities off Somalia.
Japan's Defense Minister Taro Kono has suggested that tensions in the Middle East are unlikely to escalate for now.
Kono gave the assessment at a meeting of the Lower House Committee on Security on Friday.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is returning to Japan from a three-nation Middle East tour. He agreed with the leaders of these countries that dialogue will be crucial for stabilizing the region and de-escalating tensions.
Abe left Oman, the final leg of his tour, early Wednesday morning. His itinerary also included Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has begun his Middle East tour with a meeting with Saudi Arabia's foreign minister.
Abe met Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud at a state guesthouse in Riyadh on Sunday after arriving in the Saudi capital the previous day.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has left Japan on a 3-nation Middle East tour amid growing tensions in the gulf region.
Abe said "Based on the friendly relations Japan has built with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, I will call on the leaders to seek stability in the region through talks and rational measures."