Japan, U.S., ROK Coast Guards Give Capacity-Building Support to 10 Nations; JCG, U.S. Coast Guard Reinforcing Assistance

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:56 JST, November 23, 2024

The Japan Coast Guard said Friday it has, with its U.S. and South Korean counterparts, provided joint capacity-building support to the coast guard authorities of 10 countries, including Southeast Asian and Pacific island nations.

Amid the maritime expansion of hegemonic countries, the JCG and the U.S. Coast Guard have been reinforcing their assistance. This is the first time the three countries jointly conducted such an operation.

The leaders of the three countries agreed to establish a cooperation framework on maritime security to realize an open Indo-Pacific when they met at Camp David in the United States in August 2023.

Subsequently, the coast guard authorities of the three countries confirmed in writing the cooperation of providing capacity-building support and conducted the first joint maritime exercise off Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture, in June.

The trilateral capacity-building support was held in mid-November at a Korea Coast Guard training facility, where personnel from Malaysia, Fiji and other countries gathered for lectures and training on suppression techniques and search and rescue.

It provided an opportunity to confirm operational methods and exchange opinions with one another. There are plans for it to be conducted regularly in the future.