Defense & Security

Japan, Philippine Coast Guards Join U.S. Patrols of Central, Western Pacific Ocean; Participants Join Drills

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
The building that houses the Japan Coast Guard head office in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:34 JST, August 4, 2024

The Japan Coast Guard and its Philippine counterpart have been participating in U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) patrol operations in the Central and Western Pacific Ocean since July 24, it has been learned.

The patrol is the first operation following an agreement reached between Japan, the United States and the Philippines during their first trilateral summit at the White House in April. The three countries agreed to strengthen cooperation in areas of maritime security through deepening partnerships between coast guard authorities.

Participants taking part in the operations were expected to arrive in Honolulu as early as Sunday morning Japan time, according to coast guard officials of Japan and the United States.

Four coast guard members from Japan and the Philippines were on board the large patrol vessel Waesche that belongs to the USCG. During the 12-day sailing from Guam, they participated in on-site inspections of fishing vessels as well as helicopter and small boat navigation drills.

By observing operational methods of each other and through the exchange of opinions, the three countries aim to reinforce trilateral cooperation in preparation for joint drills and patrols in the seas around Japan and the South China Sea that will start next year.

In June, the Waesche participated in the first joint maritime drill by the Japanese, U.S. and South Korean coast guards off Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture, and made a port call at the U.S. Navy’s White Beach facility in Uruma, Okinawa Prefecture. The U.S. move is thought to demonstrate cooperation with Japan among other countries as China increases its advance into the East and South China Seas and the Pacific Ocean.