Defense Minister Koizumi Directs to Spare no Effort in Rescuing Lives

The Yomiuri Shimbun

1:38 JST, December 9, 2025

Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said early Tuesday morning, following a strong earthquake off Aomori Prefecture, that he had instructed the ministry to “make every effort to gather information to assess the damage situation and to ensure the Ground, Maritime, and Air Self-Defense Forces work in close coordination to spare no effort in rescuing lives.”

He added that GSDF helicopters and ASDF fighter jets had already taken off and were engaged in gathering information.

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