Defense Minister Sold out for the first time in defense equipment auctions that are no longer needed July 26 19:03

For the first time, the Ministry of Defense held an auction for defense equipment that is no longer needed, and sold about 30 items in total, including the steering wheel of a retired training ship, for a total of ¥5.81 million.

With the initial budget for this year of more than 5.3 trillion yen for the 8th consecutive year and the financial situation being tough, the Ministry of Defense is conducting an auction of unnecessary defense equipment in an attempt to secure income. I did it for the first time.

The auction was held in the auditorium of the Ministry of Defense in Ichigaya, Tokyo, and about 180 people selected by lottery participated as a measure against the new coronavirus to narrow down the number of participants.

Approximately 30 items were exhibited, and the badge of the Ground Self-Defense Force's unit, which started bidding for 3000 yen, was awarded for 200,000 yen, the plate attached to the small helicopter was 320,000 yen, and the retired training ship's The Misawa wheel was sold for 520,000 yen.

According to the Ministry of Defense, the total bid price for all items is a total of more than 5.81 million yen.

All the proceeds of this auction will be paid to the national treasury, but the Ministry of Defense wants to consider whether it can be used to improve the treatment of personnel.

A 52-year-old man who won the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force's patch said, "I thought "I did it" when I made the bid. I was from Iwate prefecture and I was taken care of by the SDF during the Great East Japan Earthquake I think."

Defense Minister Kono "I want to help improve the environment of the members"

After the auction, Defense Minister Kono told reporters, "Participants gave us a very good price. We consulted with the Ministry of Finance to make sure that the members of the Self-Defense Force can improve their living and working environments. The Ministry of Defense wants to proceed with consideration of how to increase sales."