Last year, Minister of Defense Kishi commended the Self-Defense Forces personnel who responded at the scene, such as providing medical support on a cruise ship that was infected with the new coronavirus, and said, "To go to the front line and protect the lives of the people. We boldly carried out the activities of "."
At the award ceremony held at the Ministry of Defense, the cruise ship "Diamond Princess", which was responsible for quarantine of Japanese returning from Wuhan, China by charter plane last year, and entered the port of Yokohama due to an outbreak, was held. Seven Self-Defense Forces members who were in charge of medical support attended.
Minister of Defense Kishi said, "Amid the risks, I went to the front line and boldly carried out activities to protect the lives of the people. It was an unprecedented and extremely difficult activity to deal with an unknown virus, and I sincerely suffered. I want to be a fearless person, "and handed the certificate to the members.
In addition, a certificate was given to the Self-Defense Forces Hospital, which treated patients infected with the new coronavirus, and to the units that transported patients.