The Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military announced that they have set up and started operating an organization at the U.S. Yokota Air Base in Tokyo to share and analyze information and images collected by Japanese and U.S. drones and ships.
The newly established "Japan-U.S. Joint Intelligence Analysis Organization" was held on the 29th with the attendance of Vice Chief of Joint Staff Yasuhiko Suzuki of the Self-Defense Forces and Commander Ricky Rapp of the U.S. Forces Japan.
Deputy Chief of Staff, Joint Staff Suzuki said, "We are confident that this will further strengthen the continuous surveillance of ships in the waters surrounding Japan, which will lead to further strengthening of the Japan-US alliance's response capabilities."
According to the Ministry of Defense, about 30 Japanese and U.S. personnel are assigned to this organization, and Japanese and U.S. aircraft and ships, including U.S. unmanned reconnaissance aircraft that began operating at Kanoya Air Base in Kagoshima Prefecture in November, are on duty. Some of the collected information and images are shared in real time for analysis.
It is the first time that a specialized organization has been established to share and analyze information collected by the Self-Defense Forces and the US military.
The Ministry of Defense said, "We will further deepen the cooperative relationship between Japan and the United States in areas such as information gathering and warning and surveillance, and contribute to the peace and stability of the region."