The Japan Training Squadron Visits Tanzania and Seychelles

I had a great privilege to join the training squadron of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) from Tanzania to Seychelles as an interpreter.  The JMSDF has been dispatching a training squadron annually since 1956 in order to increase junior officers’ maritime experience, and this year’s voyage marks the 56th.  Taking government’s policies and diplomatic events into account, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense choose training squadron’s navigation course from five options: an around-the-world course, a Pan-Pacific course, a North and South America course, a South East Asia course, and the Indian Ocean course.  This year, the Japanese government chose the Indian Ocean course, and the squadron is to visit 14 countries  (15 stops) in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.   

The training squadron, which consists of three ships, a flagship and a training vessel KASHIMA (standard displacement: 4,050 ton), a training vessel SHIMAYUKI (3,050 ton), and an escort squadron MATSUYUKI (3,050 ton), left Japan on May 22nd.  A crew of about 750 is onboard, including 195 junior officers who have just graduated from the Staff College.  Two third of the voyage has been completed, and the squadron has so far visited 9 ports across the world: Manila, Bangkok, Mumbai, Male, Djibouti, Jidda, Mar Maris, Djibouti, Dar es Salaam, and Victoria.  At each stop, members of the crew conducted good-will activities to strengthen friendly relations between Japan and the countries visited.

I boarded KASHIMA at Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on August 17th.  The ship looks huge from outside, but the inside was much smaller than I had expected (In fact, I hit my head three times with steel pipes).  Unfortunately I was not blessed with good weather, and the sea was extremely rough during my voyage.  My suitcase rolled and crushed from one side to another, and it did not take long for me to get seasick.  The Japanese food served on KASHIMA was very nice, especially because I have not gone back to Japan for more than two years, but I was so sick that I had to miss five meals during my 6-day voyage. 

The squadron reached Victoria, the capital of the Republic of Seychelles, on 22nd.  After the arrival at the port, I started my job as an interpreter of Rear Admiral Fuchinoue, the Commander of the training squadron.  Rear Admiral’s schedule was tight, as the squadron stayed in Seychelles for only four days.  On the first day, a big ceremony was held to welcome the squadron’s visit.  After the ceremony, the Rear Admiral held a luncheon with the first president of Seychelles and other distinguished guests, which was followed by a press meeting with Ambassador Takata.  On the second day, the Rear Admiral paid courtesy calls on the Vice President and the Minister for Internal Affairs, and at night, he hosted a fantastic reception on KASHIMA.  Around 200 guests came to the reception, and they were all fascinated with the Japanese food served by the crew of KASHIMA.  The crew also conducted good-will activities such as a music concert by the squadron’s brass band, which was applauded by a local newspaper as the best concert ever held in Seychelles.  On 24th, the day before the squadron’s departure, the Foreign Minister kindly hosted a reception at the seaside hotel, and the crew enjoyed food and local dances.   I truly enjoyed interpreting on each of the eight occasions, including the Rear Admiral’s impromptu speech at the last night’s reception, as Rear Admiral Fuchinoue had a good sense of humor.  Thanks to his personality, I truly enjoyed working with him, and it was a great honor to serve as his interpreter.

The voyage from Tanzania to Seychelles together with leading figures and promising young officers of the JMSDF was a marvelous experience for me.  I was able to deepen my understanding on the JMSDF and Japan’s maritime defense, and this voyage will no doubt become an asset for my future career.  I wish all the best to each and every member of the crew for the rest of the voyage, and I am sure the squadron will leave happy memories with local people at each stop.  The squadron’s voyage will continue for two more months, and the three vessels will come back to the Harumi port in Tokyo on October 22nd.  Bon voyage!

Japan-funded Disaster Management Course at the PKO training center in Kenya

I attended a closing ceremony for the disaster management course at the International Peace Support Training Centre (IPSTC) in Nairobi.  The IPSTC is one of the most prominent PKO training centers in Africa, and Japan has been assisting training programs at the center.  This Japan-funded disaster management course was a 10-day program for both military personnel and civilians who are engaged in disaster relief operations in Kenya.  The Government of Japan sent a course facilitator from the Japan Ground Self Defense Force, and the course was rated highly by the 25 Kenyan participants. 

  

Remarks on the occasion of the closing ceremony for IPSTC's Disaster Management Course (10th Aug, 2012)

[Greetings omitted]

Distinguished Participants,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good afternoon.

It is my honour to attend this closing ceremony of the Disaster Management Course today.  I would like to convey our cordial congratulations to the 25 participants from 19 organizations for your achievement through this course.  I would also like to express our gratitude to the Government of Kenya, IPSTC, UNDP, and JCCP for their dedication and commitment, which have led this course to a success.

As you all know, last March, Japan was hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake, which recorded a magnitude of 9.0.  This earthquake and the tsunami that followed took away nearly 16,000 lives, while 6,000 got injured and 3,000 are still missing.  More than 70,000 evacuated, and many people still cannot go back to where they used to live.  It was such a heartbreaking and devastating event, but the result could have been even worse without the brave dedication of Japan’s Self Defence Forces, Police officers, fire fighters, and other people who devoted themselves to disaster management and relief operations.  These people removed rubble day and night restlessly.  They managed to transfer injured people despite impassable roads.  And we will never forget the determined men and women who continued sending alarms to let coastal people evacuate until a wave swallowed them.  Indeed, every time Japanese people encounter a major disaster, the reputation of disaster management professionals has increased, and this is one indicator of how capable and skillful Japan’s disaster management teams are.

Japan is a disaster-prone country, and we often lose precious lives in front of the power of nature.  However, we do not just cry over our loss but we learn from tragedies, and we better prepare ourselves against future incidences.  Thus, Japan has become the most prominent country in the field of disaster management with rich knowledge and experience to share.  The Japanese Ground Self Defence Force has contributed in many international disaster management operations, including the ones in Haiti and Indonesia.  And we think that it is our duty as well as our pleasure to share what we have with other countries to prevent and mitigate the damage of disaster. 

With this regard, we are pleased to provide this Disaster Management Course at the IPSTC to the participants like you who are to become leading figures of disaster management in your country.  This course is the 5th course to be financed under Japan’s funding for the Phase II project at the IPSTC, and for the first time, we sent a lecturer from the Ministry of Defence to the IPSTC.  As you know, one of your instructors, Col. Ishibashi is Director of the Japan Peacekeeping Training and Research Center, a Japanese organization similar to the IPSTC.  I am sure you all enjoyed Col. Ishibashi’s course on case studies of Haiti and Indonesia.

Through the 10-day course, which ends today, I believe that you have acquired practical skills that will enable you to contribute to disaster management initiatives.  I also believe that you will share what you have learned here with your colleagues.

In closing my remarks, I wish all the best for each and every participant for your work in a respective position.

My Trip to Somalia

The destination of my first business trip since my assignment to Kenya was Somalia.  The Japanese government’s oversea safety website has maintained its evacuation advisory to the whole area of Somalia for four years.  Thus, were it not for official duty, I would not have been able to travel to Mogadishu.  

I took a UN flight to attend a security conference held inside the Aden Abdulle International Airport, which is also known as the Mogadishu Airport.  Although the service at the airport was disrupted due to the civil war, the operation resumed as the security situation improved in 2010.  A Dubai-based aviation firm provided technical support for security check, and the Turkish government has assisted renovation of the airport.  It is actually one of the most protected places in Somalia, where the threat of Al Shabaab remains.  This is why international conferences are usually held here.  Inside the airport, UN and AU officials were busy running from one place to another with their bulletproof jackets on.  

Although it was a pity that I could not go outside the airport because of security concerns, I was at least glad to land on Mogadishu at the time when Somalia was going through a dramatic change.  Somalia is now in the middle of political transition, as the term of the transitional federal government is to end by 20th August.  A new provisional constitution was approved overwhelmingly at the beginning of this month, and the presidential election is scheduled on 20th.  

According to those who visited the center of Mogadishu recently, the city is gradually regaining its stability. Children can now play outside.  Stores are replacing bullet-holed windows with new ones, and brand-new signs are adding colors to the local streets.  However, Al Shabaab remains active especially in the southern part of Somalia, and the flow of arms from Yemen and Eritrea to Shabaab-controlled areas continues.

After the conference, the UN flight took off for Nairobi without much delay.  The plane made a 90-degree turn immediately after the take off in order not to get into a terrorists’ missile range.  After a two-hour flight, the plane came back to the densely populated city of Nairobi right after the sunset.   Despite the short flying distance, the trip to Mogadishu provided me with quite a different experience from the one in Nairobi.