The Japanese government plans to end its intelligence-gathering mission to the Middle East in December. Japanese media have pulled China in the report, claiming that this is related to the so-called "Chinese maritime activities" and that the end of the dispatch may be to allow the ships to return to the waters around Japan and increase vigilance and surveillance.
The Destroyer "Sunset Mist" of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force is about to go to the Gulf of Aden for anti-piracy missions
Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported on December 1 that a number of relevant japanese government figures revealed on November 30 that the Japanese government basically decided to end the dispatch mission in December and not to extend the time for the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force ships to carry out intelligence gathering tasks in the Middle East.
Japan's intelligence-gathering mission in the Middle East will be undertaken by other ships on anti-piracy missions. While tensions in the Middle East continue, the Japanese government believes that reducing the number of ships sent to one will also ensure the safety of Japan's ships. The matter will be finalized at a meeting of the Japanese Cabinet in December.
In view of China's maritime activities, the end of the dispatch may be to allow the ships to return to the waters around Japan, increase vigilance and surveillance activities, and work with the U.S. military, which values the Indo-Pacific region, to achieve a rapid response.
The report mentioned that the destroyer "Winter Moon" currently dispatched by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force is the sixth batch of ships to carry out intelligence gathering missions in the Middle East and is operating in the Gulf of Oman, the northern Arabian Sea, and the high seas on the east side of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. In December last year, the Japanese government decided through a cabinet meeting to extend the dispatch time to December 26 this year.
In the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia in eastern Africa, the Destroyer Yuwu of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force based in Djibouti and two P-3C patrol aircraft are on anti-piracy missions, and will also undertake intelligence gathering tasks in the Middle East.
Reporter Xu Luming
Editor/Ma Xiaoqing
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