Abe Urges JCG to Fulfill Duties to Protest Maritime Safety

May 20, 2018

Tokyo- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called on the Japan Coast Guard on Sunday to fulfill its duties of protecting the safety of the sea around the country.

"The situation of the ocean areas surrounding our nation is severer than ever," Abe said in a JCG fleet review ceremony, referring to frequent intrusions of Chinese government ships into waters around the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan. China claims the Japanese-administer islands, which call them Diaoyu.

"The future of Japan as a maritime nation will be uncertain without the JCG," Abe said. "I hope you will perform many more important missions than ever."

Aboard the patrol ship Yashima, Abe observed a parade of JCG vessels and aircraft, as well as drills on sea rescue and responses to suspicious ships.

The fleet review ceremony, the first in six years, was held to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the coast guard system in Japan.

Abe was the first prime minister to attend a fleet review ceremony since Taro Aso in 2009. Jiji Press