On July 18th, 2024, the Coast Guard Administration of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the Japan Coast Guard conducted a search and rescue drill in the waters south of the Boso Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. This marked the first joint maritime training between Taiwan and Japan since they severed diplomatic ties in September 1972.
The on-site cooperation between the Japanese and Taiwanese coast guards was conducted in response to the continuous maritime activities of the People’s Republic of China in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, in preparation for unforeseen circumstances. With the ongoing sense of crisis surrounding the situation in Taiwan, the goal is to develop regular training exercises.
According to a report from the Japanese newspaper “Mainichi Shimbun,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi stated at a press conference that the Japan Coast Guard and the Taiwan Coast Guard conducted a joint rescue training exercise within Japan, emphasizing that it was “not directed towards any third country, including China.”
Although Japan and Taiwan do not have diplomatic relations, the two sides have signed a memorandum of cooperation to assist in search and rescue operations during maritime accidents in 2017 through their respective associations. This training exercise was conducted under this memorandum.
Hayashi mentioned, “In the dialogue framework between the maritime agencies of Japan and Taiwan, agreements have been signed regarding cooperation in search and rescue operations for maritime accidents, as well as memorandums of understanding to combat smuggling and illegal entry.”
Reported by “Yomiuri Shimbun,” officials stated that the patrol vessel “Sagami” of the Japan Coast Guard and the patrol vessel “CG-9” of the Taiwan Coast Guard participated in this joint training exercise. The “CG-9” departed from Kaohsiung Port on June 21st, first engaging in an international joint patrol activity in the central and western Pacific Ocean to combat illegal fishing. From July 10th to July 17th, it was docked at Tokyo Odaiba Pier for refueling and supplies.
Officials mentioned that on the 18th, the “CG-9” and the Japan Coast Guard patrol vessel “Sagami,” which departed from Yokohama Port and carried a helicopter, headed to the waters south of the Boso Peninsula and near Izu Oshima Island to conduct maritime joint training. The training scenarios included simulated search and rescue operations for maritime accidents, information sharing, as well as coordinating and adjusting search areas to enhance mutual cooperation.
The Japan Coast Guard had previously dispatched officials to Taiwan in June for enhanced exchanges, including a meeting with Zhang Zhonglong, the newly appointed Director-General of the Taiwan Coast Guard, who took office in May. Last year in August, Taiwan’s patrol vessel “CG-8” entered Tokyo Odaiba Pier for maintenance operations, marking the first time in 10 years that a Taiwanese patrol vessel had visited Tokyo Bay.
On another note, the Chinese Coast Guard has been routinely entering the waters surrounding the Diaoyu Islands (known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan). In late May this year, they participated for the first time in a joint military exercise involving land, sea, and air forces near Taiwan, conducting “law enforcement patrols” in the nearby waters.
China has been conducting maritime surveys and military exercises around Okinotorishima, Japan’s southernmost island, and in mid-June, unilaterally extended the setting up of small buoys in the northwest part of the continental shelf area known as the “Shikoku Basin,” sparking protests from the Japanese side.