Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Coast Guard (Bakamla) and the Japanese Coast Guard conducted a joint exercise to strengthen their defenses against pirate attacks.
The collaboration was marked by the Japanese Coast Guard's visit to Bakamla at the JICT Pier in North Jakarta on Wednesday.
"This cooperation also reflects the good relationship between the two countries," Bakamla Secretary Rear Admiral Samuel Kowaas stated during a press briefing at the JICT Pier.
The joint exercise will continue until January 26, involving simulations of pirate attacks and personnel knowledge exchanges.
For the simulations of pirate attacks, Bakamla will deploy the Pulau Marore ship, while the Japanese Coast Guard will utilize the Settsu ship, according to Kowaas.
He drew attention to the long-standing cooperation between Bakamla and the Japan Coast Guard.
Earlier, both parties had conducted various activities, including joint training and education exchange between personnel.
For this joint exercise, Bakamla aims to strengthen its maritime defense capabilities and bolster bilateral relations between Indonesia and Japan.
On the same occasion, Vice Commandant for Operations of the Japan Coast Guard, Kanosue Hiroaki, expressed appreciation for the established cooperation between the two nations.
"We hope to deepen this cooperation. We have established cooperation with Bakamla for quite a long time. Moreover, we also shared mutual interests in water security," he remarked.
In addition to the exercise, his side also brought in a special Japanese team called the Mobile Cooperation Team (MCT) to provide training in handling crimes at sea.
"The MCT will instruct them (on how) to apprehend criminals. We hope Bakamla can learn from MCT to improve their capabilities," Captain of the Japan Coast Guard Anti-Piracy Task Force, Nagasaki, remarked.
He stated that this deployment marks the 13th mission of Japan Coast Guard's vessels to Indonesian out of a total of 50 deployments to Southeast Asia since 2000.
Indonesia was considered successful in handling several crimes at sea, he said.
"The Japanese government wants the maritime areas in Southeast Asia to be safe and free from threats," he added.
Indonesia, Japan coast guard hold joint exercise to fight pirates
Rabu, 22 Januari 2025 16:43 WIB
Bakamla Secretary Rear Admiral Samuel Kowaas (right) with Vice Commandant for Operation of Japan Coast Guard Kanosue Hiroaki at the JICT Pier, Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, on Wednesday (January 22, 2025). (ANTARA/Walda Marison/rst)
