National Apr 4, 2021
Four Japanese SDF members infected with coronavirus in Africa
The latest infections were confirmed at a base where around 110 troops are working in support of Japan's anti-piracy mission in waters off neighboring Somalia.
National Apr 27, 2020
Japan to extend entry ban to Russia and 13 other countries, Abe says
Japan will deny entry to foreign travelers from a further 14 countries, including Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, strengthening its border controls to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. With the ban effective starting Wednesday, people ...
World / Science & Health Feb 3, 2020
Somalia declares locust plague emergency, appeals for funding
Somalia declared the worst desert locust invasion in a quarter-century a national emergency that's posing a major threat to an already fragile food situation. Swarms of the insects are breeding in Djibouti, Eritrea and Sudan and have also spread to neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia, where ...
Reference | EXPLAINER Dec 22, 2019
SDF tests public support with next mission in Middle East
by Eric Johnston
The Cabinet is expected to approve a Self-Defense Forces mission to the Middle East that will comprise a destroyer, patrol planes and 250 personnel as part of an intelligence-gathering operation. In addition, one of two P-3C maritime surveillance planes deployed at Japan's base in Djibouti ...
Business Mar 26, 2018
U.S. House panel to probe China's economic and military footprint in Africa and threat to trade
U.S. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes said his committee will investigate China's efforts to gain military and economic power in Africa. The California Republican told "Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo" that China's investment in African countries would allow Beijing to strengthen its grip ...
Commentary / World Dec 21, 2017
by Brahma Chellaney
Just as European imperial powers employed gunboat diplomacy, China is using sovereign debt to bend other states to its will.
National Nov 19, 2017
Japan to expand SDF base in tiny but strategically important Djibouti
Japan has agreed to lease 3 hectares (7.4 acres) of empty land in the strategically important African country of Djibouti for use by Self-Defense Forces troops conducting antipiracy missions in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia, Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera has said. The lease is ...
Asia Pacific Jul 12, 2017
China sends military personnel to Djibouti to man its first overseas base
Ships carrying Chinese military personnel for Beijing's first overseas military base, in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, have left China to begin setting up the facility as China's rapidly modernizing military hones its global reach. Djibouti's position on the northwestern edge of the Indian ...
Asia Pacific Dec 6, 2016
Djibouti military chief-of-staff visits China amid base building
A senior Chinese officer has met Djibouti's military chief-of-staff in Beijing and thanked him for supporting China's construction of a military base in the Horn of Africa country, the second such high-level meeting in a month. Djibouti's position on the northwestern edge of the Indian ...
National / Politics Oct 13, 2016
Japan to expand SDF base in Djibouti to counter growing Chinese influence
by Nobuhiro Kubo
Japan will lease additional land next year to expand a military base in Djibouti as a counterweight to what it sees as growing Chinese influence in the region, three Japanese government sources said. China is seeking closer ties with African nations that could help it ...
National / Politics Aug 15, 2016
New defense chief Tomomi Inada meets SDF personnel engaged in anti-piracy mission off Somalia
New Defense Minister Tomomi Inada visited Djibouti in eastern Africa on Monday to meet with Self-Defense Forces personnel engaged in the anti-piracy mission off Somalia. "The sea transportation security (situation) continues to require caution. It is essential to steadily implement counterpiracy measures," Inada said in ...
Asia Pacific Mar 27, 2016
China tries to ease worries about overseas military bases
by Ben Blanchard
China has launched an unusual charm offensive to explain its first overseas naval base in Djibouti, seeking to assuage global concerns about military expansionism by portraying the move as Beijing's contribution to regional security and development. The message is in stark contrast to Beijing's more ...