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The is a military base operated by the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) located in
Ambouli Ambouli ( ar, أمبولي) is a southern suburb of Djibouti, Djibouti. Overview Located in the Djibouti region, O.G.S. Crawford identifies the city with ''Canbala''. Canbala appears in Muhammad al-Idrisi's map of 1192 on the coast of the Horn ...
,
Djibouti Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...
alongside the Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport. It is the JSDF's first full-scale, long term overseas base.


Background

Since their establishment in the 1950s following
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, Japan's Self-Defense Forces have concerned themselves only with defense of the home islands. In the 1990s, JSDF contingents were dispatched to Cambodia under the UN and to Iraq to aid in reconstruction efforts. These were relatively short-term missions and used temporary bases. Throughout 2009, in response to
piracy off the coast of Somalia Piracy off the coast of Somalia occurs in the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel and Somali Sea, in Somali territorial waters and other surrounding areas and has a long and troubled history with different perspectives from different communities. ...
members of the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
,
North Atlantic Treaty Organization The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
and other countries including Japan, China, Australia, and many others deployed personnel, air and naval resources as part of global
anti-piracy measures Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
. In July 2009, the National Diet passed the "Anti-piracy measures law". From March 2009, the
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...
(JMSDF) deployed the destroyers JS ''Sazanami'' and JS ''Samidare''. The JMSDF also deployed two P-3 Orion patrol aircraft to Djibouti, which began patrols on June 11, 2009. From 2009 to 2011, the aircraft operated from
Camp Lemonnier Camp Lemonnier is a United States Naval Expeditionary Base, situated next to Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport in Djibouti City, and home to the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) of the U.S. Africa Command (USAFRI ...
, which is run by the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
.


History

On April 3, 2009, then Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone and Djiboutian Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf signed a letter on the legal and official status of JSDF troops in Djibouti operating in the area for anti-piracy operations. In March 2011, the JMSDF established its own base nearby with 180 troops deployed there on a four-month rotational basis, with a command headquarters, boarding facilities and parking apron, at a cost of ¥4.7 billion yen (US$40 million). In 2015, two of the JMSDF's new
Kawasaki P-1 The Kawasaki P-1 (previously P-X, XP-1) is a Japanese maritime patrol aircraft developed and manufactured by Kawasaki Aerospace Company. Unlike many maritime patrol aircraft, which are typically conversions of civilian designs, the P-1 is a pu ...
patrol aircraft deployed to the base, to continue with operational trials within tropical and desert climates.Gady, Franz-Stefan
"Japan Seeks To Export its New Sub-Hunting Plane."
''The Diplomat'', 9 July 2015.
Three
Lockheed C-130H Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally design ...
aircraft of the
Japan Air Self-Defense Force The , , also informally referred to as the Japanese Air Force, is the air and space branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace, other air and space operations, cyberwarfare and electronic warf ...
's
401st Tactical Airlift Squadron The is a squadron of the 1st Tactical Airlift Group (JASDF), 1st Tactical Airlift Group of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) based at Nagoya Airfield, Komaki Air Base in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It is equipped with Lockheed C-130 Hercules, ...
were sent to the base in July 2016 to evacuate Japanese citizens from
Juba Juba () is the capital and largest city of South Sudan. The city is situated on the White Nile and also serves as the capital of the Central Equatoria State. It is the world's newest capital city to be elevated as such, and had a population ...
in
South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the ...
after fighting broke out there. They were expected to pick up around 70 Japanese citizens. In August 2016, Tomomi Inada, the then Japanese Minister of Defense, visited the base. In November 2016, it was announced that the Japanese government was considering expanding the site by leasing more land to the east. It was considering deploying C-130 Hercules aircraft and Bushmaster armored vehicles. This was reportedly so that Japan could more easily rescue Japanese citizens in Africa. From September 25 to October 2, 2017, the SDF conducted a drill in Djibouti to practice rescuing Japanese nationals. In November 2017, a C-2 of the 403rd Tactical Airlift Squadron deployed to the base for the first time. In the same month, it was confirmed that the base would be expanded. Currently 12 hectares (30 acres), Japan will lease 3 hectares (7.4 acres) on the eastern side of the SDF base. On April 4, 2021, four JSDF soldiers stationed in the Djiboutian base were reported to be confirmed positive for COVID-19.


Units

The following units are based in Djibouti: * *


See also

* Other military bases in Djibouti: ** Chinese People's Liberation Army Support Base in Djibouti **
Camp Lemonnier Camp Lemonnier is a United States Naval Expeditionary Base, situated next to Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport in Djibouti City, and home to the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) of the U.S. Africa Command (USAFRI ...
** Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport


References

{{commons category, Japan Self-Defense Forces in Djibouti JSDF Base Djibouti Overseas deployments of the Japan Self-Defense Forces
Djibouti Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...
2011 establishments in Djibouti 2011 establishments in Japan Djibouti–Japan relations Military installations established in 2011