The is the elite

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

unit of the

Japan Coast Guard The is the coast guard of Japan. The Japan Coast Guard consists of about 13,700 personnel and is responsible for the protection of the coastline of Japan under the oversight of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Th ...

. The team was established to respond to special maritime accidents and disasters.

History

On November 9, 1974, the , a Japanese LPG tanker, collided with the ''Pacific Alice'', a Liberian freighter, in

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan, and spans the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. The Tokyo Bay region is both the most populous a ...

. 3 hours after the collision, a major explosion and fire occurred on the tanker, which was a unique design carrying both

naphtha Naphtha ( or ) is a flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixture. Mixtures labelled ''naphtha'' have been produced from natural gas condensates, petroleum distillates, and the distillation of coal tar and peat. In different industries and regions ''n ...

and LPG. The naphtha fire lasted for a week before the

Japan Self-Defense Forces The Japan Self-Defense Forces ( ja, 自衛隊, Jieitai; abbreviated JSDF), also informally known as the Japanese Armed Forces, are the unified ''de facto''Since Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution outlaws the formation of armed forces, the ...

sank the stricken vessel. The accident resulted in 33 deaths (28 on board ''Pacific Alice'', 5 on board ''Yuyo Maru No.10'') and 8 injuries. The Special Rescue Team (SRT) was established in October 1975, with an initial strength of 5 members, in response to this accident.歴史
/ref> The team was initially trained by the

Tokyo Fire Department The Tokyo Fire Department (TFD) (Japanese: 東京消防庁, Tokyo Shōbōchō) is a fire department headquartered in Ōtemachi, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.

's Special Rescue Team. In April 1986, the SRT was shifted to its current location at the

Haneda , officially , and sometimes called as Tokyo Haneda Airport or Haneda International Airport , is one of two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Narita International Airport (NRT). It serves as the primary ...

Special Rescue Station.

Functions

The SRT is on stand-by around the clock, ready to carry out search and rescue operations nationwide, which demand sophisticated and specialised knowledge and skills. Such missions may involved firefighting on ships involving hazardous material and rescuing survivors from capsized or sinking vessels.

Organisation

Special Rescue Team officer abseiling from AS332 helicopter

The Special Rescue Team is located in the

Special Rescue Station, within the Haneda Air Station of the 3rd Regional Coast Guard Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. The SRT currently consists of a Commander, Deputy Commander, 3 members of staff and 36 SRT members operating in 6 teams. Members of the SRT are recruited from the best performing rescue divers in competitive meets conducted by the various regional coast guard commands. Although the Special Rescue Team is located at the 3rd Regional Coast Guard Headquarters, its area of operations spans the whole of Japan's waters. The team can be deployed for search and rescue operations by aircraft or helicopter anywhere across the country, as requested by the local regional coast guard commands. Command authority of a rescue operation is normally transferred from the local coast guard command to the SRT upon arrival. The team's quick-response capability is provided by helicopter and aircraft located at the Haneda Air Station. The team operates two AS332L1

Super Puma The Airbus Helicopters H215 (formerly Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma) is a four-bladed, twin-engine, medium-size utility helicopter developed and initially produced by the French aerospace company Aérospatiale. It has been subsequently manufactu ...

helicopters and two

Gulfstream V The Gulfstream V (Model GV, pronounced "G-five") is a long-range, large business jet aircraft produced by Gulfstream Aerospace, derived from the previous Gulfstream IV. It flies up to , up to and has a range. It typically accommodates four cr ...

light jets for emergency response. In the event of a large-scale disaster overseas, the SRT may also be deployed as part of an urgent international rescue task force. The

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department The serves as the prefectural police department of Tokyo Metropolis. Founded in 1874, it is headed by a Superintendent-General, who is appointed by the National Public Safety Commission, and approved by the Prime Minister. The Tokyo Metro ...

's R110 and

Tokyo Fire Department The Tokyo Fire Department (TFD) (Japanese: 東京消防庁, Tokyo Shōbōchō) is a fire department headquartered in Ōtemachi, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.

's Hyper Rescue are the other elite rescue teams which may form such a task force alongside the

's Special Rescue Team. Since establishment in October 1975 up till February 2002, the SRT had been activated in a total of 2,341 sorties.全国に展開する機動力
/ref> The latest use of the SRT's skills was to carry out the search for people during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Large numbers of the team worked near and in the Fukushima nuclear power plant . The team worked with large numbers of specialist rescue teams due to the severity of the disaster.

References

"特殊救難隊"
by Japan Coast Guard, February 2002, retrieved January 5, 2007
"JICA-PCG HRD News"
by VADM Kozo Tanaka, June 2004, retrieved January 5, 2007 Footnotes {{reflist Japan Coast Guard

History

Functions

Organisation

See also

References