TOKYO: Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force and Air SDF have announced a dish they made in collaboration–curry and rice served with “karaage” fried chicken–bringing their closely watched “food battle” to an end.

The new dish, named “Kukai,” will be served at the Defense Ministry’s cafeteria for a limited period from Monday.

本日、海上幕僚長と航空幕僚長が「#海自カレー」と「#空自空上げ」のコラボメニュー「空海⤴️(くうかい？）」の会食を行いました。
これまでの「海自カレーVS空自空上げ」の激しい闘いはこれにて終了！
今後はお互いに協力し、海自カレー、空自空上げを盛り上げていきます。#なかよし #一緒にくうかい pic.twitter.com/UCpyLykm9B

— 防衛省 航空自衛隊 (@JASDF_PAO) December 4, 2020

The ASDF has promoted its original karaage, competing with the MSDF’s traditional curry dish, inherited from the now-defunct Imperial Japanese Navy.

Specifically, the MSDF and the ASDF are respectively promoting curry and karaage developed by members of their bases, as part of efforts to make citizens feel close to them. In October, the chiefs of staff of the MSDF and the ASDF joined the battle on Twitter.

For Kukai, curry using lotus roots and minced meat is topped with pieces of karaage flavored with garlic and soy sauce. The curry was originally made by the MSDF’s Iwakuni base in the western prefecture of Yamaguchi, and the karaage by the ASDF’s Chinen sub base in the city of Nanjo in the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa.

The term Kukai comprises two kanji characters–one meaning air or sky and the other meaning sea–which respectively form part of the Japanese names for the ASDF and the MSDF. Kukai also means “do you want to eat?” in Japanese.

“I would be very happy if the new dish supports the recruitment (of new members of the ASDF and the MSDF) even if only slightly,” MSDF Chief of Staff Adm. Hiroshi Yamamura, who tasted Kukai, said.

“We hope to continue working with” the MSDF, ASDF Chief of Staff Gen. Shunji Izutsu said.

JIJI Press