SAYAMA: Japanese Prime Minister SUGA Yoshihide on Saturday stressed the importance for the country’s Self-Defense Forces to cross organizational boundaries when they work on tackling new national security challenges in space, cyber-related and other fields.

“It’s important that you break away from vertically segmented systems and work beyond the boundaries of the Ground, Maritime and Air SDFs,” Suga said in a speech before SDF members during his review of the troops the Air SDF’s Iruma Air Base in Sayama, Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo.

Also in the speech, Suga expressed the country’s resolve to hold the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in summer 2021 “as a symbol of mankind’s victory over the new coronavirus.”

The prime minister’s review of SDF troops is held every year, with the Ground, Maritime and Air SDFs taking turns to host it. This year’s review was scaled down partly due to the spread of COVID-19. No exhibition flight was held.

JIJI Press