- ARAB NEWS
- 01 May 2024
Since 1975
Arab News Japan
TOKYO: The United States Coast Guard (USCG) and the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) conducted a joint anti-smuggling exercise – “SAPPHIRE 22” – off the coast of Guam on Tuesday.
A JCG statement said that it has been “deeply interacting” with the USCG “to strengthen cooperation through various opportunities.”
It was the second joint exercise this year. The previous one was held off the coast of San Francisco in May.
Tuesday’s exercise envisaged targeting a foreign fishing boat suspected of drug smuggling.
The two sides confirmed ways of communicating and sharing information as well as tracking, stopping and capturing a suspect boat, and carrying out an on-board inspection.
The JCG used the 6,000-ton patrol vessel Mizuho in the operation, while the USCG used the 350-ton cutter Olive Henry, which is stationed in Guam.
