Japan to End Overseas Firefighting Mission in Indonesia - Tempo.co English
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, that he had ordered his country's forces to conclude their firefighting operations in Indonesia, their first overseas mission.
Forest fires have been raging across parts of the Southeast Asian country for months, particularly in Kalimantan province, which borders directly with the Malaysian state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo.
Japan sent a Self-Defense Forces transport ship carrying three CH-47 helicopters to aid Indonesia's firefighting efforts, with operations that were launched on September 16.
According to a report by Kyodo, Indonesia has informed Japan that the Self-Defense Forces' operations have helped prevent the spread of forest fires. Indonesia, according to the report, was confident that it could handle the disaster response going forward.
The Indonesian Ministry of Forestry reported on Tuesday that the country has seen a significant drop in hotspots across the country, from 559 spots on Sunday to 365 hotspots the next day.
"From six priority regions for forest fire handling, South Sumatra recorded the highest high-confidence hotspots, while Central Kalimantan recorded a quite significant hotspot decline," said ministry official Ristianto Pribadi to Antara. High-confidence hotspots in South Sumatra reached 96 late Monday, while Riau and West Kalimantan recorded no hotspots present at the time.
The Japanese choppers have run more than 40 aerial firefighting operations as of Monday, dropping about 220 tons of water, Koizumi said at a press conference.
"The Defense Ministry and the SDF would like to further deepen defense cooperation with Indonesia, building on the trust that has been cultivated" from the operations, he said.
The transport ship Kunisaki, an 8,900-ton Osumi-class vessel, departed from the Maritime Self-Defense Force base in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, western Japan, on August 30 and arrived at Kijing Port in West Kalimantan on September 10.
The mission follows an agreement signed between Koizumi and his Indonesian counterpart, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, in May to broaden defense cooperation, including in joint training and disaster relief operations.
