Photo By Airman 1st Class Owen Davies | Japan Air Self-Defense Force and U.S. Air Force public affairs personnel gather...... read more read more
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Members of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force perform public affairs responsibilities as a secondary duty in addition to their primary occupational specialties. This is done typically for exercise or training opportunities, such as Red Flag-Alaska 25-2.
“Each member is assigned work and responsibility based on specialty and rank, fulfilling their duties depending on each situation,” said JASDF Maj. Miyake, Public Affairs officer. “The public affairs section is led by officers mainly to control the overall situation and they take the role of managers, meanwhile sergeants and airmen play roles as professionals of detail jobs such as photo shooting.”
Public affairs sections are assigned to major headquarters such as the Air Staff Office and Air Defense Command, as well as to wings and sub-bases across Japan. While personnel are assigned to public affairs sections as full-time positions during specific tours, public affairs is not a designated career specialty within the JASDF. Members from various functional areas, such as operations, administration and maintenance, are temporarily assigned to public affairs duties based on their preexisting abilities.
“I have been taking pictures of fighter jets using my personal camera and I was able to participate in this exercise because of that experience,” said JASDF Staff Sgt. Sashikata, Public Affairs airman. “Members who do not have experience with cameras cannot participate in this type of training because our job in this exercise is to take pictures.”
The JASDF does not currently offer a formal public affairs training course. Personnel typically learn public affairs functions through on-the-job instruction from predecessors or personal experience. Although it's rare, opportunities exist for short-term training in photography, media relations and communications policy. Public affairs activities include media relations, community engagement, social media content development, air shows, open house events and public concerts. Personnel with previous public affairs experience, such as photography or media handling, are often selected to support exercises and special events.
Community engagement is a key focus of public affairs operations. Efforts include providing accurate information to local residents and hosting events aimed at promoting understanding and cooperation between JASDF units and surrounding communities. Public affairs personnel also manage crisis communication responsibilities when necessary.
“The public affairs function plays a very important role in promoting understanding of the JASDF towards the citizens of Japan,” said Miyake. “It is important to appropriately release information pertaining to mission, training, and public relation events on social media and web pages so as to let people feel closer to JASDF as a popular organization. In addition, for example, when an accident happens, it is extremely important to release appropriate information to inform the media accurately and if there is a mistake in our response, it will heavily damage the trust from people in the local community. In this way, public affairs plays an essential role in shaping the image of the JASDF.”
As the JASDF continues to participate in bilateral training exercises such as Red Flag-Alaska, the involvement of its members in public affairs highlights the force’s approach to flexible personnel assignments. While not a dedicated career field, the public affairs function remains an important aspect of JASDF operations, contributing to internal communication, media coordination and public engagement in both domestic and international settings.
| Date Taken: | 06.26.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.21.2025 15:17 |
| Story ID: | 510872 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, ALASKA, US |
| Web Views: | 25 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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