Junior Japanese Officers Visit Hawaii

Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Cohen Young | Adm. Keiji Akahoshi, the Chief of Staff of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force salutes while he and his junior officers conduct a wreath ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii, on June 9, 2010. The junior officers are on a training mission in which they will visit 16 ports in 12 countries in a span of 156 days and Hawaii was their first stop on this trip.  

HONOLULU, HI, UNITED STATES

06.09.2010

Story by Master Sgt. Cohen Young 

DMA Pacific - Hawaii Media Bureau   

Japanese naval officers paid their respects to fallen American military members while at the Punchbowl, the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii, on June 9, 2010.

Junior officers from the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) are conducting a training mission in which they will visit 16 ports in 12 countries in a span of 156 days and Hawaii was their first stop on this trip. The junior officers were in Hawaii from June 8 to June 11 and they visited the Punchbowl, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) and other key sites on the island of Oahu. Two highlights for the young Japanese officers were a visit to the Punchbowl where they conducted a wreath ceremony and their attendance at the United States Navy – Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force Junior Officer Symposium. The symposium marked a 50-year maritime alliance between the two countries.

For many of the young Japanese officers, this training cruise was a chance to learn something new that they couldn’t learn in Japan.

“Participating in this training cruise gives me the chance to learn things that I couldn’t learn in a textbook,” said Ensign Koji Nogami, a young Japanese officer assigned to the “Kashimi,” a vessel of the Japan Training Squadron.

All of the Japanese officers attended a symposium along with junior U.S. Naval officers stationed at JBPHH. There they had a question and answer session with Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Gary Roughead. Roughead told the group how important they were for the future as the two countries look forward to another 50-years of being aligned.

“During the symposium, we learned how the U.S. Navy and JMSDF alliance is not only essential for our two countries, but for all countries in the world,” said Ensign Jiro Agawa, who is currently assigned to the Kashima training vessel as well.

As the Japanese crews make their trip around to various ports in the world, they will continue to maintain partnerships and build personal relationships.

“The cooperation between the U.S. and Japan is crucial in building relationships and human to human relationships are the most important in our future development as we maintain and develop new alliances,” added Ensign Nogami.

• Date Taken: 06.09.2010
• Date Posted: 06.11.2010 22:26
• Story ID: 51273
• Location: HONOLULU, HI, US