The original purpose of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force to deploy rescue flying boats is to rescue the pilots of the Self-Defense Forces aircraft that were shot down by enemy aircraft. You can fly to the last minute of the territorial waters, rescue it, and then return.


In peacetime, this high rescue ability is utilized for disaster relief. If a sudden illness occurs on a remote island that does not have a runway or on a ship that is navigating far away, rescue operations that cannot be done with a helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft are possible.

On June 21, 2013, newscaster Jiro Shinbo and others were in distress while crossing the Pacific Ocean on a yacht and requested rescue. The Japan Coast Guard, which received the news, tried to go by patrol boat, but it would take three days by any estimate. Therefore, I asked the JMSDF for cooperation. The US-2 that took off succeeded in rescuing Mr. Shinbo and others on the same day.

Currently, only the 71st Air Corps located at Iwakuni Base (Yamaguchi Prefecture) operates rescue flying boats at the JMSDF. US-1 and US-2 are deployed in the unit. In the unlikely event that a rescue incident occurs on the Pacific side, a detachment of the same unit is also set up at Atsugi base. With these two locations as bases, we are preparing for unforeseen circumstances.

Military photojournalist
Masayuki Kikuchi



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