The Japan Coast Guard (JCG) dispatched 2 members of the Mobile Cooperation Team (MCT) to Fiji for providing capacity-building support to the coast guard agencies of Tuvalu, Tonga, Fiji, Micronesia and Nauru under the framework of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) from 6th to 19th, July 2024.
(MCT: a special team that provides foreign coast guard agencies with capacity-building on maritime safety and security)

1.The MCT participated as training instructors in the VBSS (Visit, Board, Search and Seizure) training, which was conducted by the UNODC in Suva, Fiji. The VBSS training was aimed at improving the ability of coast guard agencies to conduct inspection capabilities at sea.

The MCT provided training to participating coast guard officers on vessel transfers, inspections, and casualty evacuation.

2.The UNODC is one of the United Nations agencies that conducts research and analysis on illicit drugs and crime, as well as supporting UN member states in concluding various treaties on illicit drugs and crime, and providing technical cooperation to improve capacity for this purpose.

Since 2018, the JCG has been cooperating in UNODC program related to the improvement of law enforcement capabilities at sea based on a request for cooperation from the UNODC.

3.The JCG will continue to strengthen its cooperation with other coast guard agencies to realize a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)" based on the rule of law. Additionally, the JCG will also actively engage in providing technical assistance to coast guard agencies in the Indo-Pacific region.