and they have the regional army headquarters enables them to take necessary actions within their
boundaries. However, massive disaster may require the force to cross over the organizational border to
cooperate. In 2018, the Ground Self Defense Force established the Ground Component Command for
centralizing the operational matters. They are expected to function also in the disaster situation.
b) Material and Equipment: Securing Transportation Capacity and Capability
It is ideal to increasing the capacity and capability of military transportation.
However, it often requires the approval of the Government to secure the budget to enhance it. It also
needs some time to get approval. To compensate for the gap between the requirement and the reality, the
use of civilian transportation and freight capacity is a valuable alternative.
c) Push Transportation
Sending relief materials without waiting for the request from autonomies (Push Transportation) is valuable.
After this disaster, the government took the initiative to change the way of delivering supplies, enabling
the transport actors deliver various relief supplies without waiting for the request from the local/regional
authority. In the disaster response in 2016 in Kumamoto Prefecture, the Japanese government successfully,
efficiently and swiftly delivered the enormous amount of relief supplies to the affected people in needs
with this transportation measures. In 2016 response, JTCC sent LNOs to the Government Emergency
Response Headquarters to acquire the Governments' transportation needs of delivering relief supplies and
supported the push transportations.
Implications
Relief supplies can be the only lifeline for the affected people. Quick delivery of supplies may directly
influence the life or death of the people in grave needs. The efficiency of use of transportation is also
relevant to the force projection capacity. It is critical to balance the allocation of the transportation
capability between the relief, force projection and other requirement needs.
Event Description
This article was prepared by PKSOI International Peace Operations Analyst LTC Akikazu Shibasaki and
is based on the verbal script of a presentation by the Japanese Joint Staff used in Turbo-Transition
Conference held in June 2018.
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