In the event of an emergency, the defense minister will direct the head of the Japan Coast Guard as the JCG handles search and rescue activities and ensures the safety of civilians, several government sources have said.
This arrangement comes as part of an outline of control protocols that specify the procedures under which the JCG would come under the defense minister's command in the event of an emergency. The government plans to hasten the formulation of these protocols at the National Security Council.
The protocols will be the first operational guidelines for the Maritime Self-Defense Force and the JCG to work together in the event of an armed attack and other scenarios. The government has been working on the protocols in the belief that cooperation between the two must be strengthened given the increasingly severe security environment in Japan, such as from the heightened possibility of China invading Taiwan.
