The area served by the Japan Coast Guard is vast, covering 34,000 km of coastline and 430,000 sq. km of territorial waters, 4,050,000 sq. km of EEZ(1).
And the range of missions performed by the organization is equally vast: spanning law enforcement to homeland security, including the fight against terrorism, surveillance of territorial waters, and fisheries patrol duties.
The Japan Coast Guard also ensures the safety of merchant shipping, performs search and rescue work for boats in distress, protects the marine environment, prevents maritime disasters, and cooperates with organizations in Japan and in other countries.

The Super Puma in the Thick of the Action
“Our helicopters predominantly carry out search and rescue missions. In October 2006, three of our choppers saved 44 Philippine and Chinese people from two floundering boats during a violent typhoon,” recalls Motomi Miki, Director of the Aircraft Division of the Japan Coast Guard.
“The ships had been capsized by 10-meter-high waves and very strong winds, about 2 km from the port of Kashima, in the Ibaraki Prefecture. The flight conditions were very difficult, but we were spurred on by the desire to save these people’s lives, and we knew that no boat could do it.
It took us four hours to perform the rescue and transport the shipwrecked people to hospital.”
In 2006, the Japan Coast Guard saved the lives of 94 people with their AS332 L1 Super Pumas.

“The advantages of the Super Puma are there for all to see: reliability, power, and a large cabin,” continues Mr. Miki. “That said, we can’t wait for the arrival of the EC225s.
These aircraft will be used for rescue and transport missions, and we chose the EC225 for the size of its cabin, its hoisting capabilities, and its endurance, which will prove very useful to us during long journeys.
And let’s not forget flight safety, which is a vital factor when choosing a new aircraft.
We have been Eurocopter customers since 1989, so we know we are buying a high-quality product that won’t let us down!"