2 SDF planes leave for Middle East on intel-gathering mission

Two Japanese patrol planes left Okinawa for the Middle East on Saturday in what will be the Self-Defense Forces' first long-term intelligence-gathering mission abroad.The dispatch came a day after Defense Minister Taro Kono issued a dispatch order intended to ensure the safety of Japan-related commercial ships passing through the region, on which Tokyo relies heavily for its crude oil imports.The P-3C Maritime Self-Defense Force patrol planes will start the mission on Jan. 20, while the destroyer Takanami will leave Japan on Feb. 2, according to the Defense Ministry."Ensuring the safety of …READ FULL ARTICLE