Japan adds second base for Chinook firefighting effort in Indonesia

Japan now has a second operating base in Indonesia for its wildfire response, with one of its three CH-47 Chinooks moved aboard a landing ship off West Kalimantan.

The Ministry of Defense said the JS Kunisaki reached waters off Ketapang on 21 September 2026 with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force helicopter aboard. Flights from the ship begin once the aircraft and crew are ready.

The other two Chinooks stay at Kijing Port, north of Pontianak, the provincial capital. With the third working from the ship further south, the move puts the detachment at two separate bases.

JS Kunisaki left Japan on 30 August 2026 with all three helicopters embarked and docked at Kijing Port on 10 September 2026.

Japan ordered the deployment on 28 August 2026 under its international disaster relief framework, sending three helicopters and one transport ship. It also falls within a defence cooperation arrangement signed with Indonesia in May 2026 covering humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

Smoke and poor visibility kept the aircraft on the ground after the ship arrived. According to Jiji Press, the first water drops came on 16 September 2026, using river water lifted in underslung buckets.