September 8, 2026 | 09:36 pm
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency's (BNPB) Sikorsky Black Hawk N360UH water-bombing helicopter conducts an aerial operation to extinguish a land fire in Sungai Rambutan Village, Indralaya Utara, Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra, on July 26, 2026. ANTARA/Nova Wahyudi
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry of Defense confirmed that three helicopters provided by the Japanese government will begin operations to extinguish forest and land fires from September 12 to September 19, 2026.According to a press statement from the Indonesian Government Communications Agency released in Jakarta on Tuesday, the three CH-47 Chinook helicopters are currently en route aboard the JS Kunisaki and are scheduled to dock at Kijing Port, West Kalimantan, on Wednesday, September 9."If all phases proceed according to plan, the Japanese helicopter support will be deployed for firefighting operations from September 12 to 19, 2026," Ministry of Defense Secretary General Lieutenant General Tri Budi Utomo stated in the press release.Tri clarified that the arrival of Japanese assistance does not diminish the Indonesian government’s role as the primary authority in managing forest and land fires.He noted that the support forms part of the comprehensive Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) signed between Indonesia and Japan on May 4, 2026.Since this partnership primarily covers disaster management, including Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), he stressed that the assistance is humanitarian in nature and should be viewed within a broader diplomatic framework."Therefore, all national capabilities are being mobilized, and Japan's assistance will be fully integrated into the forest and land fire mitigation operations led by the Indonesian government," he said.Read: Anwar Ibrahim Urges ASEAN Review of Transboundary Haze RulesClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
