Japan will lease additional land next year to expand a military base in Djibouti, eastern Africa, as a counterweight to what it sees as growing Chinese influence in the region, three Japanese government sources said. "In addition to the land Japan has borrowed, it is considering leasing the neighboring land to its east," the spokesman said in response to a Reuters query. Minister of Defence Tomomi Inada traveled to Djibouti in August, where she said Tokyo was considering expanding the "function" of the Japanese base. A month earlier Japan sent three C-130 aircraft from Japan to stand by in Djibouti for the evacuation of Japanese citizens trapped by fighting in South Sudan's capital, Juba. The mission, only the second ever undertaken by SDF transport aircraft, showed the increasing ability of Japan's military to conduct operations far from home.

Source: The Star October 13, 2016 04:52 UTC