Canada to deploy military patrol plane, 50 personnel to Japan

A CP-140 Aurora aircraft flies during Operation Nanook on August 21, 2020. (Cpl. David Veldman/Canadian Armed Forces)

Canada will send a military patrol plane and approximately 50 personnel to Japan this month to support international sanctions on North Korea following that country's recent ballistic missile tests, Defence Minister Bill Blair announced Friday.

While Canada routinely deploys CP-140 Aurora aircraft to the region, Blair announced the upcoming deployment during a bilateral meeting with Japanese defence minister Kihara Minoru in Tokyo, where the leaders discussed strengthening military ties between the two countries.

A statement from the Department of National Defence says Blair affirmed Canada's commitment to bolstering security in the Indo-Pacific region, and "condemned the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s provocative and destabilizing actions in the region, including the continued testing and development of ballistic missiles."

North Korea reportedly fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan on Thursday, according to a statement from the South Korean military's joint chiefs of staff.

Blair said it is now "more important than ever" to boost defence ties between Canada and Japan in light of the North Korean threat.

"That country’s growing relationship with Russia also provides a clear reminder that Indo-Pacific security is linked to security around the globe," the statement from National Defence said.

The Royal Canadian Air Force will deploy a CP-140 Aurora patrol plane to Japan for approximately four weeks as part of a longstanding operation to intercept maritime vessels suspected of evading UN sanctions on imports of fuel and other commodities into North Korea.

Canada most recently deployed an Aurora to Japan for the operation in May, during which the aircraft flew a dozen missions and observed two suspected illegal ship-to-ship transfers, according the Canadian Joint Operations Command.

Last week, Canadian frigate HMCS Vancouver participated in a joint exercise with Japanese destroyer JS Ariake to strengthen interoperability between the two navies.

This is the second year that the Canadian navy has deployed three warships to the Asia-Pacific region as part of the overarching Indo-Pacific Strategy.