The Japan Coast Guard (JCG) dispatched two members of its Mobile Cooperation Team (MCT), a special team that provides foreign coast guard agencies with technical support on maritime safety and security, to provide capacity-building support to the Sri Lanka Maritime law enforcement agencies from 1 July (Sat.) to 9 July (Sun.) 2023, in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

MCT members participated as training instructors in the VBSS (Visit Boarding Search and Seizure) Officer Course, which was conducted by the UNODC in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, and conducted lectures and practical training on VBSS and casualty evacuation.

UNODC is a United Nations agency that conducts drug control and crime prevention, research, statistical analyses, and responses to organized crime, as well as providing advice to law enforcement agencies in UN member countries, supporting the development of judicial systems, and improving law enforcement capabilities.

Since fiscal year 2008, the JCG has been cooperating with UNODC in conducting training related to the improvement of law enforcement capabilities, at Sea based on a request for cooperation from UNODC.

The JCG will continue to cooperate with coast guard agencies in other countries to realize a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) based on the rule of law. The JCG will also engage
actively to contribute to the development of coast guard agencies in the Indo-Pacific region.