USFJ and JSDF put bilateral disaster relief to the test in JXR 26

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — U.S. Forces Japan and the Japan Self-Defense Forces Joint Operations Command conducted Joint Exercise Rescue 2026 from July 20 to 24, a large-scale bilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief simulation aimed at strengthening emergency response. U.S. personnel operated in support of the Japanese Ministry of Defense, which led response efforts.

“JXR allows our U.S. and Japanese forces to stress-test our coordination mechanisms and ensure that, in the event of a real-world catastrophe, our bilateral response is rapid and effective,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Stephen Jost, USFJ commander. “Our primary focus is to bolster our alliance with our partner nation and support the Government of Japan’s lifesaving efforts to mitigate the impact of severe disasters.”

The scenario modeled a maximum-class Nankai Trough megathrust earthquake and tsunami striking the Kinki region amid extreme summer heat, causing widespread infrastructure collapse, utility failures and mass casualties requiring immediate rescue operations.

Participants focused on tailored logistics and personnel support, including bilateral medical support, complex evacuation coordination, and sustained life-support operations as teams shifted from initial lifesaving activities to long-term sanitation management. “Tying in the operational logistics across the theater down to what we call the ‘last tactical mile’ is a deliberate planning effort we have to conduct with the Japanese,” said U.S. Marine Corps Col. Christopher Kim, USFJ director of logistics. “We both have logistics capabilities that can enhance the effects we need in the time and fashion we need them.”

Medical planners used the exercise to address cross-border care policies that have complicated previous real-world relief efforts. “From a lessons-learned standpoint, this exercise is about the ability to know who your counterparts are, understand each other’s capabilities and how we could complement each other in any kind of scenario,” said USAF Col. John Cotton, USFJ command surgeon. “We are in coordination with the Japanese MOD and Ministry of Foreign Affairs to work through that so we can provide care to a stricken population.”

The training also emphasized bilateral communication to maintain timely, unified and accurate information sharing between forces and to the public during a fast-moving emergency.

Officials said the event underscored progress in USFJ’s joint force headquarters transformation and reinforced the alliance’s readiness for real-world crises. “This week represented a great opportunity for us to continue to stress ourselves, humbly identify shortcomings, learn from them and make corrections,” said Jost. “That preparation and experience, when intersecting with a crisis, is what equals success.”