On 25 July 2015, staff from Operation Atalanta Force Headquarters visited the Japanese Detachment of Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 in Djibouti. Led by the Force HQ Chief of Staff, Captain Jens Nykvist, the meeting was hosted by Captain Masahisa Motomura, Commanding Officer of the Deployment Air-Force for counter-piracy Enforcement of the Japanese Self-Defence Force.

They discussed the current counter-piracy situation in the Gulf of Aden and potential areas of cooperation between Japanese Forces deployed on CTF 151 and EU Naval Force Somalia. The visit concluded with a tour of the Japanese Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance P3 Orion aircraft and an update on its capabilities.

Captain Nykvist concluded the visit by saying: “It is always an honour to visit our colleagues of the detachments based in the Air Base of Djibouti, and a great opportunity to strengthen mutual understanding and cooperation.”