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Japan deploys equipment to Indonesia’s Borneo to help fight wildfires causing toxic haze
Japan deploys equipment to Indonesia’s Borneo to help fight wildfires causing toxic haze. Originally published by Mongabay.
By Associated Press · 2026-09-10T19:25:22.931Z
MEMPAWAH, Indonesia AP — A Japanese military transport ship docked on the island of Borneo on Thursday as part of a disaster relief mission to help fight wildfires in Indonesia that are causing a toxic haze impacting people’s health in other countries. Japan deployed 300 crew members, landing ship JS Kunisaki and three CH 47 helicopters, which arrived in Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. The mission in Indonesia marked the first known overseas firefighting operation carried out by the Japan Self Defense Forces, or JSDF. “To this end, we will learn from the Indonesian military’s operational experience and work in coordination and cooperation with them, striving to ensure that the Indonesian people can lead stable lives as soon as possible,” Col. Syunji Nakahara, the commander of the disaster relief activities, said at a port in Mempawah district. Japan and Indonesia have been also increasingly strengthening their military cooperation ties, with the two sides discussing the Japanese sale of its used destroyers. Indonesia has been plagued by forest and land fires for decades, but an intensifying El Niño https://apnews.com/article/el nino climate change flood drought damage 7eafacd2bcf04ade9d7f555dfd488178 pattern this year and a prolonged dry season worsened the impact of the fires. Toxic haze and smoke https://apnews.com/article/malaysia haze emergency sarawak fire indonesia 916d8bd302936cf4d76d3828575807f4 have caused a health crisis in neighboring countries. The smoke has drifted as far as the Philippines https://apnews.com/hub/philippines , more than 800 kilometers 500 miles away, and breached Malaysia’s emergency level threshold https://apnews.com/article/malaysia haze emergency sarawak fire indonesia 916d8bd302936cf4d76d3828575807f4 for air pollution, forcing authorities to declare an emergency last week in a town in Sarawak state on Borneo. The air pollution has also affected several areas on the island of Sumatra, forcing schools to suspend learning activities at school. The toxic haze has affected more than 1.4 million students https://apnews.com/article/indonesia forest fires south sumatra haze 16095c9a33ff1653f74a3445645c8b8a across the country https://apnews.com/hub/indonesia . Japan’s firefighting efforts will support Indonesian authorities in reaching areas that are difficult for ground teams to access. The JSDF said in a statement on Thursday that the three CH 47 Chinook helicopters from Japan will start conducting firefighting operations on Borneo as soon as preparations are complete. “Through these operations, we will dedicate ourselves to supporting the affected people of Indonesia and preventing further damage,” a written statement from JSDF said on Thursday. Indonesian authorities have escalated firefighting efforts https://apnews.com/article/indonesia kalimantan sumatra peatland forest fires 68c55926aa3f2615e57cd59f2449f802 in several provinces as they seek to contain the blazes. The efforts have involved aircraft provided by countries in Southeast Asia and beyond, including Japan, the United States, Russia, Australia, Canada and Ukraine. Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry recorded more than 202,000 hectares nearly 500,000 acres of burned land between January and July, almost three times Singapore’s size. By Edna Tarigan and Andi Jatmiko, Associated Press https://apnews.com/article/indonesia japan borneo wildfires smoke toxic haze 4e422e76372f15bbf6d6e09265d1f39c Banner image: Japanese tank landing ship JS Kunisaki approaches Kijing Port amid the thick haze from forest fires in Mempawah, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. Banner image courtesy of Tatan Syuflana, Associated Press