Capt. Thomas D’Arcy, commanding officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Kimball (WMSL 756), and members of his command staff meet with Sakamaki Kenta, Japan Coast Guard 10th Regional Coast Guard Commander, and his staff to discuss U.S. Coast Guard and Japan Coast Guard partnerships during a meeting in Kagoshima, Japan, Feb. 14, 2023. Kimball’s crew are in Kagoshima to conduct joint training and professional exchanges with members of the Japan Coast Guard expanding on a memorandum of cooperation signed in 2022 between the two sea services which established Operation SAPPHIRE, a perpetual operation to strengthen relationships, increase bilateral engagements, and focus on maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific. U.S. Coast Guard video by Chief Petty Officer Matt Masaschi.