The Maritime Self-Defense Forces

Minesweepers were the only branch of Japan's Self-Defense Forces that had actual combat experience. They would sweep almost 320 kilometers or 200 miles of waterways around major Korean ports for mines in order to reopen shipping lanes for the Allies. In October 1950, a squadron of 24 minesweepers joined UN forces landing at Wonsan in southern Korea as a part of the Korean War. The veterans of this minesweeping operation would be incorporated into the Japan Maritime Self-defense Forces four years later.