The Defense Agency on Thursday started airlifting supplies for U.S.-led forces fighting in Afghanistan, according to agency Vice Minister Ken Sato.

An Air Self-Defense Force C-130 cargo plane, usually stationed at Komaki Base in Aichi Prefecture, airlifted supplies -- mainly winter clothes for U.S. service personnel, according to agency officials. Although the agency declined to disclose where the cargo plane flew from and to, sources said the airlift was conducted between Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo and Kadena Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture.

The airlift of personnel and supplies between U.S. bases in Japan, Guam and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean is one of the SDF operations ordered by Defense Agency Director General Gen Nakatani on Nov. 20.

The officials said the ASDF is capable of conducting airlift operations for U.S. forces about one or two times a week.

Meanwhile, three Maritime Self-Defense Force ships that left for Pakistan and the Indian Ocean to transport supplies for U.S. forces and Afghan refugees were sailing in waters near the Philippines as of Thursday, Sato said.

U.S. to send choppers

The U.S. government has told Tokyo that the U.S. Marine Corps plans to deploy eight cargo helicopters at its Iwakuni Base in Yamaguchi Prefecture by yearend, Defense Facilities Administration Agency officials said Thursday.

U.S. officials said that the planned relocation of CH-53D cargo helicopters from Hawaii to Japan would help the marines prepare for emergencies as part of counterterrorism measures, the officials said.

The agency sent officials to local governments in Yamaguchi Prefecture and neighboring Hiroshima Prefecture on Thursday to ask for their cooperation with the plan, they added.

The 27-meter-long helicopters are capable of carrying up to 55 people and have a range of 1100 km.