Japanese warships arriving in Phl for 4-day port call

MANILA, Philippines - Japan is sending three naval training ships for a four-day port call to Manila next week after Japanese officials reportedly offered to provide the Philippines with 10 new patrol vessels to bolster the country’s capability to defend our territorial waters.

The ships JS Kashima (TV-3505), JS Shimayuki (TV-3513), and JS Matsuyuki (DD-130) of the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) training squadron are expected to arrive in Manila.

The visit of the Japanese vessels comes just days after the port call of the United States nuclear-powered submarine USS North Carolina and two Indian warships INS Rana and INS Shakti in Subic, Zambales last week.

Defense officials described all these recent visits of foreign warships as routine and is not connected to the ongoing stand-off in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal between the Philippines and China.

Col. Omar Tonsay, Navy spokesman, said that a Philippine Navy ship BRP Apolinario Mabini would welcome the three JMSDF training ships under the overall command of Rear Admiral Hidetoshi Fuchinoue when the ships arrive near Corregidor Island on May 28.

The JS Kashima has a standard displacement of 4,050 gross tons, has a length of 143 meters and bean of 18 meter, draft of seven meters and an armament of 76mm main gun and two tirple torpedo tubes and a complement of 360 personnel.

The JS Shimayuki has a displacement of 3,050 gross tons, length of 130 meters, beam of 13.6 meters and draft of 8.5 meters and is armed with a 76mm main gun, two 20mmm close-in weapon systems, one surface-to-surface missile tube, one surface-to-arm missile system, an anti-submarine launcher and two triple torpedo tubes and has a 200-man complement.

The JS Matsuyuki has the same dimensions, crew and armament of her sister ship JS Matsuyuki.

Japanese sailors and Philippine navy personnel would conduct goodwill activities until May 31.

“The visit will further strengthen existing friendly relations between the two navies through a series of scheduled events aimed at enhancing understanding and cooperation,” Tonsay said.

The Japanese government has announced that it is supplying 10 40-footer patrol vessels along with two one-ton ships to the Philippines under a loan to help strengthen the country’s maritime patrols.

The Japanese might turn over to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) the new vessels before the end of the year.

The PCG had deployed only one patrol ship at Panatag Shoal as against the five Chinese maritime and Fishery Law Enforcement Command (FLEC) vessels in the area.

An editorial of the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun said Japan could not just stand by and watch China’s ongoing military build-up in South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) while expressing fears of a direct confrontation between Beijing and the Philippines in the wake of the tense stand-off in Panatag Shoal.

“Japan cannot afford to ignore the Scarborough Shoal dispute, as the nation faces similar friction with China, which claims sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands,” the Yomiuri Shimbun said.

“Peace and stability in the South China Sea is not only crucial for nations in Southeast Asia. It also is in Japan’s national interest to ensure that its sealanes remain safe.”

Yomiuri Shimbun said the Japanese government plans to use official development assistance to provide the Philippines with patrol vessels for its coast guard will help the country strengthen its maritime security, and also be important in making China pause to think.