Tokyo eyes ‘export’ of destroyers to PH
TOKYO—Japan is considering to “export” used Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers to the Philippines, as the key US allies deepen security cooperation amid China’s assertive maritime posture, a Japanese government source told the Kyodo News service on Sunday.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro discussed the plan when they met in Singapore in June, the Japanese source said.
Philippine officials have not announced the plan or specified the terms of the “export” deal.
Japan’s principles on the overseas transfer of defense equipment and technology restrict exports of lethal weapons under its war-renouncing Constitution. But the ban does not apply to joint development or production projects with other nations.
The Japanese government expects that the export of used destroyers to Manila, despite their lethal capabilities, would be regarded as a “joint development,” as they would be customized to meet the Southeast Asian country’s needs, the source said.
The vessels being considered for export are 2,000-ton Abukuma-class destroyers commissioned between 1989 and 1993. Operated by a crew of around 120, the 109-meter-long ships are armed with antiship missiles and rapid-fire cannons.
Japan’s “Defense Buildup Program,” compiled in 2022, stipulates that the nation plans to retire “vessels that have been in service for a considerable number of years and have limitations in expandability” at an early stage.
Security cooperation between Japan and the Philippines has deepened in recent years, with tensions escalating in the South China Sea, where Manila and Beijing remain locked in territorial disputes.
