The Philippines and Japan have confirmed their intention to transfer the first Abukuma-class destroyer to the Philippine Navy at the earliest possible date after its expected decommissioning, in a joint statement issued after a defence meeting in Cebu on Wednesday, October 28.
Source: GMA News
Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi met on the sidelines of the 20th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting in Cebu. The two sides said their defence authorities had agreed to pursue the transfer after discussions in a working group established in May.
The joint statement also set out wider cooperation in vessel operations, logistics support, human resource development and information sharing. The two countries agreed to provide education and training for Philippine Navy personnel before the transfer, and to cooperate closely on the vessel's maintenance and sustainment.
They also agreed to discuss, by the end of Japan's fiscal year 2027, the operational and maintenance arrangements for the transfer of a TC-90 aircraft to the Philippines, and to accelerate discussions on defence equipment and technology cooperation.
On regional security, the statement recorded the two countries' shared opposition to unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, and their concerns about China's coercive activities in waters and airspace around Japan and against the Philippines in the South China Sea.
No date for the first ship's handover was given, because the transfer follows decommissioning in the coming years. The statement is the latest step in a process that began with the bilateral working group in May, and it comes as the Philippines hosts the 20th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting and the 13th ADMM-Plus in Cebu on October 28 and 29.