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| An Abukuma-class destroyer escort of the JMSDF. Photo c/o Seaforces. |
As reports from Japan and the Philippines confirmed plans to transfer the entire fleet of six Abukuma-class destroyer escorts of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) to the Philippines, the Philippine Navy has also confirmed that a Joint Visual Inspection (JVI) will be conducted to assess the condition of the ships.
Philippine Navy Spokesperson Captain John Percie Alcos confirmed that aside from inspecting the condition of the ships’ weapon systems, hull, machinery and other components, the inspection will also assess how the ships will fit into the Philippine Navy’s functions and operational requirements, financial capability to support, interoperability with existing subsystems, and logistics systems.
The JVI is scheduled to start in August 2025 and will include surface warfare officers, sea systems experts, as well as financial and logistics personnel., and will be completed in two weeks.
Formulating a recommendation will soon follow, which will be forwarded to the Philippine Navy’s General Headquarters for review, before forwarding to the Department of National Defense.
The six Abukuma-class destroyer escorts collectively have been in service with the JMSDF between 32 to 36 years, and are used for anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare operations.
They are 109 meters long, displacing at around 2,000 tons, and are armed with an Oto Melara 76mm Compact naval gun, RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, Anti-Submarine Rocket (ASROC) system, lightweight anti-submarine torpedoes, and a 20mm Phalanx close-in weapon system.
Their introduction to the Philippine Navy are expected to boost the fleet numbers, improve overall combat capability especially on anti-submarine warfare, and is viewed as a goodwill gesture and strategic move by Japan to assist a like-minded country and strategic partner.
The Yomiuri Shimbun reported in early July that an agreement between the Japanese and Philippine defense ministries was reached during the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 2025 for the potential transfer of the ships.
[3] Naval News
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