Japanese destroyer, crew on 4-day goodwill visit in Zambales
Philippine News Agency
By Priam Nepomuceno
November 27, 2025, 2:58 pm
MANILA -- A Japanese guided missile destroyer and its crew are in the Philippines for a four-day goodwill visit, further boosting the growing navy-to-navy ties between the two Asian nations.
JS Harusame (DD-102), which arrived on Wednesday and skippered by Commander Makoto Ozawa, is docked at the Naval Operating Base in Subic, Zambales, the Philippine Fleet (PF) said in a news release on Thursday.
Following the arrival honors for JS Harusame, Ozawa, along with Japanese assistant defense attaché Commander Kawahata Noriyuki and two other Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) officers, paid a courtesy call on PF commander Rear Admiral Joe Anthony Orbe.
"During the call, both navies discussed the PF commander's engagement in August and his recent visit to Yokosuka, Japan, in preparation for the official PF and JMSDF staff-to-staff talk to be held in the Philippines," the PF said.
It added that Orbe assured the visiting JMSDF delegates of the PF's readiness to provide any assistance, while both sides exchanged insights from their experiences as ship commanding officers.
Orbe and his staff were also given a shipboard tour of JS Harusame, "allowing them to familiarize the vessel's equipment and technology, while also promoting knowledge sharing and enhancing mutual appreciation of each other's maritime assets and operational procedures," the PF said.
The visit will conclude with a send-off ceremony on Saturday.
"This visit underscores the continued efforts to strengthen maritime cooperation and foster stronger ties between the PN and the JMSDF," the PF said.
"It reaffirms the shared commitment of both nations to enhance professional expertise, operational interoperability, and bilateral trust, supporting the shared goal of a secure and stable maritime environment." (PNA)
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