Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) vessel JS Osumi (LST-4001) carrying some 150 officers and crew has arrived in Manila for a three-day goodwill visit.
The Osumi-class tank landing ship docked at South Harbor’s Pier 15 on April 26, the Philippine Navy said.
As informed, this is the third visit of a JMSDF ship in the Philippines this year.
The first JMSDF ship, JS Amagiri, visited the country in February and the second, JS Akizuki, two weeks ago.
The ship’s visit comes days before the launch of Balikatan, an annual US-Philippine military bilateral exercise in which Japan will also participate. The exercise is focused on a variety of missions, including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, counterterrorism and other combined military operations.