Japan is preparing to transfer six retired Abukuma-class destroyer escorts to the Philippines, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on 6 July. The arrangement, agreed in principle by Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani and Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro during talks in Singapore last month, would mark Tokyo’s first export of a complete major naval platform. Each Abukuma-class vessel displaces about 2,000 tons, measures 109 metres and carries a crew of roughly 120. The ships, commissioned between 1989 and 1993, are equipped with anti-ship and anti-submarine missiles, torpedo tubes and a 76-millimetre gun. A Philippine Navy team will travel to Japan this summer to inspect the hulls and weapon systems; the earliest delivery is expected once Japan replaces the class with new Mogami-class frigates from 2027. To comply with Japan’s strict arms-export rules, Tokyo plans to classify the refit and installation of communications gear requested by Manila as a joint development project. A formal offer will follow the technical assessment, according to a Philippine Navy statement issued on Sunday. The proposed transfer deepens a rapidly expanding security partnership aimed at countering Beijing’s maritime assertiveness in the South and East China Seas. In the past year the two U.S. allies have conducted joint drills, concluded a reciprocal access agreement that allows troop deployments on each other’s territory, and cooperated on radar and coast-guard vessel deliveries. Japan’s defence ministry declined to comment on the report, and China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Philippines currently operates only frigates and corvettes, so the addition of destroyer-class ships would represent a significant upgrade to its fleet.