Philippines Has Finalised The Acquisition Of Second Hand warships From Japan.

Manila/Tokyo; July 2026: Philippine Secretary of National Defence Gilberto Teodoro Junior has confirmed that the Philippine and Japanese governments have finalised the agreement regarding Philippine’s acquisition of second hand warships from the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF).

These implies that Japan will export used navy destroyers to the Philippines to strengthen its deterrence against China’s maritime expansion, as the two US allies (Philippines & Japan) increase cooperation to counter Beijing.

The export plan involves 06 Abukuma-class destroyer escorts in service by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force for more than three decades. Defence ministers Gen Nakatani Of Japan and Gilberto Teodoro of the Philippines have agreed to the destroyer export when they met in Singapore last month (June 2026), adding the Philippine military is set to inspect the destroyers this summer as part of the final preparations.

Japan and Philippines have jointly asserted that they face challenges from China’s increasingly assertive moves in waters including the South China Sea for the Philippines and the East China Sea for Japan. Bilateral military cooperation has included joint exercises, a Japanese radar aid package and a high-level strategic dialogue. Last year they signed a reciprocal access agreement, the first such for Japan in Asia, allowing deployment of forces on each other’s soil.

To clear military equipment export restrictions for the destroyers under Japan’s pacifist mandates, Japan will treat the installation of equipment and communication systems requested by Philippines as a joint development project, as per official Japanese sources.

The Abukuma-class destroyer escort, a relatively small type of destroyer with a 2,000-ton standard displacement, is operated by a crew of about 120 and is armed with anti-submarine and anti-ship missiles, torpedo tubes and guns, according to a Japanese navy website. The Philippine Navy does not have destroyers, only frigates and corvettes, which are typically smaller and lighter-armed vessels.

Meanwhile, 05 of the JMSDF’s 06 Abukuma class destroyer escorts (not destroyers as frequently erroneously stated by other news outlets) have been selected for eventual hand-over to the Philippine Navy. The ships have been in Japanese service since 1989.

The Philippine News Agency quoted Gilberto Teodoro as saying that the administrative details of the vessels hand-over are still being finalised while adding that the hand-over itself is, already a done deal.

The secretary added that the condition of each destroyer escort will still be assessed to enable local defence planners to determine the most appropriate way of incorporating the ships into the Philippine Navy’s active fleet.

The destroyer escorts were originally designed for coastal patrols and anti-submarine warfare with armament consisting of 76mm naval guns, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, anti-submarine rockets, torpedoes, and Phalanx 20mm close-in weapon systems. However, it remains unclear whether the ships’ Harpoon capability will be retained, as second hand naval surface combatants acquired by the Philippines typically have all their guided missile armament removed prior to transfer.

The Abukuma-class ships will be replaced in JMSDF service by the locally manufactured Mogami-class stealth frigates.

To achieve the desired operational capability even with a smaller number of embarked personnel compared to the Akizuki class destroyers, the Mogami class ships are fitted with a number of automated systems. One notable feature is an advanced integrated combat information centre developed by MHI. This system consists of a large circular screen through which operators can view all navigation, propulsion, tracking, and fire control data. The same system provides the crew with a full 360 degrees of visibility through the use of cameras, enabling them to see the areas around the ship without any blind spots.

The remaining essential systems include an OPY-2 active electronically scanned array (AESA) X-band radar, fixed and towed sonars, and an OAX-3 electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor. The radar and the EO/IR sensor were supplied by Mitsubishi Electric.

The ship’s armament includes a BAE Systems 127-millimetre naval gun, Mitsubishi Type 17 anti-ship missiles, Raytheon RIM-116 and Type 03 surface-to-air missiles, Mitsubishi Type 12 torpedoes, machine guns on remote weapon stations, and mines. Up to 16 missiles can be housed in and fired from vertical launch system (VLS) cells installed at the bow. A chaff dispenser is fitted to provide some defence against hostile guided missiles.

The frigate has a flight deck and a hangar for use by an SH-60 Seahawk sonar-equipped helicopter for added anti-submarine capability. There is also onboard space for two rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) as well as unmanned surface and underwater vehicles with their deployment into and recovery from the water accomplished with the aid of a stern ramp.

Team Maverick.