Japanese Destroyer Samidare Docks in Jakarta
Japan Self-Defense Forces' Murasame-class destroyer JS Samidare docked at Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta on Wednesday to take part in a ceremony to commemorate the 61st anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Japan.
"There are many options for us to visit, but we chose Indonesia because the Indonesian Navy is an important partner for us," captain of the Samidare Admiral Takahiro Nishiyama said.
The Japanese destroyer sailed to Indonesia after completing a counter piracy mission in Somalia. "We were patroling the seas off the coast of Somalia to stop pirate ships," he said.
The Samidare will dock at Tanjung Priok for three days. During their stay, Japanese Navy officers will train with their Indonesian counterparts.
Samidare means "rain early in summer" in Japanese. The Japanese war ship, manufactured in 2000, is equipped with a surface-to-air missile system and can accommodate up to 200 crew members.
The 4,550-ton vessel is also equipped with other sophisticated weapons and equipment such as anti-dive rockets, torpedo launchers, 20 mm close-in weapons, VLS short range SAM and two Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk helicopters.
The anti-submarine ship will be in Jakarta until May 10 before it sails back to Japan.
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