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China-Japan relations
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How Japan aims to convert ageing warships into leverage to counter China

Tokyo plans to send retired destroyers to Manila and Jakarta, but it may not demand alignment against China as part of deal

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Japan and Indonesia are discussing the transfer of Asagiri-class destroyers, which experts say is part of Tokyo’s broader effort to cultivate a “desirable security environment”. Photo: Kyodo
Gabriel Dominguez
Japan’s plans to transfer ageing warships to the Philippines and Indonesia could turn older military hardware into geopolitical leverage, deepening regional security ties while helping Tokyo counterbalance Beijing’s growing influence, observers say.

Such transfers, they said, fit into Tokyo’s broader security assistance toolkit to strengthen partners’ capabilities and forge longer-term defence relationships through equipment, training, maintenance and interoperability – expanding Japan’s regional influence without demanding alignment against Beijing.

The broader effort is aimed at cultivating what Tokyo calls a “desirable security environment” by taking a more active role in shaping the region’s security architecture.
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Providing retiring warships is an important element of that push. The Philippines expects to receive five Abukuma-class destroyer escorts within two to three years, while Tokyo and Jakarta are discussing the transfer of Asagiri-class destroyers, the first of which was retired in March after 38 years of service.

An analysis published on August 25 by Japan’s National Institute for Defence Studies (NIDS), the defence ministry’s main research institute, suggests Tokyo could eventually broaden the pool of equipment for such transfers.

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