The governments of Indonesia and Japan have agreed to enter into discussions regarding the possible turnover of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force's (JMSDF) used Asagiri-class destroyers to the Indonesian Navy.
The transfer of the ships to Indonesia, which was confirmed by Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, will form part of a planned broader cooperation between the two countries in areas including defence, Indonesian Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said following an official visit to Tokyo earlier this month.
Mr Koizumi remarked that, together with Australia's acquisition of Mogami-class frigates and the Philippines' eventual purchase of used Abukuma-class destroyer escorts, the Asagiri-class destroyer transfer to Indonesia, "will expand [Japan's] substantive collaboration," with its neighbours.
The JMSDF has introduced the Mogami-class stealth frigates as replacements for the Asagiri-class and the Abukuma-class ships, which were originally designed in the 1980s.
The Mogamis were also designed to possess nearly similar capabilities as the Akizuki-class destroyers but with smaller crew complements and fewer missile launchers.