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 a 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.