On February 6, the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) announced the successful completion of a counter-piracy training exercise held the previous day off Cape Muroto in Shikoku, Japan.
The exercise involved the 3,100-ton, helicopter-equipped patrol vessel Settsu and the commercial bulk carrier Corona Queen, operated by the Japanese logistics company Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. This exercise followed a comprehensive 50-day deployment of the Settsu to Southeast Asia in January, during which the patrol vessel conducted counter-piracy drills in cooperation with Indonesia.
JCG Promotion of Domestic and Indo-Pacific “Public-Private Partnerships” for Counter-Piracy
This latest at-sea drill was combined with an information-sharing exercise involving not only Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLIT), but also the regional Singapore-based ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ReCAAP-ISC) [1], along with Japanese commercial shipping companies.
The JCG explained that last week’s exercise involved the Corona Queen being approached by a suspicious vessel, which then communicated the situation to the JCG. In response, the JCG relayed this information to the Settsu patrol vessel, as well as to other participating organizations, including the MLIT Maritime Bureau, ReCAAP-ISC, and the companies associated with the Corona Queen, specifically the bulk carrier’s operator Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. and the shipping firm “K” Line RoRo Bulk Ship Management Co., Ltd. [2].
The participation of the Settsu in last week’s public-private counter-piracy partnership exercise in Japanese waters, which was partly aimed at testing the regional capabilities of ReCAAP ISC, follows the patrol vessel’s involvement in counter-piracy drills with the Indonesian Coast Guard. These exercises, designed to promote a rules-based “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)”, formed part of the Settsu’s comprehensive 50-day deployment to Southeast Asia, which began on January 8 [3].
JCG Strengthens Capacity-Building Partnerships with ASEAN and Unlocks Business Opportunities
JCG endeavors like those through the Settsu deployment play a pivotal role not only in facilitating training exercises and capacity-building initiatives with ASEAN nations but also in strengthening Japan’s industrial shipbuilding partnerships with these countries.
A key highlight of the Settsu deployment was a counter-piracy training exercise conducted on January 24 in Jakarta Bay, in collaboration with the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency (BAKAMLA). The exercise involved the participation of BAKAMLA patrol vessel KN Pulau Marore, a 1,168-ton vessel equipped with a small aerial drone, alongside the JCG Settsu [4].
The counter-piracy training exercise, aimed at combating maritime crime and enhancing surveillance of territorial waters, saw the deployment of a jet boat to simulate a suspected pirate vessel. The JCG patrol vessel Settsu and the Indonesian BAKAMLA patrol vessel KN Pulau Marore successfully intercepted and escorted the boat back to port, demonstrating their coordinated efforts in securing the waters [5].
On January 30, Japan strengthened its industrial shipbuilding partnership with Indonesia when Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. signed a contract with Indonesia’s BAKAMLA to construct a new offshore patrol vessel (OPV) [6]. The vessel will be built at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works in Yamaguchi Prefecture, with an expected completion and delivery date set for March 2028. This project is part of a broader grant agreement signed in March 2024 between the Government of Indonesia and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
A similar connection between shipbuilding opportunities for Japanese defense contractors and the JCG capacity-building efforts in the region extends to the Philippines.
In June 2024, the Philippines committed to acquiring five 97-meter Multi-Role Response Vessels (MRRVs) from Japanese shipbuilders for its Coast Guard. This agreement follows the previous launch of MRRVs for the Philippine Coast Guard in 2021, which, like the latest OPV for Indonesia, was built by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding’s Shimonoseki Shipyard.
A few months later, as reported by NSBT Japan, the JCG dispatched three members of its Mobile Cooperation Team (MCT) to the Philippines from August 25 to September 7 to provide technical assistance to the Philippine Coast Guard in operating the MRRVs provided by Japan under a project implemented by JICA.
Conclusion
JCG exercises and capacity-building efforts not only support the Japanese shipbuilding industry but also contribute to maintaining a rules-based maritime order under the FOIP. Japan’s maritime law enforcement initiatives extend beyond bilateral engagements with ASEAN countries. This is exemplified by trilateral exercises between the JCG and its counterparts from the Philippines and Indonesia, which aim to enhance interoperability and strengthen regional security cooperation [7]. These efforts also have the potential to further solidify Japan’s position in the Indo-Pacific shipbuilding industry.
Notes:
[1] The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ReCAAP-ISC), established in November 2006 in Singapore, aims to enhance regional cooperation in Asia to combat piracy and armed robbery against ships. The center facilitates information-sharing, helping to identify suspects, victims, and damaged vessels, and coordinate arrests, rescues, and vessel captures. The Regional Co-operation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP), concluded in 2004, is the first inter-governmental legal framework in Asia targeting regional piracy. A Japanese initiative proposed by Prime Minister Koizumi in 2001, ReCAAP has 21 member nations, including ASEAN, China, South Korea, India, the USA, and Germany, among others. https://www.recaap.org/about_ReCAAP-ISC & https://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/piracy/pagewe_000001_00086.html
[2] Japan Coast Guard, “巡視船「せっつ」による官民連携海賊対処訓練について ～官民一体で海賊対策を強化～, (Patrol Vessel Settsu Leads Public-Private Partnership Counter-Piracy Exercise – Strengthening Counter-Piracy Measures through Public-Private Sector Cooperation), February 6, 2025, https://www.kaiho.mlit.go.jp/info/kouhou/r7/k250206/k250206.pdf
[3] Japan Coast Guard, 海賊対策の派遣を終えた巡視船せっつが帰港！ ～50 回目の任務を無事完遂～, (Patrol Vessel Settsu Returns to Port Following the End of its Counter-Piracy Deployment – Fifty Days of Duties Successfully Completed –), February 4, 2025, https://www.kaiho.mlit.go.jp/info/kouhou/r7/k250204_1/k250204_1.pdf
[4] Japan Coast Guard, インドネシア海上保安機構と連携訓練を実施しました ～両機関巡視船で連携して海賊対処にかかる訓練を実施～, (Conducted a Training Exercise with the Indonesia Coast Guard – The Two Patrol Vessels Conducted Training Exercise Related to Counter-Piracy), February 7, 2025 https://www.kaiho.mlit.go.jp/info/kouhou/r7/k250124/k250124.pdf
[5] Gulf Observer News, “Japan and Indonesia Conduct Joint Maritime Crime Exercise off Jakarta Coast, January 25, 2025, https://thegulfobserver.com/japan-and-indonesia-conduct-joint-maritime-crime-exercise-off-jakarta-coast/
[6] Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, “Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Receives Order for an Offshore Patrol Vessel from the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency”, January 30, 2025, https://www.mhi.com/news/25013001.html
[7] Philippine Coast Guard, “PCG bolsters interoperability with Indonesia, Japan counterparts”, May 26, 2022, https://coastguard.gov.ph/index.php/transparency/2015-score-card/4655-pcg-bolsters-interoperability-with-indonesia-japan-counterparts
Background Information:
- https://www.kaiho.mlit.go.jp/info/kouhou/r7/k250206/k250206.pdf
- https://www.mhi.com/news/25013001.html
- https://www.kaiho.mlit.go.jp/info/kouhou/r7/k250124/k250124.pdf
- https://www.kaiho.mlit.go.jp/info/kouhou/r7/k250204_1/k250204_1.pdf
- https://x.com/JCG_koho/status/1884481604468478250
This article was originally posted on NSBT Japan, the first defense and security industry network in Japan. The publication provides the latest information on security business trends both within Japan and overseas. Asian Military Review began exchanging articles with NSBT Japan in April 2024.
Read the original article here.
