Philippine Navy to inspect Japanese warships for possible transfer
Navy spokesperson Capt. John Percie Alcos said a team of naval experts will be dispatched to Japan for a joint visual inspection, following an official invitation from the Japanese Ministry of Defense.
'This planned inspection forms part of exploratory discussions on the possible transfer of these naval assets to the Philippines,' Alcos said in a statement released Sunday.
The Abukuma-class destroyers are designed for anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare. If acquired, the vessels are expected to strengthen the Philippine Navy's maritime defense capabilities, particularly in the West Philippine Sea.
The Navy said the initiative reflects the deepening strategic partnership between the Philippines and Japan, and supports both countries' commitment to maritime security, interoperability, and regional stability.
The planned inspection comes after both countries ratified the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), which facilitates joint military exercises, humanitarian missions, and temporary deployment of troops by easing legal and logistical barriers.
Japan has been a key defense partner of the Philippines in recent years having supplied two 97-meter multi-role response vessels, BRP Teresa Magbanua and BRP Melchora Aquino, which are actively deployed in patrol operations in the West Philippine Sea.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Etihad
16 hours ago
- Al Etihad
Dollar at more than two-week high versus yen as trade war intensifies
TOKYO (REUTERS) The dollar strengthened to a more than two-week high against the yen on Wednesday as US President Donald Trump pledged more trade-related proclamations after announcing 25% tariffs on Japan and other trade partners. The greenback advanced against major peers on Tuesday after Trump's latest threats of tariffs that are now due to start on August 1, but he later said he was open to extensions if countries made proposals. As the trading day in Asia began, Trump said on social media that there would be announcements on Wednesday regarding "a minimum of 7 countries having to do with trade," without specifying whether the notices would be about deals or more letters explaining the tariff terms. The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major peers, is still down more than 6% since the April 2 unveiling of Trump's sweeping "Liberation Day" reciprocal tariffs, which caused markets to swoon and were later mostly postponed to give time to ink bilateral trade deals. Adding to the trade turmoil, Trump said he would impose a 50% tariff on imported copper and would soon introduce long-threatened levies on semiconductors and pharmaceuticals. The European Union will not receive a tariff letter and could secure exemptions from the US baseline rate of 10%, EU sources familiar with the matter have told Reuters. Export-dependent Japan stands out among major US trading partners as being far away from a deal, and its currency has taken a beating as time runs out. Multiple rounds of talks have failed to result in a breakthrough, and Japanese policymakers are increasingly focused on a critical upcoming election. US Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, who has been a key trade negotiator with Tokyo, is expected to attend the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, later this month, potentially opening the door to more talks. The dollar climbed 0.4% to 147.12 yen, after touching 147.19, the strongest since June 23. The euro lost 0.2% to $1.1706. The dollar index rose 0.1%, advancing for a third-straight day. Sterling traded at $1.3569, down 0.2%. The Australian dollar slid 0.2% to $0.6517, after Tuesday's 0.6% jump. The New Zealand dollar traded at $0.5984 , down 0.2%.
Gulf Today
a day ago
- Gulf Today
Asian nations push for US tariff concessions
Powerhouse Asian economies Japan and South Korea said on Tuesday they would try to negotiate with the US to soften the impact of sharply higher tariffs that President Donald Trump now plans to impose from the start of August. Trump ramped up his trade war again on Monday, telling 14 nations that they would face tariffs ranging from 25% for countries including Japan and South Korea, to 40% for Laos and Myanmar. However, with the start date pushed back to August 1, those countries were focusing on the new three-week window to press for an easier ride. Stephen Miran, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said he was optimistic that more trade deals could be struck before the end of the week. "However, it's incumbent upon the other countries to make the concessions that convince the president that the deals are worth taking for America," Miran told Fox News. Japan wants concessions for its large automobile industry, top trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa said on Tuesday. Akazawa said he held a 40-minute phone call with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in which the two agreed to actively continue negotiations. However, he said he would not sacrifice Japan's agriculture sector - a powerful political lobby domestically - for the sake of an early deal. South Korea said it planned to intensify trade talks over the coming weeks "to reach a mutually beneficial result." Asked if the latest deadline was firm, Trump replied on Monday: "I would say firm but not 100% firm. If they call up and they say we'd like to do something a different way, we're going to be open to that." Global stocks were flat to marginally higher on Tuesday, as investors took in their stride the latest twist in the tariff saga, but the yen slid on the prospect of duties on Japanese goods. Economists warned that the long-running tariff disputes risked stunting growth and pushing up prices, causing headaches for policymakers. "The ongoing threat of higher tariffs intensifies stagflationary risks in the US and puts pressure on Europe to stimulate domestic demand further in order to offset headwinds in international trade," said David Kohl, chief economist at Swiss-based bank Julius Baer. The European Union, which is the largest bilateral trade partner of the US, aims to strike a deal before August 1 with negotiations focused on "rebalancing" and concessions for certain key export industries, a European source familiar with the negotiations said. However, German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil warned that the EU was prepared to retaliate if necessary. "If we don't reach a fair trade deal with the US, the EU is ready to take counter measures," Klingbeil said on Tuesday, speaking in the lower house of parliament. Some EU sources had said late on Monday that the bloc was close to an agreement with the Trump administration. This could involve limited concessions to US baseline tariffs of 10% for aircraft and parts, some medical equipment and spirits. Only two deals have been struck so far, with Britain and Vietnam. Trump has also said a deal with India was close. Washington and Beijing agreed to a trade framework in June, but with many of the details still unclear, traders and investors are watching to see if it unravels before a separate, U.S.-imposed August 12 deadline or leads to a lasting detente. SPREADING THE PAIN Trump said the United States would impose tariffs of 25% on goods from Tunisia, Malaysia and Kazakhstan, with levies of 30% on South Africa, Bosnia and Herzegovina, climbing to 32% on Indonesia, 35% on Serbia and Bangladesh, 36% on Cambodia and Thailand and 40% on Laos and Myanmar. Cambodia, hit hard by levies imposed in April, on Tuesday hailed as a big success a reduction in the tariff rate from 49% to 36% and said it was seeking to negotiate a further cut. The tariffs have been an issue for Cambodia's garments and footwear sector, a major employer and the biggest driver of its economy. The US is also the main export market for Bangladesh's ready-made garments industry, which accounts for more than 80% of its export earnings and employs 4 million people. "This is absolutely shocking news for us," Mahmud Hasan Khan, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, told Reuters on Tuesday. Reuters
Middle East Eye
a day ago
- Middle East Eye
Greek dock workers will refuse to unload Israel's 'murderous cargo'
Dock workers at the port of Piraeus have said that they will refuse to unload the Ever Golden, a container ship carrying military-grade steel to Israel, when it arrives in Greece. 'We will not unload a single inch of this murderous cargo,' Enedep, the union of dock workers at Athens's port city, said on Tuesday. 'The dock workers of Piraeus will not be complicit. We will not unload military steel from the Ever Golden - no to Greece's involvement - freedom for Palestine,' the workers said. According to the ship and container tracking site Vessel Finder, the Ever Golden, which is Japanese-owned and sails under the flag of Panama, was sailing off the coast of West Africa on Tuesday morning. It is expected to reach Piraeus on 14 July. Once it arrives there, its cargo is intended to be moved to another container ship, the Folk Dammam, and taken on to Israel. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The Ever Golden, which was built in 2018 and is carrying 75 bundles of military-grade steel originating in India, stopped into a port in Singapore for six hours between 12 and 13 June. Last week, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) anti-Israeli occupation movement posted on social media that the vessel, 'carrying steel to Israel in the middle of its ongoing genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians', was on its way to Greece. 'The port of Piraeus is not an advanced outpost of the US, Nato, the EU or the war profiteers' - Dock workers at the port of Piraeus 'There, the cargo is set to be transferred to the Folk Dammam, which flies the flag of Saudi Arabia.' The Folk Dammam is then scheduled to take the steel to the port of Haifa in Israel. A container ship, the Folk Dammam, was bought by Saudi Arabian operator Folk Maritime, which is owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), on 14 May. According to BDS, the transshipment of military-grade steel was arranged when the vessel was called Vega Coligny and was sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands. On Tuesday, shipping tracker Marine Traffic placed the Folk Dammam at the port of Mundra on the west coast of India. 'We call on activists and people in Greece and Saudi Arabia - as well as Japan, Panama, Taiwan and all coastal states - to pressure their authorities not to aid this (or any) illegal military transfers to genocidal Israel - and, instead, to stop it,' the BDS movement said. The Ever Golden's manager, Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd, which is part of Imabari Shipbuilding, is based in Japan. It flies under the Panamanian flag and its operator, Evergreen Marine Corporation, is based in Taiwan. Middle East Eye has asked Evergreen Marine Corporation and Folk Maritime for comment. 'United against imperialist involvement' Piraeus dock workers said the Ever Golden was expected to arrive at docks two and three on 12 July carrying military-grade steel. 'This is a war cargo that, if unloaded and transferred, will end up being used to strike children, civilians, hospitals, and schools in the massacre carried out by the murderous state of Israel against the Palestinian people,' the Enedep union said. Watermelon Index names and shames companies complicit in Israel's war on Gaza Read More » 'The port of Piraeus is not an advanced outpost of the US, Nato, the EU or the war profiteers. It is not a transshipment station for deadly cargo. It is a place of work and struggle for the working class. As we have done in the past, we will not unload a single inch of this murderous cargo.' Enedep called on all dock workers to 'refuse any assignment related to this vessel. Let us stand united against imperialist involvement'. 'We refuse to be tools of the US, Nato, the EU, Israel, or China, who use our country's infrastructure to reshape the world redrawing borders with the blood of nations of the Palestinian people,' the union said. 'We stand on the right side of history and refuse to become targets of retaliation ourselves.' Dock workers against Israel The declared action at Piraeus follows in the wake of a series of similar acts of organised resistance at European ports. On 4 June, French dockers in the CGT union discovered that 19 pallets of submachine gun spare parts were to be loaded at the port of Marseille-Fos onto a Liberian-flagged container ship bound for Haifa. The dockers located the container, set it aside and refused to load it onto the ship, saying they would "not participate in the ongoing genocide orchestrated by the Israeli government". Following their lead, the port workers of Genoa, through their union USB, coordinated a garrison at the Port of Genoa, with the aim of preventing the docking of the same ship, the CONTSHIP ERA. The Italian dock workers said that they, too, did not want to "be complicit in the genocide that continues in Gaza".
