The Indo-Pacific Deployment 2024 (IPD24), 3rd Surface Unit, JS NOSHIRO made a port call at Nuku’alofa, the Kingdom of Tonga and participated in the International Fleet Review.

The third Surface Unit of the Indo-Pacific Deployment 2024 (IPD24), JS NOSHIRO made a port call at Nuku’alofa, the Kingdom of Tonga and participated in the International Fleet Review.
The Kingdom of Tonga and Japan have had diplomatic relations for more than 50 years, deeping the bilateral relationship through economic and technical cooperation. In addition, the Self Defense Fleet had also dispatched LST JS Osumi to deliver emergency relief supplies such as drinking water and tools for removing volcanic ash in response to the volcanic eruption in the Kingdom of Tonga in January 2022.
The Commanding Officer of JS NOSHIRO, CDR HORI Tetsunobu said, “It is a great honor to visit the Kingdom of Tonga, which has great diplomatic relations with Japan, pay a courtesy visit to INAGAKI Hisao, Ambassador of Japan to The Kingdom of Tonga, and participate in goodwill events such as the International Fleet Review. We will continue to take advantage of future valuable opportunities of our port calls to the South Pacific island countries to further strengthen our relationship with them.”
The Self Defense Fleet maintains readiness and contributes to the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region, not only for the defense of Japan but also for the realization of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” in cooperation with allied and like-minded navies.