Japanese naval vessels call at Cambodia's Ream Naval Base

JS Etajima (right) and JS Bungo , seen here at the Ream Naval Base in Cambodia. (Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force)

Two Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) naval vessels made a port of call at Ream Naval Base in Cambodia on 19 April.

According to a statement released by the service via an official social media channel on 21 April, the event marks the first time that foreign naval vessels have called at the port, which has recently been upgraded to host larger ships.

“This port call, which contributes to a free and open Indo-Pacific region, is also an opportunity to strengthen the defence ties between Japan and Cambodia,” the JMSDF statement said.

Accompanying the statement are images of the two JMSDF vessels, which are namely its second Uraga-class mine-countermeasures vessel JS Bungo and the Awaji-class minesweeper JS Etajima .

A further analysis of the images suggests that both vessels were docked at a newly constructed deepwater pier that can host larger warships including amphibious assault ships and aircraft carriers.

Japan's Uraga class has an overall length of 141 m and displaces about 6,900 tonnes at full load while the Awaji class has an overall length of 67 m and displaces about 780 tonnes.

Both Bungo and Etajima are approaching the tail end of the JMSDF's Indo-Pacific and Middle East Deployment (IMED) mission for 2025, which has been taking place since January.

As part of the mission, the vessels made calls at various countries across Asia and the Middle East including Bahrain, Oman, and Singapore.

For more information, please see China deploys more Type 056 corvettes to Cambodia .