A Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer left the MSDF's Yokosuka base in Kanagawa Prefecture on Sunday for its mission in the Middle East, which will start later this month.
The destroyer Takanami also carries two MSDF patrol helicopters. The mission will be carried out in international waters in the Gulf of Oman, the northern part of the Arabian Sea and the eastern side of the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. The mission will not cover the Strait of Hormuz, which includes Iranian territorial waters.
Two P-3C patrol planes have already been operating over the designated sea-lanes in the Middle East since late January to gather information such as the types of ships sailing in the area. The destroyer and P-3C aircraft missions involve about 260 MSDF personnel.
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