San Diego, CA
Japanese military training ships stop at port in San Diego
SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Two military ships from Japan arrived in San Diego Thursday for a weekend visit.
The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force Training Fleet will be in America’s Finest City until Sunday, according to the Japanese Consulate in Los Angeles. The two ships are named Kashima and Hatakaze.
The fleet consists of 160 officers who recently graduated from Officer Candidate School in Japan.
They are traveling to 11 ports in eight countries. In addition to training the new officers, the purpose of the trip is to promote friendship between countries and improve understanding about Japanese culture abroad, the consulate’s press release says.
The voyage for the Japanese sailors will last about 150 days.
The ships were docked at the B Street pier in downtown San Diego.
