Three Russian naval vessels have entered the Maritime Self-Defense Force base in Maizuru Port, Kyoto Prefecture. The ships include a missile cruiser and a refueling vessel.
The MSDF is set to hold annual joint search-and-rescue drills with the Russian navy in the Sea of Japan from Tuesday.
MSDF Chief of Staff Taro Ike told a welcoming ceremony that he hopes to build mutual trust through such occasions.
The MSDF and the Russian Navy will hold 2 days of drills, including fire-fighting exercises based on the scenario of a commercial ship catching fire. They will also check if personnel can make full use of helicopters to rescue crewmembers.
Earlier this month, a fleet of more than 20 Russian warships passed the Soya Strait off northern Japan. Russia also conducted military exercises off the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East.
Referring to a series of Russian Navy activities near Japan, the navy commander, Zhuga Sergey Yurjevich, said the fleet passed the Soya Strait as peacefully as other commercial ships do. He said Japan should not worry about the military exercises because they were carried out in a far-away place.
He added that it is important for Russia and Japan to deepen mutual understanding through such drills as both countries use the Sea of Japan.
MSDF personnel have been conducting the drills with Russian sailors every year since 1998.
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