Japanese naval ships dock in Mombasa after 46 years

Some of the Japanese navy officers at the port of Mombasa on September 26, 2016. PHOTO | WACHIRA MWANGI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The Japanese ambassador said his country was also involved in peace keeping missions in Africa.
  • The officers started the sea voyage in May and have visited countries which have good ties with Japan.

Tourism in Mombasa got a boost when three Japanese naval ships arrived at the local port on Monday with 750 officers.

The three ships JS Kashima, JS Setoyuki and JS Asagiridocked at the port at 6am with the officers under the command of Rear-Admiral Hidetoshi Iwasaki.

The last time a Japanese naval vessel visited Mombasa was in 1970.

According to Mr Iwasaki, at least 200 new officers are expected to travel to Nairobi later Monday for an overnight stay while the remaining officers will stay in hotels in the coastal town.

He said the officers started the sea voyage in May and have visited countries that have good ties with Japan to gain knowledge about the sea and interacting with foreign naval forces.

The ships have so far visited the United States, Panama, the United Kingdom, Lithuania, Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Malta and Djibouti.

On Thursday, the officers will depart Mombasa for Sri Lanka and the Philippines and then return to Japan on November 4.

Japan's ambassador to Kenya, Toshitsugu Uesawa, welcomed the Japanese navy officers to Mombasa, saying the visit by the three naval ship was as a result of good relations between his country and Kenya.

PIRACY

“The visit by our naval ships is a symbolic event to showcase the cordial relationship between Japan and Kenya which has existed for many years,” he said.

Speaking at the port on Monday shortly after the arrival of the ships, Mr Uesawa said the Japanese navy would continue to work with their Kenya navy counterparts.

“The ultimate goal for Japan is to ensure peace and development on the African continent and to achieve this we have been working with partners including Kenya.

“We have a defence force base in Djibouti which has played a key role in addressing piracy off the Somalia coast,” he said.

Apart from piracy, the Japanese ambassador said his country was also involved in peace keeping missions in Africa.

Kenya Coast Tourism Association chairman Mohamed Hersi said the arrival of the Japanese officers was a boost to tourism in Mombasa and Nairobi.

Mr Hersi, who is also the Heritage Hotels chief executive, said the arrival of the ships comes ahead of cruise ship season, which begins in November.

He noted that several cruise ships are expected to bring more tourists to Mombasa between November and December.

Kenya Ports Authority principal communications officer Haji Masemo said three cruise ships with more than 1,000 holidaymakers had arrived in Mombasa since January.