Japanese helicopter carrier Kaga arrives in Colombo

Colombo (News1st) - Japan’s largest warship, the Kaga helicopter carrier, arrived at the Colombo Port on a five-day goodwill visit over the weekend. This warship was introduced to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force fleet in 2017 and has the capacity to transport many helicopters. This warship is manufactured in the USA and is among the most technologically advanced warships in the world. Sri Lanka is considered as an important link between the eastern and eastern European shipping routes. The Government of Japan is of the view that the Indian Ocean region and the Indo-Pacific should be free and unrestricted, and according to Rear Admiral Tsukai Fukuda, this goodwill trip aims at achieving this objective. It is also reported that Japan's objective of this trip is to show their support to Sri Lanka, India, and America, to express their opposition against growing Chinese influence in the island. According to Rear Admiral, Japanese warships have visited Sri Lanka nearly 50 times during the past five years. The Japanese Defense Minister, during his recent visit to Sri Lanka, even visited the ports of Hambantota and Trincomalee. Detailed information on this visit is yet to be disclosed to the media. Sri Lanka has witnessed an increasing trend in the arrival of foreign warships.