Japan plans to dispatch a destroyer to Diego Garcia, which has a strategic U.S. military base, and surrounding areas in the Indian Ocean, according to government sources.
Under the plan, the 3,950-ton Sawakaze, which set sail Wednesday as part of a flotilla to replace the Japanese warships currently deployed in the Indian Ocean, will conduct supply and intelligence-gathering missions centered around the British territory.
Japan dispatched the warships to the Indian Ocean to provide logistic support for U.S.-led action against international terrorism.
The flotilla is primarily involved in refueling U.S. and British warships deployed there.
Some defense analysts said the government is trying to impress other countries by having a destroyer in the area, which is outside the Arabian Sea, where Japanese ships are currently conducting supply operations.
The Sawakaze has wide-ranging radar and air defense capabilities. It left Sasebo port in Nagasaki Prefecture on Wednesday morning with a crew of around 250.
It is expected to arrive at the end of this month in the Arabian Sea, where it will join the 4,950-ton destroyer Haruna and the 8,150-ton supply ship Tokiwa, which left Tuesday.
According to the plan, the Sawakaze will head for Diego Garcia after another MSDF destroyer, the 3,500-ton Setogiri, arrives in the Arabian Sea in mid-March.