It would seem that Japan is taking a bit of a gamble here, given strong evidence that the Chinese navy has secured privileged access at Ream.
Last week, I wrote an article for The National Interest titled “China Cozies Up to Southeast Asian Nations in Response to Trump Tariffs.” The specific Southeast Asian nations in question were Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia. On the one hand, I expressed skepticism about China’s prospects with Vietnam, due to the latter’s loose alliance with the United States as a bulwark against China, and the long-standing enmity between China and Vietnam, which included a full-scale shooting war in 1979 and a 1988 naval skirmish.
On the other hand, I noted that China is reaping considerable dividends in its outreach to Cambodia, with the biggest dividend being the “bases and places” win as manifested in the April 5 opening of the Ream Naval Base.
Now, one of America’s biggest allies in the Indo-Pacific region—a fellow member of “the Quad” (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) no less—is sending some of its naval assets to Ream in spite of U.S. misgivings: Japan.
Japanese Minesweepers Make Port Call in Cambodia
The key source of information comes to us via reporter Sopheng Cheang in an article for The Independent republished on MSN on or about April 22, 2025, titled “Japan sends more naval ships to China-linked base despite US concerns.” To wit:
“The two Japanese naval ships docked at Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base on Saturday. The two minesweepers are part of the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force. Their visit marks the first foreign navy visit since the base’s expansion project was completed earlier this month … Japanese officials have developed closer ties with Cambodian counter parts in recent year, which experts say is in a bid to offset China’s influence in East and Southeast Asia. Japan had been invited to make the renovated port’s first call, widely seen as an attempt to allay Washington’s concerns … Both Japanese ships made a four-day port call at the base’s new pier. Holding a total 170 sailors, they are the 141 metre Bungo and the 67 metre Etajima. The two ships were greeted by Cambodian officials including Rear Admiral Mean Savoeun, deputy commander of the base, who held a welcome ceremony.”
About Those Minesweepers
The Etajima (Pennant No. MSO-306), which shares its name with the prestigious and venerable Japanese Naval Academy, is the third ship of the Awaji-class of minesweepers, commissioned in March 2021. Etajima has a standard displacement of 690 tons, a max speed of 14 knots, and is armed with a 20mm cannon.
As for the Bungo (Pennant No. MST-464), it is the second ship of the Uraga-class, commissioned in March 1998, with a standard displacement of 5,650 tons, a max speed of 22 knots, and armed with a 76mm main gun as well as two 20mm Oerlikon cannons and two Browning M2 “Ma Deuce” .50 caliber machine guns. Bungo is named for the Bungo Strait, a body of water that will sound familiar to fans of the classic World War II submarine film Run Silent, Run Deep (starring Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster).
The two vessels’ port call in Cambodia is just one stop in a mission that began in January to visit eleven countries across Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
Some Additional Obstacles for Beijing
On the one hand, the fact that Cambodia is willing and able to host these Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) vessels lends credence to Cambodian officials’ assurances that Ream is open to all nations. On the other hand, it would seem that JMSDF is taking a bit of a gamble here, not just because of Japan’s own longstanding historical animosity with China, but because of strong evidence that the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has secured privileged access at Ream; as I noted in my previous article, the base hosts a joint logistics facility, and joint China-Cambodia naval drills kicked off immediately after the grand opening ceremonies.
But then again, from a glass-half-full standpoint, perhaps the port call will enable the JMSDF to gather some convenient intelligence on any People’s Liberation Army Navy assets that happen to be “hiding in plain sight” (so to speak) in exchange for the intelligence-gathering efforts the Chinese naval personnel will undoubtedly be employing against their Japanese counterparts. For its part, the Embassy of Japan in Cambodia issued a statement that lauded the port call a “historically significant event for Japan-Cambodia relations” that “underlines the importance of freedom of navigation, free and open international order based on international law, and its development.”
About the Author: Christian D. Orr
Christian D. Orr was previously a Senior Defense Editor for National Security Journal (NSJ) and 19FortyFive. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He has also been published in The Daily Torch, The Journal of Intelligence and Cyber Security, and Simple Flying. Last but not least, he is a Companion of the Order of the Naval Order of the United States (NOUS). If you’d like to pick his brain further, you can ofttimes find him at the Old Virginia Tobacco Company (OVTC) lounge in Manassas, Virginia, partaking of fine stogies and good quality human camaraderie.
Image: 海上自衛隊, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
