Oct 14, 2019 (Nikkei) - Japan has canceled its first fleet review of the new Reiwa era as the Self-Defense Forces support areas of the country battered by Typhoon Hagibis.
"Regrettably, in light of the current circumstances, we are canceling" the event, Defense Minister Taro Kono told reporters Sunday. The deadly storm brought torrential rains to the Tokyo region, causing rivers to flood and disrupting power and transit systems.
The review, which would have been the first in four years, was scheduled for Monday in Sagami Bay, southwest of Tokyo. Representatives from a record seven nations -- the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, Singapore, India and China -- were set to attend, with China coming for the first time.
The Chinese navy's guided-missile destroyer Taiyuan docked in Yokosuka on Thursday. Beijing and Tokyo agreed last year to conduct reciprocal port visits by naval vessels.
Ships from other countries had arrived as well, but they departed for safer waters over the past few days before the typhoon arrived.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force did not invite the South Korean military, in light of fraying ties between Seoul and Tokyo. South Korea sent a destroyer to the last review in 2015.
