'' Akishio '' took part in the Pacific Reach 2000 drills , which took place from 2 to 14 October 2000 , off of Singapore . The navies of the United States , Japan , Singapore , and South Korea took part . Because of the Kursk submarine disaster which had happened earlier that year , the Pacific Reach 2000 drills involved submarine rescue exercises , which '' Akishio '' performed in . This was the first time Japanese ships had taken part in a multilateral submarine rescue drill , although they had taken part in similar exercises bilaterally , with the US Navy . Japan 's constitution places limits on their ability to perform collective-defence drills . Because of this , Japan joined the drills from a humanitarian standpoint , rather than a military one
Kursk submarine disaster
Kursk submarine disaster
JDS Akishio