Turkish and Japanese warships have marked the centenary of diplomatic relations with a joint drill on Thursday.
Türkiye's TCG Kınalıada corvette, the fourth ship of the Turkish Navy's Ada-class, and Japan's destroyer JS Takanami (110) conducted joint training off the coast of Kushimoto in southwestern Japan.
The TCG Kınalıada Corvette visited Japan to mark the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Japan, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said on X.
The corvette went on a voyage to Japan in April to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Turkish-Japanese diplomatic relations and the 134th anniversary of the Ottoman-era frigate Ertuğrul's departure for Japan.
The Ottoman Empire launched the Japan trip for Ertuğrul, which bears the name of the father of the empire's founder Osman, to Japan two years after Japan's Prince Komatsu paid his country's first official visit to Istanbul, which was the capital of the empire.
The ship departed Istanbul in July 1889 with 609 crew members. After stopovers in Egypt, Yemen, India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Hong Kong and several Japanese cities, it arrived in Yokohama 11 months later.
Osman Pasha, who led the Ottoman delegation, was received by Emperor Meiji and presented the emperor with a letter from Sultan Abdülhamid II and a medal.
The frigate left Japan on Sept. 15, 1890, after the Ottoman delegation held talks with Japanese officials.
Adverse weather aggravated by a typhoon proved challenging for the ship, which crashed on the rocks near Kushimoto on Sept. 16, 1890.
Only 69 sailors aboard survived and 550 others aboard died when the boat sank. The survivors were rescued by the locals of Kushimoto.
Türkiye still remembers the hospitality and assistance of the Japanese public and the government after the incident.
Survivors were sent home about one month later by the Japanese government aboard two Japanese warships that dropped them off at Çanakkale, southwest of Istanbul.
The ships also stayed in Türkiye for a few months as guests of the Ottoman Empire before they returned to Japan. One year later, Japan erected a monument in memory of the perished Ottoman sailors in Kushimoto.
Türkiye restored the monument in 1937, and to this day, remembrance events are held in memory of Ertuğrul.
