2 Japanese navy ships to visit Victoria

CFB Esquimalt, a naval base on Vancouver Island, is shown in this undated file photo.

Two Japanese navy vessels will be docking in Victoria as part of an "overseas training cruise" this week.

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's Kashima and Hatakaze vessels will dock at CFB Esquimalt on June 15 as part of a friendly port visit.

It will be the Japanese ships' second stop on their "Overseas Training Cruise 2023" mission, which will see the vessels travelling to eight different countries between May and October.

The ships will be in Victoria from June 15 to June 18 "for the purpose of overseas training and international goodwill between Japan and Canada," said the Department of National Defense in a release Monday.

Several events are planned during the Japanese navy's stop in Victoria.

A wreath-laying ceremony will be held on Thursday morning at the B.C. legislature, from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., followed by another wreath-laying ceremony at God's Acre Cemetery in Esquimalt on Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

A collaborative musical performance featuring the Japan Training Squadron and the Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy is also scheduled for Friday from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cameron Bandshell in Beacon Hill Park

Approximately 550 sailors will be stopping for the visit.