Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF)

Japan’s upcoming naval fleet review will be a litmus test for South Korea’s Yoon administration to improve bilateral ties.

The newly launched Jingei SSK is expected to enter service in March 2024.

Starting in late October, the USAF will station the UAVs on Kyushu, a move designed to strengthen Japan’s maritime surveillance.

The new ships are supposed to be both more capable and more automated than current vessels.

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force is pursuing more compact ships to counter China and Russia in the East China Sea and broader Indo-Pacific.

Notably, the Mogami class will boast the first unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) and unmanned surface vehicle (USV) deployed on a Japanese frigate.

The JMSDF has relied on civilian ships to transport fuel from oil refineries to bases. Now it has its own oil tanker, the first of two.

The exercise was seen as a signal to North Korea, as experts expect more missile or possibly nuclear tests in coming weeks.

The Kumano is the first of a planned 22 vessels of the class, which will include capabilities never seen before on a Japanese frigate.

Submarine-launched missiles could give Tokyo the much-debated “enemy base attack capability.”

The new frigate class is intended for surveillance missions in waters surrounding the Japanese archipelago, including the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea.