Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF)

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.

JS Taigei is first of a larger, quieter class to face increasingly assertive Chinese warships.

Acrimonious Iran-U.S relations haven’t deterred Prime Minister Abe, who is on a scheduled tour of the Middle East under the banner of “peace diplomacy.” 

The Japan Maritime Self Defense Force’s newest diesel-electric attack submarine was commissioned on March 18.

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's latest diesel-electric attack submarine will be commissioned on March 18.