Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
Maritime warfare branch of Japan's military
Follow Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force on Notably News to receive short updates to your email — rarely!
| 2025 | Commissioning of FFM-7, the seventh vessel in the new frigate class, with plans for additional ships to be ordered and commissioned. |
| 2025 | MSO-307 minesweeper commissioned into Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. |
| 2025 | JS Nōmi minesweeper expected to be commissioned, with a potential fifth ship also being considered for construction. |
| 2025 | Additional frigates (FFM-7, FFM-8, FFM-9) planned to be commissioned by the end of the year, with a total of 12 ships planned instead of the original 22. |
| 2025 | JS Raigei (SS-516) planned to be commissioned, representing the ongoing expansion of the submarine fleet. |
| 2024 | Construction of the new Aegis system equipped ships is scheduled to begin in fiscal year 2024. |
| 2024 | One minesweeper sunk after a fire. |
| 2024 | Fifth and sixth Frigate Multi-Purpose/Mine ships (FFM-5 and FFM-6) commissioned, bringing the total in-service ships to 6. |
| 2024 | Lithium-ion battery submarine SS-515 added to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force submarine fleet. |
| 2023 | Commissioning of FFM-4, continuing the expansion of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's new frigate fleet. |
| 2023 | Initial procurement of lead items for the new Aegis system equipped ships expected to clear legislation in fiscal year 2023. |
| 2023 | Fourth Frigate Multi-Purpose/Mine (FFM-4) commissioned, continuing the expansion of the new frigate class. |
| 2023 | Lithium-ion battery submarine SS-514 commissioned into service. |
| December 19 2023 | United States, Japan, and South Korea announced the activation of a real-time North Korea missile warning system and established a multi-year trilateral exercise plan in response to ongoing North Korean ballistic missile launches. |
| February 22 2023 | Five warships from the United States, Japan, and South Korea held a multilateral ballistic missile defense exercise in the Sea of Japan in response to North Korean ballistic missile launches. |
| 2022 | Two yard oiler tankers, YOT-01 and YOT-02, each with a displacement of 6,000 tonnes, are commissioned. |
| 2022 | First three Frigate Multi-Purpose/Mine (FFM) ships (FFM-1, FFM-2, FFM-3) commissioned into the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, marking the introduction of a new class of frigates designed for anti-submarine, anti-surface, and anti-air warfare, as well as surveillance and minesweeping. |
| 2022 | LCU-2002, the Landing Craft Utility commissioned in 1992, was decommissioned from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. |
| 2022 | Lithium-ion battery submarine SS-513 added to the submarine fleet. |
| December 23 2022 | The Japanese Ministry of Defense released 2023 budget and program guidance, detailing operational plans for Aegis-equipped naval forces, including dedicated ballistic missile defense missions in the Sea of Japan. |
| November 18 2022 | Another guided-missile destroyer fired an SM-3 Block IB missile with a successful hit outside the atmosphere, conducted at the U.S. Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai Island, Hawaii. |
| November 16 2022 | Guided-missile destroyer successfully fired an SM-3 Block IIA missile, intercepting a target outside the atmosphere in a test conducted at the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii. |
| October 6 2022 | Five warships from the United States, Japan, and South Korea conducted a multilateral ballistic missile defense exercise in the Sea of Japan in response to North Korean intermediate-range ballistic missile tests. |
| August 31 2022 | Japan Ministry of Defense announced JMSDF will operate two 'Aegis system equipped ships' to replace the Aegis Ashore program, with plans to commission one ship by the end of fiscal year 2027 and the second by the end of fiscal year 2028. |
| June 30 2022 | Announced construction of 12 offshore patrol vessels to enhance maritime security around the southwestern Ryukyu Islands. |
| June 30 2022 | Japan Ministry of Defense announced the construction of 12 offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) for the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, with Japan Marine United Corporation as the prime contractor and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as a subcontractor. Each ship is estimated to cost ¥9 billion (US$66 million). |
| 2021 | MSO-306 minesweeper commissioned into Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. |
| 2021 | Japan proposed the 33DD destroyer project, also known as DDR (Destroyer Revolution), with plans to develop a new class of destroyers for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force during the Heisei 33 era. |
| 2021 | Ocean surveillance ship AOS-5203 was commissioned, further strengthening Japan's maritime surveillance capabilities. |
| 2021 | Commissioning of minesweeper MSO-306, with a displacement of 690 tonnes. |
| 2021 | Aegis-class guided missile destroyer DDG-180 commissioned into the JMSDF. |
| 2021 | Lithium-ion battery submarine SS-512 commissioned into the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. |
| February 16 2021 | Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi announces plans to establish a joint amphibious unit with three new transport ships by 2024, including one medium-sized Logistics Support Vessel and three smaller Landing Craft Utility vessels. |
| 2020 | Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi announced plans to build 2 new Aegis destroyers to replace the scrapped land-based Aegis Ashore ballistic missile interceptors program. |
| 2020 | Aegis-class guided missile destroyer DDG-179 commissioned into the JMSDF. |
| 2020 | JS Izumo (DDH-183) begins conversion into a light aircraft carrier configuration to carry F-35B V/STOL fighters in the mid-2020s. |
| 2020 | JS Ōryū (SS-511) becomes the world's first submarine powered by lithium-ion batteries. |
| 2020 | National Defense Program Guidelines revealed a procurement plan to add 48 additional escort vessels of various classes to the JMSDF fleet during the 2020s decade. |
| October 14 2020 | Unveiled the 3,000-ton submarine, first vessel of the Taigei class, which entered service in 2022. |
| 2019 | Decommissioning of one minesweeper after a collision. |
| 2019 | Soryu-class submarine SS-510 added to the submarine fleet. |
| November 18 2019 | Japan Marine United Corporation (JMU) unveiled its proposed design for a multi-purpose LHD-type amphibious assault ship at the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) tradeshow in Chiba, Japan, featuring a floodable well deck and full-length flight deck. |
| 2018 | The joint HSMVO research project between ATLA and US Navy's Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division was scheduled to end, with the JMSDF to decide on potential adoption of the concept. |
| 2018 | JS Chiyoda, a submarine rescue vessel with a displacement of 7,200 tonnes, is commissioned by the JMSDF. |
| 2018 | Commissioning of minesweeper MSO-305, with a displacement of 690 tonnes. |
| 2018 | New series of DD-class destroyers beginning with DD-119 commissioned into the JMSDF. |
| 2018 | Soryu-class submarine SS-509 commissioned into service. |
| December 18 2018 | Announced plans to refit Izumo-class destroyers to carry US-designed F-35B fighter jets, effectively creating de facto aircraft carriers for the first time since World War II. |
| October 4 2018 | Christened the JS Ōryū submarine, Japan's first submarine powered by lithium-ion batteries, developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. |
| April 7 2018 | Japan activates its first marine unit since World War II, establishing the Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade (ARDB) trained to counter potential invaders in the East China Sea islands. |
|
We are only showing the most recent entries for this topic. |
|
This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force & List of active Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ships, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.