Japan bolsters naval power with fifth Mogami-class frigate

Since 2014, Japan – after reinterpreting the provisions of its pacifist constitution – has been intensively modernizing its Self-Defense Forces. Although formally it is not an army, but civilians in uniforms, its potential is among the greatest in the world. A significant contribution to this comes from the navy, which has been bolstered by the rapidly built Mogami-class frigates in recent years.

Yahagi is the name of the latest, fifth Mogami-class frigate accepted into service in the Maritime Self-Defense Force. The acceptance ceremony took place in Nagasaki, and the new ship inherited its name from a unit from World War II – the light cruiser Yahagi, which the Americans sank during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945.

The Mogami frigate construction programme started in 2019 and is now reaching its halfway point. Japan is building Mogami-class ships at a rate of two per year to replace the older Asagiri and Abukuma-class destroyers. The current plan is to launch 12 ships of this class.

The previous schedule envisioned building up to 22 units, but the Japanese decided it was better to shorten the production series to start building the "enhanced Mogami-class" – larger and even more heavily armed ships, including anti-ship missiles with a range of up to 1,500 kilometres.

Mogami-class frigates are modern units designed with stealth requirements in mind. The ships are 133 metres long and displace 6,100 tonnes. They are armed with eight Type 17 anti-ship missile launchers and a 16-cell, containerised Mk-41 VLS vertical launch system.

An essential feature of the ships is advanced automation, which means that despite their size, they do not require a large crew. Only 90 officers and sailors are needed to operate the ship, which is intended to address the challenges associated with Japan's demographic problems.

Another exceptional feature is the futuristic combat information centre, whose walls are lined with screens. Thanks to this, the personnel inside the centre can, by looking around, get acquainted with the situation around the ship or the position of other units.