On June 29, Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries handed over the 10th Mogami‑class destroyer, JS Nagara, to the Self‑Defense Forces. The 5,500‑ton vessel will join the fleet based at Kure Naval Base.
Nagara is crewed by only 90 personnel, thanks to extensive automation, compared to the roughly 200 crew typical of similar Japanese destroyers. It is equipped with a 16‑cell Mk 41 vertical‑launch system, a 127‑mm naval gun, SeaRAM close‑range defense, anti‑submarine gear, and mine‑countermeasure systems.
Japan plans to complete 12 Mogami‑class destroyers by March 2027 and then begin production of 12 upgraded ships with 32‑cell VLS. The new variant has already been selected for Australia’s SEA 3000 program, with New Zealand, Taiwan, and Indonesia also expressing interest.