January 26, 2025: Japan continues to expand its navy by adding some amphibious and transport ships. These will be used to supply troops stationed on small islands in the Ryukus, a chain of islands between Japan and Taiwan. Japan has built some LCU, Landing Ship Utility, vessels for this work. Most LCUs displace about 300-400 tons loaded with a crew of a dozen or so sailors commanded by a chief petty officer. LSUs can carry 300-400 troops or 130-190 tons of cargo which can include vehicles that can be landed on the beach via the ramp that also serves as the bow of the LSU. When the LSU beaches itself, the ramp is lowered to allow troops and vehicles to exit.

Japan will use its new LSUs to navigate the shallow waters surrounding some of these islands. Four Nihonbare class LSUs will regularly deliver supplies to them while other ships include two 3, 500 ton support ships and four maneuver support vessels.

In addition to new amphibious ships, Japan is also building new frigates. Until 2023 Japan planned to build 24 new FFM Mogami class missile frigates. These were procured in two batches of twelve each. Japan currently has ten frigates. These 3,900-ton FFM ships are an example of successful innovation and speed in implementing new concepts. Newer FFMs have similar capabilities as the Mogami’s but carry more missiles

The Mogami’s take the multi-mission angle seriously. They are equipped for mine-hunting as well as mine-laying. In addition to a 127mm gun, each ship will have eight anti-ship missiles or cruise missiles in VLS cells. Mogami’s also have eleven SeaRAM anti-aircraft missiles with a range of ten kilometers. Sixteen VLS cells carry larger Chu-SAM anti-aircraft missiles with a range of 50 kilometers as well as cruise missiles.

There are also twelve lightweight anti-submarine torpedoes. There is a ramp in the rear for launching and recovering Unmanned Underwater Vessel drones, Unmanned Surface Vessel drones and Rigid Inflatable Boats, or RIBs for boarding parties. The ship also carries naval mines. One helicopter is onboard that and that can be replaced by two or more drones.

The Mogami’s are stealthy, with a shape that makes it difficult to detect with radar and carry active and passive-heat sensing sensors. There are anti-submarine warfare, ASW and mine-hunting sonars. The active radars can also carry out jamming and other EW Electronic Warfare tasks. All these sensors are integrated into a single fire control system. There are two autocannon equipped with RWS Remote Weapons Stations. For passive defense there are electronic and chaff decoys to defend against incoming missiles or aircraft.

Top speed is 55 kilometers an hour and crew size is about half, at 90 personnel, what ships this size used to require. There is a lot of automation on the ship, which accounts for the relatively small crew. The Japanese automation works because, as a major civilian shipbuilder, crew automation is a key component of success in world markets.

The Japanese FFM ships were originally designed to be destroyers but, while planning equipment and weapons layout, it was realized that these ships could be multi-mission ships and the designation was changed to frigate. The FFMs are being built in batches, with an initial batch of eight, followed by two or three more batches, each improving on the earlier batch. The first Mogami entered service in 2024.

The new frigates are nearly as heavily armed as destroyers but are smaller and have smaller crews as well. The new ships carry more drones and missiles of various types.

Japan still has 36 destroyers in service, which will, by 2030, be joined by at least twenty new frigates. Construction of the new frigates will continue into the 2030s.

Japan pioneered many of the earliest ship automation technologies. The U.S. tried to use automation in their LCS type ship. The first of these entered service in 2008 and had so many problems that the LCS ships began retiring in 2021, before the first Mogami entered service. LCS was designed to replace the Perry class frigates, the last of the post-World War II American warship designs. The first Perry entered service in 1975 and 71 were built by 2oo4. About half the Perry’s are still in service with export customers. Admitting the LCS was a failure, the U.S. Navy selected a European frigate design t0 replace the Perry’s.