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DSA 2022: Japan commissions first ship in new frigate class

25th March 2022 - 20:35 GMT | by Gordon Arthur in Christchurch

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Japan has commissioned its first 30FFM frigate, with the ship christened JS Kumano. (MHI)

Both Japan and South Korea are building frigates, with the former commissioning the first of a new class and the latter launching the last of a class on 22 March.

Japan’s naval fleet is heavily dominated by destroyers but, facing recruitment issues and evolving security threats, it is now investing in frigates that are smaller and cheaper to build. Indeed, the first frigate of a new class was commissioned on 22 March.

JS Kumano (pennant number ‘2’) built by Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding, is ‘both compact and manpower-saving’, according to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).

Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding had launched Kumano in Okayama on 19 November 2020. The frigate has a low radar cross-section. Its crew is just 90 personnel thanks to high automation levels, such as an integrated combat

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