The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has commissioned its fourth and final Awaji-class minesweeping vessel in Tsurumi-ki, Yokohama.
A ceremony for the JS Nōmi (MSO-307) was held after its delivery from Kanagawa-based Japan Marine United Corporation, which began the platform’s construction in 2021.
The system’s name was derived from Nōmi Island in Hiroshima Prefecture. It was the second Japanese military vehicle to receive the designation after the navy’s Mikura-class escort ship in 1944.
3月12日、ジャパン マリンユナイテッド(株)横浜事業所鶴見工場において、掃海艦「#のうみ」の引渡式・自衛艦旗授与式が実施されました。
本艦は、#あわじ 型掃海艦の4番艦であり、「のうみ」は海上自衛隊幹部候補生学校と第１術科学校のある江田島のお隣り「能美島」に由来しています。#就役 pic.twitter.com/hW8npm3xQS— 防衛省 海上自衛隊 (@JMSDF_PAO) March 12, 2025
The ship will now take over roles of the service’s largest mine countermeasures fleet, the Yaeyama-class, operational from the 1990s until 2017.
Nōmi’s sister ships, the Awaji, Hirado, and Etajima, are undertaking roles from their home ports in Yokosuka and Kure.
The Awaji Anti-Mine Vessel
Japan’s Awaji-class mine countermeasures system is 67 meters (220 feet) long and has a beam of 11 meters (36 feet).
It is equipped with a 20-millimeter air-cooled rotary cannon, search radar, sonars, and unmanned underwater vehicles for tracking and deactivating sub-sea explosives and associated threats at the surface.
The ship can carry more than 50 personnel and is powered by twin diesel-electric engines with 2,200 horsepower for a speed of 14 knots (26 kilometers/16 miles per hour).
Attack Submarine, Survey Ship for Japan
The JS Nōmi’s handover follows Tokyo’s acceptance of the navy’s fourth Taigei-class stealth attack submarine to bolster its maritime defenses against regional security threats.
By 2030, eight of the Kawasaki-made Taigei platforms are expected to be adopted for the purpose.
In February, Mitsubishi christened and launched the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s fourth and final Hibiki-class auxiliary ocean surveillance vessel for acoustic-based surface and seabed monitoring missions.
The ship is due for commissioning later this year in Kure, Hiroshima.
