On March 21, the Japan Ministry of Defense Joint Staff Office announced the successful monitoring of movements by two Chinese Navy vessels in waters near Uotsuri Island in the Senkaku Islands and between Yonaguni Island and Taiwan.
This maritime surveillance operation, conducted by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) from March 16 to 20, leveraged the capabilities of JS Akizuki, a destroyer equipped with advanced indigenous air defense systems often referred to as the “Japanese Aegis,” alongside the frigate JS Sendai, in coordination with P-1 and P-3C aircraft.
JMSDF’s Surveillance of the Chinese Navy Vessels
Japan’s Joint Staff Office reported that at approximately 11:00 p.m. on Sunday March 16, the JMSDF observed the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Luyang II-class guided-missile destroyer Changchun (150) passing through waters 80 km northwest of Uotsuri Island in the Senkaku Islands. The Chinese navy destroyer then continued south, passing through waters approximately 70 km west of Uotsuri Island and into waters between Taiwan and Japan’s Yonaguni Island, which is located just 110 km from Taiwan.
On March 17, surveillance of the missile-guided destroyer PLANS Changchun subsequently included observation at around 11pm of the Chinese Navy’s Jiangkai II-class frigate Binzhou (515), which passed through the same waters near Uotsuri Island. The two Chinese navy vessels then continued southward, first through waters about 80 km west of Uotsuri Island, and later between Yonaguni Island and Taiwan.
Finally, around noon on Thursday March 20, the JMSDF observed both Chinese navy vessels traveling northwest through the waters between Okinawa’s main island and Miyako Island, which lies approximately 300 km southwest of Okinawa. The PLANS Changchun and Binzhou then both continued toward the East China Sea.
Following this latest round of surveillance operations by the JMSDF, Japan’s Joint Staff Office highlighted the role played by the JS Akizuki destroyer, which features advanced indigenously-developed “Japanese Aegis” air defense capabilities, alongside the frigate JS Sendai and P-1 and P-3C aircraft.
The JS Akizuki and its “Japanese Aegis” Combat System
JS Akizuki (DD-115), commissioned in March 2012, is the lead ship of the JMSDF’s Akizuki class of destroyers and successor to the Hatsuyuki-class general-purpose destroyer. Since then, JS Teruzuki (DD-116), JS Suzutsuki (DD-117), and the newest, JS Fuyuzuki (DD-118), have joined the class, with one ship assigned to each of Japan’s four escort flotillas.
The Akizuki is designed for advanced defense against surface, airborne, and undersea threats. It is equipped with the indigenously developed Advanced Technology Command System (ATECS), consisting of the OYQ-11 Combat Direction Sub-system (CDS), the FCS-3A (= Fire Control System Type 3A) anti-air warfare (AAW) weapon sub-system, as well as systems for Anti-Submarine Warfare Control (ASWCS) and Electronic Warfare Control (EWCS). ATECS’s high-end capabilities, developed by the Japan Ministry of Defense (JMOD), have often been compared to the U.S.-developed Aegis system, thus earning it the nickname “Japanese Aegis.”
The primary role of Akizuki-class destroyers is to protect Japan’s Aegis-equipped Kongō-class destroyers, which serve as the backbone of the country’s maritime air defense. When these Aegis-equipped destroyers are engaged in long-range ballistic missile defense (BMD) operations, the Akizuki-class, equipped with the indigenously developed FCS-3A system, is to provide mid-range air defense, particularly against aircraft.
The FCS-3A multi-phase array anti-aircraft radar on the Akizuki-class features two sets of antennas: a C-band radar for surveillance and tracking, and an X-band radar for fire control. Positioned at both the front and rear of the vessel’s bridge, this system enables simultaneous multi-target engagement, thereby not only safeguarding Aegis destroyers but also providing effective escort for the JMSDF’s Hyuga-class and Izumo-class helicopter destroyers.
Similarly, Akizuki-class destroyers are to play a crucial role in anti-submarine warfare (ASW), using their ASWCS to counter submarine-based threats targeting the Aegis destroyers, while also providing defense against attacks from surface vessels.
Most recently, the JS Akizuki participated in the Japan-U.S.-France joint exercise Pacific Stellar, held in the Philippine Sea from February 8 to 18. Alongside Japan’s own Kaga carrier, the U.S. Navy’s Carl Vinson carrier, France’s Charles de Gaulle nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, and French and U.S. Navy maritime patrol aircraft, JS Akizuki took part in training for surface, air, and submarine warfare. The exercise aimed to strengthen interoperability between the three navies and enhance their capacity to respond to hybrid threats, all while promoting maritime rule of law.
Background:
https://www.mod.go.jp/js/pdf/2025/p20250321_01.pdf
https://trafficnews.jp/post/532562
https://franceintheus.org/spip.php?article11649
https://www.sankei.com/article/20151209-NLZJOMNDWBOTXGVUH364AFOL2U/
https://www.seaforces.org/marint/Japan-Maritime-Self-Defense-Force/Destroyer/Akizuki-class.htm
https://www.mod.go.jp/msdf/ccf3/int/fzk_pamphlet.pdf
This article was originally posted on NSBT Japan, the first defense and security industry network in Japan. The publication provides the latest information on security business trends both within Japan and overseas. Asian Military Review began exchanging articles with NSBT Japan in April 2024.
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