Video News: Japan's Self-Defense Force launches new class of frigates

TAMANO, Okayama -- The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) has marked its first launch of a new class of multimission frigates in this western Japan city.

The new vessel, named "Kumano," was launched on Nov. 19. It is 133 meters long and 16.3 meters wide, while its displacement is 3,900 metric tons, making it about 70 % smaller than the average for the 48 JMSDF ships already in service. The Ministry of Defense plans to give the new frigates a primary role in the JMSDF, compacting the size of vessels in its fleet. The Kumano is scheduled to be commissioned in March 2022.

(Japanese original by Yoshitake Matsuura, City News Department)