MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th March, 2021) The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) said on Friday it had commissioned a new US-made Aegis missile destroyer, Haguro, bringing the fleet size to eight warships.
"19 MAR, the JMSDF held the Ship Commissioning ceremony of the JS HAGURO at Yokohama Shipyard, Japan Marine United Corporation. She is named after Mt. Haguro of Yamagata Prefecture," JMSDF tweeted.
According to the NHK broadcaster, the Haguro destroyer was handed over to the Japanese navy from its builder at a wharf in the city of Yokohama.
The new warship is said to have a system for sharing real-time location data of missiles and aircraft with the US military to boost the two countries' interoperability.
Japanese media reported in November that the option to build Aegis missile systems would cost Tokyo over 500 billion Yen ($4.8 billion), which is even more than the previous plan to deploy land-based Aegis Ashore interceptors, scrapped by the Japanese government over cost concerns.
