The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force continues to strengthen and expand its submarine capabilities. This was evident in today’s official ceremony, held on March 6, in which the force officially commissioned the fourth of its new Taigei-class attack submarines into service.
The Taigei class currently stands as the most modern conventionally powered attack submarine class introduced into the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s fleet. Initially, the class was planned to consist of five units, of which three had been delivered and commissioned as of yesterday. However, these plans were revised to move forward with the construction of a second batch of submarines.
Today’s event took place at Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) shipyard in the city of Kobe, where the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force celebrated the delivery and commissioning of its fourth Taigei-class submarine. The unit, officially named JS Raigei (SS 516), will be assigned to the 1st Submarine Division, part of the 1st Submarine Flotilla, based at Kure Naval Base in Hiroshima Prefecture.
The JS Raigei was previously launched in late October 2023. Since then, following established norms and procedures, the submarine underwent rigorous port and sea trials under various conditions to assess the performance of its sensor, combat, and weapons systems.
For the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, the commissioning of JS Raigei marks another milestone in strengthening its submarine capabilities. Last year, in early October, the fleet also celebrated the launch of the final unit of the class, JS Chougei, at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. shipyard.
Like its sister ships, and based on the standard navigation and systems testing schedule—which lasts over a year—this unit is also expected to be commissioned in March 2026.
As mentioned earlier, the construction plans for the class have been expanded. According to recent reports, two additional units began construction in March 2023 and April 2024, with their launches projected for 2025 and 2026, respectively. The construction of the eighth unit in the series is expected to begin in the coming months.
Finally, these three additional units—potentially followed by two more of the same class—have not yet been assigned official designations.
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