The Abukuma class destroyer escort (or frigate) is the general-purpose destroyer escort of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force

The , or JMSDF, is the naval branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. It was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy after World War II....

. It is the successor of the earlier .

This class was planned to replace the earlier and possess both ASW

Anti-submarine warfare

Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....

 capability as the successor of the and ASuW

Anti-Surface Warfare

Anti-surface warfare is a type of naval warfare directed against surface combatants. More generally, it is any weapons, sensors, or operations intended to attack or limit the effectiveness of an adversary's surface ships....

 capability as the successor of the , but there are many points enhanced as followes:
Introduction of the stealth technology

Stealth technology

Stealth technology also termed LO technology is a sub-discipline of military tactics and passive electronic countermeasures, which cover a range of techniques used with personnel, aircraft, ships, submarines, and missiles, to make them less visible to radar, infrared, sonar and other detection...

.

This class is the first combatant ship of the JMSDF which is introduced the stealth technology

Stealth technology

Stealth technology also termed LO technology is a sub-discipline of military tactics and passive electronic countermeasures, which cover a range of techniques used with personnel, aircraft, ships, submarines, and missiles, to make them less visible to radar, infrared, sonar and other detection...

. Their superstructure have traditional vertical surfaces, but their hulls are angled to reduce their radar cross sections.

Enhanced electronics.

This is the first destroyer escort class with the Naval Tactical Data System

Naval Tactical Data System

Naval Tactical Data System, commonly NTDS, refers to a computerized information processing system developed by the United States Navy in the 1950s and first deployed in the early 1960s for use in combat ships.- Reason for development :...

 by the OYQ-7 combat direction system. And also, this is the first destroyer escort class which has the ECM capability with the OLT-3 jammer.

Modified weapon systems.

As the Short Range Air Defense

Short Range Air Defense

Short Range Air Defense is a term used to describe a group of anti-aircraft weapons and tactics that have to do with defense against low-altitude air threats, primarily helicopters and low-flying close air support aircraft such as the A-10 or MiG-27...

 system, the OPS-14 air-search radar, the OPS-28 surface search and target acquisition radar, and one Otobreda 76 mm

Otobreda 76 mm

The Otobreda 76 mm gun is a naval artillery piece built by the Italian defence conglomerate Otobreda. It is based on the Oto Melara 76mm/L62 Allargato, which was bigger and heavier...

 rapid-firing gun controlled by the FCS-2 fire-conrtol system and Phalanx CIWS

Phalanx CIWS

The Phalanx CIWS is an anti-ship missile defense system. It is a close-in weapon system and was designed and manufactured by the General Dynamics Corporation, Pomona Division...

 are equipped. The OPS-14 is the Japanese equivalent of the American AN/SPS-49

AN/SPS-49

The AN/SPS-49 is a United States Navy two-dimensional, long range air search radar built by Raytheon that can provide contact bearing and range. It is a primary air-search radar for numerous ships in the U.S...

 radar, and the OPS-28 is the one of the American TAS Mk.23. Phalanx CIWS

Phalanx CIWS

The Phalanx CIWS is an anti-ship missile defense system. It is a close-in weapon system and was designed and manufactured by the General Dynamics Corporation, Pomona Division...

 has given the ships an improved self-defense capability against anti-ship missile

Missile

Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...

s. Mk.31 RAM GMWS

RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile

The RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile is a small, lightweight, infrared homing surface-to-air missile in use by the American, German, South Korean, Greek, Turkish, Saudi and Egyptian navies. It was intended originally and used primarily as a point-defense weapon against anti-ship cruise missiles...

 Point Defense Missile System was planned, but it is not installed yet.

And as the ASW system, OQS-8 hull-sonar (Japanese equivalent of the American DE-1167), ASROC

ASROC

ASROC is an all-weather, all sea-conditions anti-submarine missile system. Developed by the United States Navy in the 1950s, it was deployed in the 1960s, updated in the 1990s, and eventually installed on over 200 USN surface ships, specifically cruisers, destroyers, and frigates...

 anti-submarine rocket from the Type 74 octuple launcher (Japanese license-built version of the American Mark 16 GMLS), and lightweight ASW torpedoes from two HOS-301

Mark 32 Surface Vessel Torpedo Tubes

The Mark 32 Surface Vessel Torpedo Tubes system is a torpedo launching system designed for the United States Navy. The Mark 32 has been the standard anti-submarine torpedo launching system aboard United States Navy surface vessels since its introduction in 1960, and in use aboard the warships of...

 triple 324 mm (12.8 in) torpedo tube

Torpedo tube

A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units installed aboard surface vessels...

s. Tactical Towed-Array Sonar System was planned, but it is not installed yet.

The JMSDF intends to build eleven ships of this class, but finally, only six was built because s started deploying in distinct forces. All six vessels of the class are named after World War II cruisers.

Ships in the class

Pennant no.	Name	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Home port
DE-229	Abukuma	17 March 1988	21 December 1988	12 December 1989	Maizuru
DE-230	Jintsu	14 April 1988	31 January 1989	28 February 1990	Ominato
DE-231	Oyodo	8 March 1989	19 December 1989	23 January 1991	Sasebo Sasebo, Nagasaki is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 259,800 and the density of 609 persons per km². The total area is 426.47 km². The locality is famed for its scenic beauty. The city includes a part of Saikai National Park...
DE-232	Sendai	14 April 1989	26 January 1990	15 March 1991	Sasebo Sasebo, Nagasaki is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 259,800 and the density of 609 persons per km². The total area is 426.47 km². The locality is famed for its scenic beauty. The city includes a part of Saikai National Park...
DE-233	Chikuma	14 February 1991	25 January 1992	24 February 1993	Ominato
DE-234	Tone	8 February 1991	6 December 1991	8 February 1993	Sasebo Sasebo, Nagasaki is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 259,800 and the density of 609 persons per km². The total area is 426.47 km². The locality is famed for its scenic beauty. The city includes a part of Saikai National Park...