Japan Rolls Out Giant Aegis Cruiser for Stand-Off Missile Defense

Japan is building its first ASEV, a 620-foot, 12,000-ton Aegis-equipped missile-defense warship with a large integrated mast housing four AN/SPY-7(V)1 AESA radar arrays. It will carry 128 VLS cells and start with SM-3/SM-6 missiles, with plans to add Tomahawk cruise missiles and future anti-ship/land-attack capabilities, plus potential directed energy later. The two ships (Nagasaki and Isogo) are due in service by FY2027-28 and 2028-29, signaling a shift to stand-off defense and expanded blue-water capabilities for the JMSDF amid regional threats from China, Russia, and North Korea.