Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has continued expanding the Miyako-class patrol fleet for the Japan Coast Guard by launching a new vessel and delivering another ship from the same program. Japan launched the Miyako initiative in 2016 to reinforce maritime surveillance and security operations around the disputed Senkaku Islands, which are administered by Tokyo but also claimed by China and Taiwan.
The latest vessel, JCG Suruga (PL-208), ordered in fiscal year 2022, was formally named during a ceremony in mid-February at Mitsubishi’s Tamano shipyard in Okayama. The ship will now proceed through final outfitting stages—including propulsion, electrical integration, and weapon installation—before being delivered to the coast guard later in the year. Suruga is the seventh patrol ship constructed at the Tamano yard and the eighth vessel overall in the Miyako-class series.
Shortly after the launch, the shipyard also handed over JCG Daito (PL-206) to the coast guard. The delivery ceremony was attended by senior officials such as Regional Coast Guard Commander Yusuke Ono. Daito, the fifth vessel of its class built at Tamano and the sixth in the overall program, will operate under the Nakagusuku Coast Guard Office within the 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters in Okinawa, performing missions including territorial surveillance, maritime rescue, law enforcement, and environmental protection.
Miyako-class patrol ships measure 117 meters in length and have a displacement of around 3,500 tons. They are armed with two 40-mm naval cannons and powered by four Yanmar 8EY33W diesel engines generating a combined 24,000 horsepower, enabling speeds above 25 knots. The new class is expected to offer greater endurance than the earlier Shikishima-class patrol vessel, which has a range of roughly 20,000 nautical miles.
