Japan has received frigate Natori from local shipbuilder Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), marking the delivery of the ninth vessel in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s (JMSDF) Mogami-class program.

The delivery ceremony for Natori took place on May 21 at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Nagasaki Shipyard in Akunoura, Nagasaki City. The 3,900-ton vessel was ordered by Japan’s Ministry of Defense in fiscal year 2022 and forms part of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s next-generation Mogami-class multi-mission frigate fleet.