The Japanese Coast Guard said on Tuesday that it would request funds in the budget to build its largest multi-purpose patrol ship. The ship will be designed to respond to disasters and evacuate residents of remote islands in the event of an emergency.
The 2025 budget requests 3.43 billion yen ($23.7 million) to cover the construction costs of the 200-meter-long vessel, at a time when the country is stepping up surveillance near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, which are controlled by Japan and claimed by China.
This request will increase the total funds requested in the budget to a record 293.5 billion yen, an increase of 12 percent from the original budget for 2024.
At around 30,000 tons, the new ship, which is scheduled to enter service in fiscal year 2029, would far dwarf the Coast Guard’s current largest ship at around 6,500 tons.
The total construction cost will be around 68 billion yen, it was said.
The ship, which is also used to dispatch police officers, firefighters and members of the self-defense forces in the event of natural disasters, has a capacity of around 1,000 people.
The 2025 budget request also includes 4.16 billion yen for the purchase of two large SeaGuardian unmanned aircraft and 40 million yen for international efforts to combat drug-related crime, it said.
Chinese ships have repeatedly entered Japanese territorial waters around the uninhabited Senkaku Islands, which Beijing calls Diaoyu, prompting the coast guard to increase surveillance.
Related coverage:
Defense Ministry expects record budget request of 8 trillion yen for fiscal year 2025
Japan to open US-inspired defense technology research center in October
Japan’s unused defense budget in fiscal year 2023 totals 130 billion yen
