The Japan Coast Guard plans to construct the world’s largest cutter, a massive 30,000-ton vessel that would surpass the size of the China Coast Guard’s CCG 5901, which is currently the largest.
As explained, it plans to request 3.43 billion yen ($23.7 million) in the fiscal 2025 budget for part of the cost of building the 200-meter-long vessel. This comes as it intensifies surveillance near the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, which are also claimed by China.
This request will raise the total budget funds sought to a record 293.5 billion yen, marking a 12 percent increase from the initial fiscal 2024 budget.
At around 30,000 tons, the new vessel, due to be put into commission in fiscal 2029, would far eclipse the coast guard’s currently largest ship of around 6,500 tons.
The vessel, which will also be used to dispatch police officers, firefighters and Self-Defense Forces personnel during natural disasters, will have the capacity to board around 1,000 people.
The fiscal 2025 budget request also includes 4.16 billion yen to procure two large unmanned SeaGuardian aircraft and 40 million yen for international efforts to thwart drug-related crimes.
