On October 29, 2024, the Japanese shipbuilder Naikai Zosen launched the first landing craft utility (LCU) on order for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF).
The new transport vessel, which has been named “Nihonbare”「 にほんばれ」 (with pennant number 4151), entered the water in a ceremony held at Naikai Zosen’s Setoda shipyard in Onomichi City of Hiroshima Prefecture on the day. Nihonbare in Japanese means a clear, cloudless sky, thus conveying a wish for a safe voyage.
The LCU is about 80 meters long, has a draft of about 3 meters, and a standard displacement of about 2,400 tons. It will have a crew complement of about 30. Its transport capacity is several hundred tons, and it can carry a dozen vehicles or a dozen 20-foot containers. It can attain a top speed of at least 15 knots (about 28.8km/h).
It has beaching capabilities, allowing it to dock and leave quays or sandy areas, and to load and unload vehicles and supplies directly from the ramp on the bow. The construction cost is about 4.1 billion yen($27 million).
Japan is currently strengthening its transportation capabilities to deploy troops and transport fuel, ammunition, supplies, and vehicles to front-line bases, especially in the nation’s southwestern Nansei island chain, which spans about 1,200 km from Kagoshima to Okinawa, stretching southwest towards Taiwan. The chain includes the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, which are controlled by Japan but also claimed by China and Taiwan.
To this end, the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo plans to establish a new Self-Defense Forces Maritime Transport Group (tentative name), a joint unit of the Ground, Maritime, and Air Self-Defense Forces, which will be established at the JMSDF Kure Base in March 2025. The initial number of members at the unit will be about 100, according the MoD.
Ten transport ships are due to be deployed with the unit by the end of March 2028. In particular, there will be four LCU vessels of the same type as the Nihonbare, two medium-sized transport vessels with a standard displacement of over 3,500 tons, and four maneuver support vessels (MSVs).
One medium-sized transport vessel with a length of 120 meters is scheduled to be launched in November 2024. The Nihonbare and this medium-sized transport vessel will be deployed at the Kure base by March 2025.
“LCUs are employed to transport troops and supplies to ports in shallow islands. The acquisition of LCU will enable prompt and reliable transportation in the southwestern islands etc. dotted with large and small islands, and will contribute to strengthening the island defense system.”
JGSDF on X