According to news published by Japanese newspapers on May 14, 2021, the Japanese Ministry of Defense plans to acquire two new destroyers equipped with an AEGIS integrated naval weapons system.
The Aegis Combat System (ACS) is an advanced command and control and weapon control system that uses powerful computers and radars to track and guide weapons to destroy enemy targets. The system includes anti-aircraft warfare weapons including Phalanx Close In Weapon System (CIWS), and the Mark 41 Vertical Launch System that provides a rapid-fire missile launch capability against hostile threats.
According to Japanese military sources, the construction of the two new vessels would cost over 500 billion yen ($4.7 billion). In December 2020, Japan has approved the construction of two Aegis ships after the Japanese ministry in June last year dropped its initial plan to deploy the land-based defense system to address the North Korean missile threat.
Currently, the Kong-class guided missile destroyer of the Japanese Navy equipped with the Aegis Combat System, and is the first of few ship classes outside the United States that was equipped with AEGIS. The Maya-class guided misile destroyer was improved with with an updated Aegis Combat System and electric propulsion system. The first ship of this class was commissioned in March 2020.