The Uwajima class is a class of coastal minesweepers of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

Development From the lessons learned from the 1991 dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces to the Persian Gulf, the Maritime Self-Defense Force took the example of the Royal Navy's Sandown class minehunter, built after the 1994 plan, especially in order to improve its capabilities regarding mine clearance. However, while the Sandown class is basically a minesweeper that does not have minesweeping ability. The waters around Japan have many muddy seabeds that are not suitable for minesweeping, and abandonment of minesweeping ability is unacceptable. For this reason, the class is also given the ability to sweep with Australian-made DYAD-sensitive minesweepers, but due to magnetic management issues, it was decided that it would not be installed all the time, but would be received from the mother ship at sea as needed. Operational restrictions were large, and mobility was also restricted.

For this reason, it was built as a new type of minesweeper equipped with a domestic system that has the same performance as the overseas-made minesweeping system equipped in the Sugashima class, as well as realizing the installation of minesweepers on its own boat.

Ships in the class Pennant no.NameBuildersLaid downLaunchedCommissionedDecommissionedHome portMSC-672UwajimaNippon Kokan, Keihin18 May 198923 May 199019 December 199024 June 2010YokosukaMSC-673IeshimaHitachi Zosen Corporation, Kanagawa12 May 198912 June 199016 May 2014YokosukaMSC-674Tsukishima27 May 199123 July 199223 July 199321 March 2012YokosukaMSC-675Maejima1 June 199210 June 199315 December 199327 March 2017YokosukaMSC-676KumejimaNippon Kokan, Keihin17 February 19939 December 199312 December 199427 March 2018KureMSC-677MakishimaHitachi Zosen Corporation, Kanagawa12 May 199326 May 19932 April 2014KureMSC-678TobishimaNippon Kokan, Keihin22 June 199330 August 199410 March 199512 May 2014KureMSC-679YugeshimaHitachi Zosen Corporation, Kanagawa10 April 199524 May 199511 December 19961 October 2020KureMSC-680NagashimaNippon Kokan, Keihin14 April 199530 May 199625 December 1996Kure

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