Japan will name and launch its seventh Taigei-class submarine at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' Kobe Shipyard on 8 October, according to an official Maritime Self-Defense Force notice.
The ceremony is scheduled for 11:00 to 11:10 and will be led by Vice Admiral Yoshihiro Goka, commander of the JMSDF's Kure District. The submarine's name will not be disclosed until the naming and launch ceremony is completed.
The vessel, hull 8134, was funded under Japan's fiscal 2023 defence programme and has a standard displacement of about 3,000 tonnes.
The programme allocated ¥80.8bn ($510.1m) for the submarine's construction, while the main procurement contract awarded to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was valued at ¥48.0bn ($303.0m).
Construction began at the Kobe yard on 17 April 2024. Completion is targeted for the end of fiscal 2027, which runs through March 2028.
The Taigei class is 84 metres long and 9.1 metres wide. Earlier vessels in the series use diesel-electric propulsion with lithium-ion batteries and carry crews of about 70.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has built the first, third and fifth Taigei-class submarines at Kobe. The fifth vessel, Chogei, was delivered to Japan's Ministry of Defense in March 2026.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is a Japanese industrial group active in energy, infrastructure, industrial machinery, aerospace and defence. It recorded consolidated revenue of ¥4.974tn ($31.40bn) for the year ended March 2026 and employed 78,793 people.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries is also involved in the Taigei-class construction programme. The Japanese industrial group built Sogei, the sixth submarine in the series, and launched it from its Kobe yard in October 2025.