JS Hyūga

JS Hyūga (DDH-181) is the lead ship of the of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).

The ship was built by IHI Marine United and commissioned into military service on 18 March 2009.

Service
This ship delivered supplies and undertook in disaster relief operations after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

Hyūga became the first Japanese ship to have an American MV-22 Osprey land aboard it during exercise Dawn Blitz in San Diego, California on June 14, 2013.

In June 2017, the Hyūga along with JS Ashigara joined the US Navy's Carrier Strike Group 1 and Carrier Strike Group 5 off the Korean Peninsula in response to increased tensions over North Korea's nuclear weapons program.