Japan's three maritime defense requirements

Most of Japan's population and industry sits near the coast, while the mountainous interior offers little strategic depth. The country depends on maritime trade and undersea communications, so freedom of the seas protects both its economy and information links. Continuing island disputes add a territorial-defense mission to those wider obligations. Maya replaced the Hatakaze class, whose ships had served as de facto flagships, and inherited their command and presence role. Its size and capability reflect a need to defend the homeland while protecting distant connections on which the homeland depends.