How Maya fits Japan's graduated escort force

The Maya, Atago, and Kongo classes form Japan's eight-ship large guided-missile tier and would often be called cruisers elsewhere. About twenty smaller general-purpose destroyers and escorts fill the next layer, with the Murasame class among the examples discussed. Eight Mogami frigates were already commissioned and five more ordered, while the class was also being adopted by Australia. Mogamis are replacing the Asagiri and Abukuma classes as Japan moves from a destroyer and destroyer-escort hierarchy toward a destroyer-frigate fleet. Four helicopter destroyers, 23 diesel attack submarines, and the conversion of two Izumo-class ships for F-35B operations broaden the force beyond surface escorts. Maya sits at the top as a task-group flagship and visible status element.