1 photo

Documents

Submarine

Japan

Kawasaki Heavy Industries

Taigei-class

Diesel-electric attack submarine class jointly built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, the successor to the Soryu-class. It is the first Japanese submarine class to use lithium-ion batteries in every hull rather than air-independent propulsion, extending submerged endurance.

In service since 2022 · 1 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

3,000

crew

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

National export licensing

Subject to Japan export-control approval; verify eligibility with the manufacturer.

Channel: Direct commercial / G2G

Fielded & proven

Limited · 1 operator

In service since 2022. Status: active · ~3 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Compatible munitions & weapons

Publicly reported weapons the Taigei-class can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.

Type 18 torpedo

UGM-84 Harpoon

Full specifications

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Torpedo tubes Number of torpedo tubes (submarines and some surface ships).: 6

Stronger than 53% of submarines

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.: 84 m

Naval

Displacement, speed, endurance and diving depth.

Displacement Standard displacement in tonnes, the ship’s size class. Larger hulls carry more but cost more and are less agile.: 3,000 t
Submerged speed Maximum speed while submerged (submarines). Higher is faster underwater.: 20 kn

Stronger than 26% of submarines
Complement Crew size. Fewer eases manning cost; more may indicate a larger, more capable platform.: 70
Propulsion plant Machinery type, nuclear reactor, gas turbine (COGAG), CODAG, diesel-electric, AIP.: Diesel-electric with lithium-ion battery storage

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.: 3

Stronger than 25% of submarines
Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.: 1

Stronger than 39% of submarines

Specifications compiled from public Kawasaki Heavy Industries and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

Compare with rivals