[3] The Hibiki-class was developed in response to the launch of the Kilo-class submarines by the Soviet Union, and their deployments in the waters near Japan.

[6][5] The Japanese Ministry of Defence's decision to build another Hibiki-class surveillance ship, nearly 30 years after the second one was completed, was influenced by the fact that some of Japan's neighbors have been steadily expanding their respective submarine fleets recently.

[4][5] The United States and Japan reportedly split the costs of operating the Hibiki vessels, which is approximately US$20 million per year.

[4] Hibiki-class vessels have a beam of 30 metres (98 ft 5 in), a top speed of 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph), and a standard range of 3,800 nautical miles (7,000 km; 4,400 mi).

[2][8] Data from the sensors is relayed through the Defense Satellite Communications System and processed and shared with the United States.