There is however no angled tripod mainmast like the one of the American Arleigh Burke-class destroyer because of the heavy weather of the Sea of Japan in winter.

The aft was designed like a "mini-Oranda-zaka" as with the Kongō class to avoid interference between helicopters and mooring devices.

[2] Destroyers built under the First Defense Build-up Plan, including the former Murasame class, adopted a unique long forecastle style called "Oranda-zaka".

[2] Ariake was laid down on 18 May 1999 at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Kobe as part of the 1997 plan and launched on 16 October 2000.

On 13 September 2020, she departed from Sasebo base for the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia as the 37th dispatched anti-piracy action water squadron.