Akebono was
laid down on 29 October 1999 at
IHI Corporation Tokyo as the 1997 plan and
launched on 25 September 2000. The vessel was
commissioned on 19 March 2002, and was incorporated into the 4th Escort Corps and deployed to
Kure. In June 2019,
Akebono was dispatched to additionally participate in the 2019 Indo-Pacific dispatch training in which the vessels and were participating. The destroyer conducted joint training with the navies of each country in the Indo-Pacific region during the deployment. On 7 April 2024,
Akebono conducted a joint patrol in the
South China Sea with
BRP Antonio Luna and
BRP Valentin Diaz of the Philippine Navy,
USS Mobile of the US Navy, and
HMAS Warramunga of the Royal Australian Navy. This marked the first multinational patrol among the nations. In 2025,
Akebono joined the
Royal Navy's
carrier strike group as part of
Operation Highmast in a deployment to the Indo-Pacific region. The ship, as part of the UK strike group, along with , ,
RFA Tidespring (A136) and of the
Royal Norwegian Navy, took part in Exercise Konkan 2025, a bilateral and biennial maritime exercise conducted the Royal Navy and the
Indian Navy, between 5 and 8 October 2025. The Indian Navy was represented by and its
Carrier Battle Group (CBG), consisting of , , , , and . On 28 October 2025,
Akebono arrived at the
Port of Colombo, Sri Lanka, on a goodwill mission under the command of
Commander Arai Katsutomo. The vessel is scheduled to depart the island on 31 October. == Gallery ==