Japan’s de facto “aircraft carriers” Enhance security in the Indo Pacific Region
The Maritime Self-Defense Force’s helicopter destroyer Kaga on the right, anchored in Yokohama, near Tokyo. Another helicopter destroyer Izumo is seen on the left.
Now that F-35B stealth fighter jets have successfully operated from the modified helicopter destroyer in a recent trials, Japanese Navy now actually can boast of having two aircraft carriers in its arsenal, the first since the end of World War 2, when the country vowed not to have offensive weapons.
The move, driven by Japanese militarist forces to ensure full capability to thwart any aggressive actions of the PLAN in the Indo Pacific. So now Japan has broken free the self imposed pacifist Constitution to support freedom of navigation in all the Oceans of the World in general and Indo Pacific and Natuna / South Philippines Sea in particular . This was essential to stop the dangerous game being played by China.
After receiving modifications, the helicopter destroyer Izumo on Sunday Carried out takeoff and landing tasks of F-35B aircraft operated by the US Marine Corps, Japan’s Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday in a statement.
This means that the Izumo has become the first Japanese warship since World War II from which fixed-wing aircraft can operate, the Japan Times reported on the day. In other words, the Izumo has become a de facto aircraft carrier.
With Tuesday’s confirmation, the carrier appears to have broken a long-standing taboo in Japan’s postwar defense posture, leaving it unclear how or even if the Izumo’s upgrade will remain within the confines of the country’s long-standing “exclusively defense-oriented policy,” the Japan Times said.
Since the initial commissioning of the Izumo in 2015, it has been no secret that Japan was eyeing to turn it into a light aircraft carrier, and eventually break free from the self imposed pacifist Constitution, so it can become a country fully capable of defending itself from any aggression and not be dependent on some other country.
Aircraft carriers are strategic platforms for far sea operations, and with the Izumo becoming capable of hosting the F-35B, a type among the world’s most advanced warplanes, it enables Japan to launch Aircraft’s far away from home.
Military observers pointed out that the F-35B aircraft used in the test were operated by the US Marine Corps, and this showed that the US approved Japan becoming self sufficient and Japan’s possession of aircraft carriers.
“Our F-35s are the first fighter aircraft to fly from a Japanese carrier since WWII,” 1st Marine Aircraft Wing spokesperson Major Ken Kunze was quoted by US military newspaper Stars and Stripes as saying on Tuesday.
Japanese media reports claimed that the transformation of the Izumo into an aircraft carrier is aimed at countering China’s military development.
Soon the required numbers of the F-35Bs will be bought from the US and the US will thus help transforming Japan into a formidable force in the region. This will surely drive some sense into the Communist China PLAN.
Japan with aircraft carriers to develop and operate a strong Navy in the Region and will ensure that smaller countries in the Indo Pacific , especially Taiwan are not bullied by any big countries .
The Izumo, commissioned in 2015 as a helicopter carrier, had heat-resistant coating added to its deck this year, enabling it to support the F-35B’s vertical landings, Stars and Stripes reported, noting that its sister ship, the Kaga, is scheduled for a similar makeover ahead of Japan’s acquisition of 42 F-35Bs, which are slated to arrive sometime in the next five years.
