Is the Japanese Izumo DDH Really a Aircraft Carrier in Disguise?

The Land of the Rising Sun has been quietly strengthening its military capabilities and procuring advanced equipment amid the ongoing debate over whether to amend Article 9 of the country’s constitution. Though officially called the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forces (JMSDF), the Japanese Navy boasts an impressive array of hardware and if the country’s ruling party has its way with the constitution, its capability will only get stronger.

To increase the potency of the JMSDF even further, the acquisition of aircraft carriers (CVs) would be a logical next step. Yet, as CVs can best be described as seagoing airbases with significant offensive capabilities, Japan’s pacifist constitution prohibits their use in its navy. Destroyers (DDs) on the other hand rely on speed and maneuverability and are easily employed in defensive roles, criteria deemed acceptable under the Japanese Constitution. Therefore, to accommodate this unique political limitation, the Japanese have designated one of their latest vessels as a “helicopter destroyer” (DDH) but with capabilities akin to those of an aircraft carrier.

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Congress Informed of 17 V-22 Buy by Japan

Congress has received notification of a potential $3 billon sale of 17 Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and support equipment to Japan, according to a Tuesday announcement from the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency.

In its statement, DSCA (pronounced dis-kah) said the potential sale would expand the ability of the Japanese Self Defense Forces (JSDF) to operate more closely with the U.S. and extend the range of their ground forces.

“Japan is modernizing its transport fleet to better support its defense and special mission needs. The proposed sale of V-22B Block C Osprey aircraft will greatly enhance the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s humanitarian and disaster relief capabilities and support amphibious operations,” read the DSCA statement.

“This sale will promote burden sharing with our ally and interoperability with U.S. forces. Japan will have no difficulty absorbing these aircraft into its armed forces.”

The agency notified Congress of the possible sale on Tuesday.

In addition to the Osprey’s the deal’s outline would also include night vision goggles, a variety of radars, spare parts and training equipment.

Japan has been considering the buy at least since 2013 with 17 Osprey’s planned for as part of the country’s five-year mid-term defense program update as part of an emerging amphibious capability modeled on the U.S. Marine Corps, according to a January report in Flight Global.

Ospreys are key to the U.S Marine Corps posture in Western Pacific thanks tho their ability to fly further and faster than traditional helicopters and still land on a variety of ships.

For it’s part, Japan has commissioned the first of two Izumo-class large helicopter carriers that would make ideal launching platforms for the V-22s. U.S. Marines have also successfully tested V-22s on the onboard Japan’s Hyuga-class DDHs in 2013.

The announcement of the potential sale follows closely with a revision of U.S.-Japan guidelines that allow Japan and the U.S. closer operations.

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Japanese Jeep Carrier Izumo Commissioned

CO US 7th Fleet: Japan should start patrolling the South China Sea

The commander of U.S. 7th Fleet said Japan should start patrolling the South China Sea and said China’s claims in the region are resulting in, “unnecessary friction” with neighbors.

In a Thursday interview with new service Reuters, Vice Adm. Robert Thomas said Japan could provide a, “stabilizing function” as tensions resulting from overlapping regional claims rise and China’s fishing and naval fleets continue to grow.

“I think that [Japan Maritime Self Defense Forces] operations in the South China Sea makes sense in the future,” he said.
“In the South China Sea, frankly, the Chinese fishing fleet, the Chinese coastguard and the (navy) overmatch their neighbors.”

An expansion of JMSDF patrols from the East China Sea into the South China Sea could be seen by Beijing as a provocative move on the behalf of Tokyo.

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Japan's JS Izumo: Helicopter Destroyer or Heli Carrier? Enters Sea Trials

Japan’s largest warship since World War II has left for its first set of sea trials last week ahead of entering the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF)fleet next year.

JS Izumo (DDH-183) departed Tokyo Bay on Sept. 23, as seen as in a video on YouTube, for the first round of what will be about six months of sea trials ahead of the ship’s commissioning next year, a JMSDF official told Jane’s Defence Weekly on Monday.

The 24,000-ton helicopter carrier is the first of two planned ships. Izumo will enter the JMSDF force next year. DDH-184 will enter the fleet in 2017, according to the Naval Institute’s Combat Fleet’s of the World.

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Japan to Build two new Aegis Destroyers

The government will start building two Aegis-equipped destroyers with the latest missile defense systems starting next fiscal year, in light of the progress seen in missile development by North Korea, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

The Defense Ministry will include related expenses in its budgetary requests, informed sources said. The government will start building one destroyer in the next fiscal year and the other in fiscal 2016, aiming at reinforcing the defense system by increasing Aegis-equipped vessels from the current six to eight in fiscal 2020, sources said.

The government had unveiled its policy of introducing two more Aegis-equipped destroyers within 10 years in the National Defense Program Guidelines, adopted by the Cabinet late last year.

Earlier this year, North Korea continually test-fired what were believed to be short- and mid-range missiles.

Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera recently said, “While the deployment of missiles in readiness for battle proceeds (in North Korea), the country is carrying out exercises to further improve the capability (of its missile system),” leading the government to conclude that the number of Aegis-equipped destroyers should be increased as soon as possible.

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Japan Interested in USS Independence Class Derived Littoral Combat Ship?

While the Pentagon rethinks and restructures its Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), the U.S. has agreed to help Japan develop its own coastal warship with similar attributes.

Recent Pentagon guidance directs the U.S. Navy to halt negotiations for any more LCS contracts less than halfway through the service’s proposed 52-ship buy, as the Defense Department reviews other options to make the vessels more lethal and survivable.

The headquarters for U.S. Forces in Japan confirms that the two countries will collaborate on a littoral warship. The initiative was first revealed in a statement from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The statement says Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and Ambassador Caroline Kennedy “exchanged a document on March 4 in Tokyo concerning studies for joint development between the government of Japan and the United States for optimization of the high-speed littoral combat ship under the bilateral Mutual Defense Assistance (MDA) agreement,” according to an unofficial translation.

The exact details of what the warship would be are still sketchy. The U.S. State Department, which reportedly worked out the deal, did not reply to queries. The U.S. Navy and Defense Department said they were unaware of any such agreement, and the U.S. Embassy in Japan directed queries to the foreign affairs ministry.

The prime contractor for one of the LCS industry teams in the U.S., Lockheed Martin, said it knew nothing of the agreement. Austal USA, the lead of the other team, did not reply to a request for comment.

Asian press reports, however, indicate the ship could be a trimaran, which could make it similar in scope and design to the Austal LCS variant, which displaces roughly 3,000 tons and is an all-aluminum vessel steered by waterjets.

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Japan Reiterates Not Building, No Plans for Aircraft Carrier

The Japanese Ministry of Defence (MoD) has clarified that the country is currently not looking to acquire an aircraft carrier, nor is it exploring the possibility of operating one for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).

Speaking with IHS Jane's on 15 January, an MoD spokesperson denied Japanese media reports citing numerous unnamed MoD sources that claimed the JMSDF is considering building an aircraft carrier equipped with fighter aircraft. The spokesperson also reiterated the government's view on Article 9 of its Constitution that the Japanese Self-Defense Force (SDF) was not allowed to possess intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), long-range strategic bombers or offensive aircraft carriers.

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The Izumo class is NOT a carrier!  Really!  Believe us!  Because we said so!

If the Chinese get more aggressive I can see the Japanese buying F-35Bs...