College of Military and Political Basic Education, National University of Defense Technology: Zhang Chengwang, Wang Yuhan, Liu Yiao
The birth of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces
After World War II, the International Military Tribunal for the Far East tried Japanese war criminals, and the subsequent Japanese Constitution stipulated that Japan had no right to own its own armed forces and was not allowed to participate in military conflicts. In particular, Chapter II of the Constitution of Japan, adopted in 1947, states: "The people of Japan, with their sincere desire for international peace based on justice and order, renounce forever war as a sovereign right of the State and the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes." In order to achieve the objectives described in the preceding paragraph, the army, navy, air force, and other means of warfare will never be established again. The right of the State to wage war is not recognized".
However, with the outbreak of the Korean War, the communist forces in the Far East posed a clear threat to the Western camp. The United States believes that keeping Japan in the Western camp and strengthening its self-defense capabilities is essential to safeguarding American interests in Asia. Therefore, for the sake of its hegemony, the United States has blatantly violated international conventions and supported the establishment of Japan's Self-Defense Forces. Taking Japan as an important ally and strategic fulcrum of the United States in the Asian region, it hopes to contain the Asia-Pacific region and maintain its hegemonic position and influence in the Asia-Pacific region by supporting Japan in establishing a self-defense force.
The size of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
The name "Self-Defense Forces" reflects their primary role and positioning, which is to maintain national security and respond to external threats, rather than to engage in aggression or expansion. This is fundamentally different from the traditional concept of "army".
As early as 1952, under the control and support of the United States, the formation of the Japanese National Security Forces began, and in 1954, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces began to be formed on their basis. Formally, this organization is not the armed forces, in Japan itself it is considered a civilian department, the top leader of which is the prime minister, and the highest military decision-making body is the cabinet meeting. The Maritime Self-Defense Force Fleet Command has a combined fleet under its command, which includes combat units such as the escort fleet, air group, submarine fleet, and minesweeper team. The regional team headquarters consists of four local teams, Yokosuka, Kure, Maizuru, and Sasebo, which are responsible for maritime defense tasks in their respective jurisdictions. In addition, the Japanese Ministry of Defense plans to form a "mobile amphibious regiment", which is an offensive Marine Corps specifically designed for the "defense of outlying islands", which is essentially a modern version of the Marine Corps. This kind of unit has the ability to carry out the task of landing and seizing islands, and it is also equipped with reconnaissance units, communications units, teaching units, engineering units, logistics units, and other combat support units, and this makes its combat capability completely overflow the purpose of self-defense.
In terms of personnel and equipment, although the number of personnel and equipment of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force does not exceed 50,000, it is very well-equipped. The Maritime Self-Defense Forces are even superior to the Russian Pacific Fleet in terms of the surface component. In terms of overall size and tonnage, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has 160 active ships with a total tonnage of nearly 500,000 tons, including 4 helicopter-torpedo boats, 10 missile destroyers (two training ships), 28 destroyers, 10 frigates and 25 submarines (two training submarines), far exceeding Russia.
Compared to the formal size of the navies of neighboring countries, Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force is still too strong. The navies of Vietnam and the Philippines have a total strength of more than 30,000 people and more than 170 ships, which are obviously different from Japan in all aspects. Even compared with the more powerful South Korea, although the size of the ROK Navy of more than 60,000 men and more than 170 ships are at the same level as the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, the total tonnage of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force's more than 500,000 tons still suppresses the ROK Navy's 270,000 tons.
An important ship of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
"Hyuga" aircraft carrier
On March 18, 2009, the helicopter carrier "Hyuga" was installed in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and on March 16, 2011, the helicopter carrier "Ise" was launched. Allegedly, the main purpose of these ships was to combat submarines. But helicopter carriers can also be used as control ships, as well as transfer and supply ships for troops. The helicopter carrier is 197 meters long, 33.8 meters wide, and has a full load displacement of 19,000 tons. The internal hangar can accommodate 11 medium helicopters. Taking into account the helicopters on deck, their number reaches 18 units. The airspace is monitored by the FCS-3 radar, the sea surface is monitored by the OPS-20 radar, and the underwater situation is monitored by the OQQ-21 sonar. To combat the air enemy, 16 RIM-162 missiles were placed in the Mk 41 vertical launchers. Air defense in the near zone was provided by two 20-mm ZAK Mark 15 Phalanx CIWS and four 12.7-mm machine guns. Twelve Aslok anti-submarine missiles and two three-barreled 324-mm Mk 32 torpedo tubes ensure a devastating strike on enemy submarines.
Helicopter carrier "Izumo".
On August 6, 2013, the Izumo helicopter carrier was launched, and on March 25, 2015, it was officially commissioned. The Izumo is 248 meters long, 38 meters wide, 23.5 meters above sea level on the deck, and has a draft of 7.5 meters. The combined power plant consists of four General Electric LM2500 turbines with a total power of up to 112,000 hp and a speed of up to 30 knots. The crew is 470 people. About 500 landing troops can be accommodated on ships in a short time.
"Izumo" is also equipped with modern electronic equipment. The OPS-50 AESA radar is used to detect air targets, the OPS-28 radar monitors the water surface, and the underwater situation is monitored by the OQQ-23 sonar. The NOLQ-3 D-1 station is designed for electronic reconnaissance and active jamming. The OYQ-12 combat information and control system connects all detection systems to a single network, controlling flights, as well as electronic warfare, anti-torpedo and air defense systems. It is worth noting that its tactical communication channel, which operates in real time on the Link 16 protocol, makes it possible to exchange information with Japanese and American aircraft and ships equipped with appropriate equipment.
Kakan
Following the Izumo, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force took delivery of its sister helicopter carrier, the Kaga (DDH-184), in March 2017.
In May 2019, it was announced that the destroyer "Kaga" would be converted into an aircraft carrier, after which it would be able to carry F-35B fighters. On March 24, 2022, the "Kaga" was delivered to the Joint Shipyard of the Japanese Defense Force of the Islands Defense Forces in Kure City for modernization. The ship, which remained in dry dock until April 20, 2023, is equipped with a rectangular foredeck, elevators with increased carrying capacity and special equipment for base aircraft. After the aircraft carrier is equipped with a carrier-based aircraft wing consisting of 12 F-35Bs, its full displacement will be close to 30,000 tons.
Apparently, the Izumo multipurpose helicopter carrier still retains the ability to use helicopters based on it for the transfer of troops. But "Kaga" will lose this opportunity after completing the re-equipment. F-35B carrier-based fighters can be used to provide air defense for squadrons performing amphibious operations, as well as air support for the defense of Japanese outlying islands on the landing shore.
At the same time, Japan has six Type 1 hovercraft in the first landing craft fleet, the full displacement of the hovercraft is 167 tons, the length reaches 26.8 m, and the width is 14.33 m. Four Lycoming engine TF40B gas turbine engines with a capacity of 400 hp were used as the main power units. The cruising range is 40 knots with a full load of about 200 miles. In order to prevent the on-board wheeled vehicles from getting stuck in the sand, a matte coating was also applied to the growing area. During the exercises of the US Marine Corps, the LCAC-1 boat repeatedly demonstrated the ability to deliver M1 Abrams tanks or 4-wheeled LAV-25 armored vehicles or 3 AAV7 amphibious tracked vehicles to the landing zone.
In other words, just from the configuration of these ships, it can be seen that the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force has a strong three-dimensional combat capability at sea, and at the same time has a complete reconnaissance and landing system. These capabilities show that Japan is not satisfied with the attributes of its "Self-Defense Forces".
It is no accident that Japan's military ambitions revealed in its flagrant violation of the treaty are not accidental; in this era of acute international disputes and complex geopolitics, hegemonism and imperialism are radiating around the Asia-Pacific region in various forms, and the situation in the Asia-Pacific region is turbulent. It remains to be seen and analyzed what will happen to Japan, which has wolf ambitions, in the future world pattern.