Ever since the horrific World War II event that claimed the lives of over two million
Japanese soldiers, Japan has turned its back on warfare.
In fact, as soon as the war ended, Japan's military was disarmed and dissolved, and a
treaty was signed prohibiting the Asian superpower from forming its own army.
However, with China, Russia, and North Korea lurking, Japan has been forced to retract
from that agreement and beef up its military capacity in order to deter potential adversaries.
So far, they've managed to build a powerful force capable of defending their territory
and scaring the living daylights out of other opposing countries.
Join us in today's video as we uncover the top reasons why the whole world is afraid
of Japan’s military exploits.
Still in this video, we'll tell you about a military drill that took place off the coast
of Japan involving six countries, including the United States.
So do well to watch till the end.
As part of the deal that prohibits Japan from having its own military force.
The United States dragged the Asian country under its military coverage to shield it from
external aggressors and threats.
Fast forward to 1950, the Korean war had just begun, and the US forces on ground in Japan
were compelled to set up a 75,000-member security outfit called the National Police Reserve.
A few years later, the Japanese Self Defense Force was launched with a responsibility to
defend the country and ensure internal safety.
More than seven decades later, the Self Defense Force still exists although its job description
has changed a little bit.
And more interestingly, Japan is rapidly expanding its military capacity and intensifying its
offensive firepower - with the backing of the United States of course.
After all, it is said within some circles that the best way to defend is to attack.
Japan isn’t exactly willing to attack anyone per se.
It does, however, continue to send out strong signals that any attack on its sovereignty
or territory will be repelled accordingly.
And to be honest, the Asian giant seems to have the capacity to make good those words.
Japan's military might is currently ranked fifth in the world, behind the US, Russia,
China, and India.
The country's defense spending was recently ranked sixth in the Global Firepower assessment
for 2021.
That sends a clear message to Russia, China, North Korea, and anybody else who cares to
listen that Japan will not be intimidated in the face of threats, aggression, or even
war.
Japan is flanked on both sides by the Pacific Ocean, the Japan Sea, and the East China Sea
– meaning it shares maritime borders with countries like Russia, North Korea, South
Korea, China, Taiwan, and the United States amongst others.
Before World War II, Japan dominated these waterways because, at the time, it had the
largest aircraft carrier in the world called the Shinano – or so it thought.
The Shinano was one of the three heavyweight ships converted to aircraft carriers after
during the Battle of Midway, which saw Japan lose four of its aircraft carriers, including
ships Kaga, Akagi, and Yorktown.
Despite this shameful loss, the Japanese Imperial Navy sought to deploy the Shinano for its
military operation during World War II.
But unknown to them, they were in for more unpleasant surprises.
The 72,000-ton Shinano carrier was sent home for an early bath after it sank following
heavy bombardments from a United States submarine called the USS Archerfish.
Till date, the Shinano remains the largest warship ever sunk by a submarine.
Anyway, that ultimately left the Amagi battlecruiser as the last standing Japanese aircraft carrier,
but even this one suffered a more unfortunate fate as it was gradually sold off as scrap
between 1942 and 1947.
Fast forward to the present times, Japan is slowly rebuilding its aircraft carrier.
It all started in 2018 when Japan decided to convert two of its Izumo-class helicopter
carriers (the JS Kaga and Izumo) into functional aircraft carriers capable of carrying US-built
short take-off and vertical landing F-35B fighter jets.
The first phase of upgrading the 813-foot Izumo aircraft carrier was completed early
in 2021 f or around $30 million.
And by October that same year, the revamped carrier was put to the test in the Pacific
alongside the United States’ USS Ronald Reagan and USS Carl Vinson and Britain’s
HMS Queen Elizabeth.
As part of the massive military drill, two U.S. F-35B jump jets first landed and then
took off from the deck of the Japanese Izumo aircraft carrier.
Landing was pretty straightforward; the pilots only had to activate hover mode, directing
all of its 40,000 pounds of thrust downward and allowing the F-35B to settle calmly on
the deck.
Take-off was, however, a bit more complex as the jump jets had to maneuver the Izumo’s
self-defense gun and go through the port side of the deck.
The Japanese Imperial Navy plans to change the position of the gun in the second phase
of modifications to create more space for fighter jets to land.
Further upgrades will include strengthening the ship’s deck to support greater weight,
installing extra guide lights, marking distinctive yellow lines on the deck to aid flight take-off,
and equipping the ship with advanced heat-resistant deck spots so that it can withstand the excess
heat generated by landing aircraft.
Izumo’s sister ship the JS Kaga is yet to be modified but it took part in a separate
training session alongside the United States’ USS Carl Vinson, Britain’s HMS Queen Elizabeth,
and some Royal Australian Navy ships in the eastern Indian Ocean.
Overall, the drills featured 17 ships and 15,000 Naval personnel from six countries,
including the US, UK, New Zealand, Netherlands, Canada, and Japan.
With the focus being on “air warfare, live-fire gunnery, joint planning, communications, anti-submarine
warfare, and cross-deck flight operations.”
Right before we discuss how these Japanese aircraft carriers compare against other carriers
around the world, if you’ve made it this far, make sure to like and subscribe for more
content like this.
The JS Izumo has a displacement of 19,500 tons when empty and 27,000 tons when fully
loaded.
Its cousin, the JS Kaga, displaces 21,500 tons when empty and 27,800 at full capacity.
Russia’s Admiral Kuznetzov, which was built during the era of the Soviet Union, displaces
nearly 62,000 tons, but the carrier is not considered a military threat as it spends
more time in the shipyard than on the Sea.
These displacements are way below the 65,000 tons that the HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS
Prince of Wales generate.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Navy currently has two active aircraft carriers - the Liaoning
which is basically a training vessel, and a less known ship called Type 002.
Although there are plans to build two more carriers by the end of 2022.
The Liaoning displaces between 60,000 to 65,000 tons, while the Type 002 has a reported displacement
of 85,000 tons.
But even that is dwarfed by the U.S. Nimitz-class carriers and the Gerald R. Ford which displaces
97,000 and 100,000 tons, respectively.
South Korea is yet to join the party because its CVX carrier is still under construction.
In terms of aircraft and crew capacity, the USS Gerald R. Ford can accommodate 90 aircraft
and helicopters as well as 5,500 personnel.
Both ships in the Izumo-class can house 470 crew members and 500 paratroopers, making
a total of 970 personnel on board.
But only a maximum of 28 aircraft will be able to fit into the ship.
Clearly, the Izumo and Kaga carriers are somewhat inferior to the aircraft carriers owned by
Western countries, but they hold their own quite well when it comes to speed and price.
The Izumo-class carriers and the mighty Gerald R. Ford travels at the same speed of 30 knots
or 35 miles per hour.
And in terms of price, it costs 1.5 billion to build the Izumo and Kaga carriers.
In comparison, the U.S. spent over $13 billion in constructing Gerald R. Ford.
But despite all the show of force and intent from Japan, Russia and China continue to carry
out military operations around the Japanese borders.
So, to further strengthen this formidable fleet of carriers, Japan is buying as many
F-35B aircraft as it can and also developing a sixth-generation stealth fighter jet named
the F-X or F-3.
The cost of the project is rumored to be around five billion Yen or $45 billion, with each
aircraft set to cost $179 million.
The Godzilla as it is unofficially called will be able to mount six external weapons.
Hopefully, that would be more than enough to fend off threats and aggressions from predators
like China, Russia, and North Korea.
What do you think about Japan’s new military stance?
Should China and Russia be scared?
Let us know in the comment section below.
Be sure to check out this video over here.