Posted on 03/10/2011 7:41:08 PM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Think Tank: Japan is an aircraft-carrier power
Chinadaily.com.cn, March 9, 2011
Japan has been formally classified for the first time since World War II as an aircraft-carrier power by a leading Western international affairs think tank.
Japan has one Hyuga-class aircraft carrier, according to Military Balance 2011, an annual report published on Tuesday by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) assessing the military capabilities and defense economics of 170 countries worldwide.
The annual report is an essential resource for those involved in security policymaking, analysis and research.
Classifying Japan as an aircraft carrier power means China now has four Asian neighbors with the giant vessel. Russia, India and Thailand are reported to have one aircraft carrier in service.
Former Japanese foreign minister Seiji Maehara, shortly before he resigned for accepting an illegal donation, expressed Japan's "grave concern" over China's military development and alleged plan to build an aircraft carrier.
Gary Li, an expert on Asia military affairs at the IISS and the chief researcher of the East Asia section of Military Balance 2011, said Japan currently had one Hyuga and another is under construction.
"The Hyuga is not yet as powerful as the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) would like it to be, mainly because there are no F-35s (fighter jets) as yet," Li said.
"Once Japan acquires F-35s or another suitable short take-off aircraft for the Hyuga class, it will have a greatly increased expeditionary capability, and can operate in conjunction with the US more and more in regional security operations."
Li said the JMSDF is "very powerful" in terms of capabilities. "Its assets are arguably the second best after the US. The ships are modern, powerful, and with a wide range of services. However they suffer from the same problems as the Chinese navy in that it lacks expeditionary capabilities and also the crew lack real battle experience."
Despite Japan's concern over China's military development, Christian Le Miere, research fellow for Naval Forces and Maritime Security at the IISS, said Japanese naval power is superior to China's.
He said Beijing's "main strategy" is still to "deter or prevent US intervention into Taiwan contingency for as long as possible".
In fact, long before the IISS classified only one Hyuga-class vessel as an aircraft carrier, earlier reports said Japan launched the second of the vessels, the Ise, as early as 2009.
The 197-meter long, 13,950-ton vessel can carry up to 11 helicopters.
The vessel is scheduled to be commissioned into the JMSDF this month, Xinhua News Agency reported in 2009.
Let’s hope this time they fly into their big neighbourgs bay Vs ours.
WORLD WIDE AIRCRAFT CARRIERS - HYUGA CLASS
Lots of good pictures there...and links to all of the World's current aircraft carriers.
I’d recommend future Hyuga sistercraft be EMALS equipped - Electro Magnetic Aircraft Launching System.
For legal reasons they’d need to make-up some silly reason to have it; rapid FOD cleaning or something —anything.
They need 5 or more such craft, I’d say, and because of the timeline involved they’d best start now.
Clearly will be capable of embarking a wing of the J-35B VTOL strike fighters.
Ise and Hyuga, names with tradition in the Japanese Navy. Sister dreadnoughts built in the World War 1 era, they were modified in WW 2 to have rear flight decks. They were not effective ships, but the Japanese were desperate for anything they could call an aircraft carrier by late 1944.
Look for follow on ships such as Kaga, Akagi, Soryu, Hiryu, Shokaku and Zuikaku.
They already used Soryu for the lead ship of their latest class of large AIP submarines.
How many mpg?......
Nice and clean! I pray that we are on the same side next time.
They converted Manchuria/Manchuko into what was essentially a Japanese province and ended up with 24 million Japanese living there.
They reduced Korea to colonial status ~ with American approval and approbation of course (The Progressives thought it was a good idea in fact).
They held Taiwan throughout the whole period of time, and finally attacked China and were gobbling up vast territories of tens of millions of people.
By the time they got around to bombing Pearl Harbor they were pretty full of themselves and imagined we'd take that as a warning and stay out of their affairs in Asia.
Boy were they wrong. We have entirely too many redheads for that to ever happen.
I was thinking that the F-35 was not going to be built, now I am thinking it is going to have a sticker on it saying “Made in Japan”. Too many people need this plane, The US Marines, The French and the British and now the Japanese, all need it for their smaller carriers.
Right now I trust the Japanese way more than I do the Chinese.
Every time I see or read of the Battle of Midway, I am struck by just how daring and brave the American Naval leaders were.
They set a trap for the Japanese but it was a trap that required a very much over matched U.S. Navy to spring it then fight their way to victory.
Also impressed with just how easily it could have gone the other way.
Not really sure how all these island vacations turn out since everyones packing nukes
ping
The Japanese see the writing on the wall. They know the United States is an unreliable ally. Presently, NO ONE can trust that the Obama regime will be there for them if there is real trouble. Not Taiwan, not South Korea, not Japan. In the future, if things don’t change dramatically and quickly, the USA won’t have the resources to FUND a military campaign in support of any allies — In Asia, Europe, the Middle East, nor anywhere else in the world. Japan knows. And they are planning to protect themselves — because the Chinese have been waiting decades to return the “favors” Japan visited upon them in the first few decades of the 20th century.
One wonders if Japan, Taiwan and/or Taiwan have quietly, surreptitiously, hidden away a few nukes, here and there, “just in case,” so that if China ever did decide to come for them, they would “go out with a bang” and take as many of the ChiCom’s on the mainland with them as possible....
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I have also been fascinated by that action since I was a little kid and my dad took me to see the movie. When I was an (Army!) cadet, I had to present a battle analysis briefing and chose Midway. God was indeed on our side when you look at the confluence of timing, personalities, equipment, etc., and how events played out. Even the very name of the island was not without its significance as a turning point in the war.
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