It is necessary to strategically bolster arrangements for defending the Nansei Islands. To increase the effectiveness of the Japan-U.S. alliance, the Self-Defense Forces' equipment should be enhanced on a mid- and long-term basis.
The government is considering reforming the Izumo, the Maritime Self-Defense Force's largest destroyer, enabling fighter planes to take off from and land on the vessel. Seeking to realize the plan at the beginning of the 2020s, the government intends to write it into a new version of the National Defense Program Guidelines to be compiled at the end of the year.
In the event of an attack on remote islands and other areas surrounding Okinawa Prefecture, the plan presumes U.S. military aircraft would land on the vessel and the MSDF would refuel them. The Izumo's deck and other parts would be renovated so F-35B fighters -- state-of-the-art U.S. military planes capable of taking off and landing over a short distance -- can be operated from the vessel.
To realize the effective defense of remote islands, steady efforts should be made to proceed with the plan.
The Defense Ministry previously asked a shipbuilding company to conduct research on the project, and the ministry has received a report from the firm that the Izumo can be renovated to carry U.S. military aircraft. The ministry is also considering the future use of F-35B planes by the Air Self-Defense Force.
China has built a domestically designed aircraft carrier, following the acquisition of its first carrier, the Liaoning. The country is making rapid progress in its military buildup aimed at making itself a maritime power. In areas around the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, Chinese military and government ships have repeatedly engaged in provocative conduct.
In fiscal 2017, SDF planes scrambled in response to Chinese military planes as frequently as 500 times. It is essential to properly deal with such a threat.
Carrier would aid relief efforts
Strengthening the Izumo's functions to complement the offensive power of the U.S. military is aimed at giving specific shape to the idea of operating the SDF and U.S. forces in an integrated manner, a scheme that has been made possible under the security-related legislation.
It is important to facilitate arrangements for Japan and the United States to seamlessly cooperate, starting with a situation that is not as high as a military emergency. Envisioning various situations, it is also essential to closely work out the details of such matters as how to execute the chain of command between the two nations and how to operate troops.
In the Nansei Islands, Naha Air Base is the only facility where the SDF can use a runway. If the ASDF possessed a vessel from which military planes can operate, it would not just enhance its readiness to deal with an emergency. It is also expected that the vessel could be used as a base for disaster-relief activities.
The renovation plan must be made consistent with the government's previously stated view.
The Liberal Democratic Party has proposed the introduction of a multipurpose defensive aircraft carrier on the assumption of the Izumo's renovation.
From the standpoint of security tailored specifically for defense based on the Constitution, the government has continued to state that our nation must not be allowed to possess an offensive aircraft carrier.
Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera had defined an offensive aircraft carrier as a vessel whose "main strength entails many attack planes capable of carrying greatly destructive bombs," and he has emphasized that the Izumo does not fit that description.
The government must clarify the purpose of the Izumo's renovation and provide careful explanations to prevent unnecessary misunderstandings.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 1, 2018)
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