Japan's new €215 billion defense plan calls for two helicopter carriers to be converted to carry stealth fighters. Pressures from China, the US, and North Korea are driving the move.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Hoshiko
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Japan is planning to have aircraft carriers for the first time since World War Two, under new defense guidelines approved by its cabinet on Tuesday.
The country will retrofit two existing helicopter carriers so they can launch state-of-the-art stealth fighter jets made in the US.
The announcement is part of a new five-year defense plan agreed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government, which will see record military spending of 27.47 trillion yen (€215 billion, $245 billion) up to March 2024.
But critics are worried the move shifts the SDF further away from its commitment in the country's post-World War Two pacifist constitution to be strictly defensive.
Not 'fully-fledged' carriers
Officials say two flat-top Izumo-class destroyers, which can currently carry up to 14 helicopters, will be refitted to carry the fighters.
Japanese helicopter carrier Izumo will be converted to carry stealth fightersImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Kyodo News
Japan also plans to buy 42 F-35B short take-off and vertical landing jets from the US, which could be used on the new carriers, as well as 105 F-35A fighters, which take off from land.
The refitted ships and new warplanes would "increase operational flexibility" for Japan's military as China increases its naval presence in southern waters around remote Japanese islands, according to an official.
However, he also pointed out it was a "misunderstanding" to believe the upgrades would create "fully-fledged aircraft carriers" capable of long-distance operations, or that Japan would try to establish carrier air squadrons.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suda also sought to address concerns the new guidelines was a change in the country's long-standing defense focus.
"We will secure both the quantity and quality of defense capability that is necessary... to meet the rapidly changing security environment," he told a regular press briefing on Tuesday.
"We believe this is within... what is allowed under the constitution."
Japan plans to buy 42 F-35B stealth fighters from the USImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Kyodo news/T. Kaneko
Pressures from Trump and China
Prime Minister Abe has continually increased the defense budget since taking office in 2012.
He argues expanding Japan's military capability will make it a "normal country" and allow it to counter potential threats from North Korean rockets and China.
The new defense guidelines also call for a special unit responsible for protecting the country against cyberattacks and electronic warfare.
Abe is also under pressure from US President Donald Trump to buy more US military equipment. Trump has repeatedly complained about the size of America's trade deficit with Japan.
Can China and Japan bury the hatchet?
Under pressure from the US, China and Japan are seeking to mend ties and forge closer economic relations. But it is easier said than done; the two countries must overcome a number of political and territorial disputes.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/Jiji Press
Efforts to normalize ties
Shinzo Abe became the first Japanese leader to visit China since 2011 when he arrived in Beijing on October 26, 2018. Ties between the two countries have been fragile since diplomatic relations resumed in 1972. There are still plenty of issues to be resolved, but the relationship is at a "historic turning point."
Image: picture-alliance/Jiji Press/K. Sumiyoshi
Under pressure from Washington
Experts say that US President Donald Trump's trade protectionism is the major reason behind Chinese-Japanese coziness. China and the US have been locked in a major trade dispute, with both countries imposing reciprocal tariffs worth billions of dollars. Vowing to put "America First," the Trump administration also targeted Japanese exports to reduce US trade deficit.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Harnik
Economic benefits
China is Japan's biggest trading partner and many Japanese companies have invested large sums in the country. While Japan is eager to access China's massive market, China is interested in Japan's technology and corporate expertise. China and Japan – the world's second and third biggest economies, respectively – believe that more economic cooperation would minimize US pressure on them.
Image: Reuters/R. Pilipey
Mutual mistrust
But an increased economic cooperation would require the leaders of the two nations to overcome a number of political and territorial disputes. Tokyo is wary of Beijing's increasing political clout in Asia and its territorial aggression in both the East and South China seas. China sees Japan's military alliance with the US as a strategic move against its regional interests.
Image: Reuters
Disputed islands
Beijing and Tokyo have unresolved territorial disputes involving a group of uninhabited islands, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. They are currently administered by Tokyo, but Beijing claims sovereignty over them. Tensions over the islands have seriously damaged Sino-Japanese relations, which remain fragile after Japan's wartime occupation of parts of China during World War II.
Image: DW
World War II killings
The Japanese stance on Nanjing killings has often been an obstacle in Sino-Japanese relations. In the run-up to World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army unleashed a six-week reign of terror during which it reportedly carried out mass killings and rapes in the city of Nanjing. Japan now admits "the killing of a large number of non-combatants," but continues to downplay the intensity of the event.
Image: AFP/Getty Images
How to deal with Pyongyang?
The North Korean conflict remains a contentious issue between China and Japan. While Japan wants a complete denuclearization of the North, China remains the biggest backer of the Kim regime in the region. On October 26, 2018, PM Abe said his country is committed to normalizing ties with Pyongyang, but several issues, including North Korea's kidnapping of Japanese citizens, must be resolved first.
