The ship, which has a flight deck that is nearly 250 metres long, is designed to carry up to 14 helicopters. Japanese officials say it will be used in national defence - particularly in anti-submarine warfare and border-area surveillance missions - and to bolster the nation’s ability to transport personnel and supplies in response to large-scale natural disasters, like the devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
The tensions over the islands, along with China’s heavy spending on defence and military modernization, have heightened calls in Japan for beefed-up naval and air forces. China recently began operating an aircraft carrier that it refurbished after purchasing from Russia, and is reportedly moving forward with the construction of another that is domestically built.
Japan, China and Taiwan all claim the islands.
Though technically a destroyer, some experts believe the new Japanese ship could potentially be used in the future to launch fighter jets or other aircraft that have the ability to take off vertically. That would be a departure for Japan, which has one of the best equipped and best trained naval forces in the Pacific but which has not sought to build aircraft carriers of its own because of constitutional restrictions that limit its military forces to a defensive role.
Japan says it has no plans to use the ship in that manner.
The Izumo does not have catapults for launching fighters, nor does it have a “ski-jump” ramp on its flight deck for fixed-wing aircraft launches. AP
http://www.todayonline.com
6/8/13
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Related:
- Senkaku/Diaoyu issue
- video- Japan: the largest warship unveiled. Izumo-class helicopter destroyer (22DDH) launched in Yokohama. The 810-ft long ship is able to carry up to 14 helicopters.
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Japan’s biggest warship since WW2 stirs China tensions ...
ReplyDeleteJapan on Tuesday unveiled its new 250-meter-long destroyer, the country’s biggest warship since World War II. The warship, called Izumo, enters service as Tokyo confronts Beijing over a long-standing island sovereignty dispute.
The Izumo is designed to carry up to 14 helicopters, and Japan says the warship’s anti-submarine and surveillance capabilities will bolster its national defense. Tokyo is also showcasing the vessel’s potential role in disaster relief, transporting aid workers and transporting emergency supplies to affected areas.
The warship has been under construction since 2009, but its unveiling comes at a time of an uneasy stalemate between Japan and China over a border dispute. Both countries are claiming sovereignty over a group of small islands between Japan and Taiwan, which are located in a part of the East China Sea rich in energy and mineral resources. Taiwan also claims the islands, called Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyutai in China, for itself.....http://rt.com/news/japan-warship-military-china-113/
6/8/13
Japan unveils largest military ship...
ReplyDeleteTOKYO, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Japan on Tuesday unveiled the "Izumo" warship, its largest one with 248 meters in length and 38 meters in width, and is expected to deploy the military ship in March 2015 for the Maritime Self-Defense Forces (MSDF).
The launching ceremony was held at a Japan's Marine United Corp. plant in Kanagawa prefecture and was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso and Secretary General of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party Shigeru Ishiba.
Five choppers could depart or land simultaneously on the 19,500- ton helicopter-equipped destroyer, local media quoted MSDF officers as saying, adding that the 120-billion-yen (about 1.22 billion U.S. dollars) warship is also fit for the U.S. Osprey aircraft.
The new warship is about 50 meters longer than the MSDF's current two largest operational destroyers named "Hyuga" and "Ise" and another warship at "Izumo" size is under constructing, said Japan's Kyodo News.
The Izumo will also be used for offshore helicopter maintenance operations and replenishing other warships, said the report.
http://english.cntv.cn/20130806/105681.shtml
6/8/13
China recela del nacionalismo japonés ... Los ambiciosos planes militares y el endurecimiento del discurso soberanista de Shinzo Abe ponen en alerta a Pekín...
ReplyDeleteCuando el primer ministro de Japón, Shinzo Abe, tuvo que abandonar su agenda política nacionalista tras la derrota sufrida en las elecciones de la Cámara alta en 2007 que condujo a su dimisión, los gobernantes chinos probablemente respiraron aliviados. Las cosas han cambiado desde entonces. En diciembre pasado, Abe regresó al poder como consecuencia de la victoria del Partido Demócrata Liberal (PDL) en las elecciones generales, que se ha visto reforzada por la lograda el mes pasado en las elecciones a la Cámara alta. Ahora tiene el control de las dos Cámaras del Parlamento y podrá hacer lo que en su anterior mandato no pudo: impulsar la reforma del Ejército y poner fin al pacifismo que adoptó Japón tras su derrota en la Segunda Guerra Mundial —lo cual requiere modificar la Constitución de 1947—, con el consiguiente efecto sobre las siempre difíciles relaciones con China.
El dirigente japonés, de 58 años, ha decidido emplear una doble estrategia. Por un lado, ha endurecido la posición sobre los conflictos territoriales marítimos con el país vecino y ha defendido la necesidad de transformar las denominadas Fuerzas de Autodefensa en Ejército de grado pleno, ante lo que considera un entorno más amenazante, debido al creciente poderío de China y una Corea del Norte imprevisible. En esta política, se enmarca la presentación ayer del mayor buque de guerra construido por Japón desde el conflicto mundial, un portahelicópteros de 248 metros de eslora, capaz de transportar nueve aparatos, que se prevé que entre en servicio en 2015. Por otro lado, Abe ha ofrecido una rama de olivo a Pekín, que, de momento, parece no haberla aceptado.
Abe ha propuesto a los líderes chinos la celebración de una cumbre de jefes de Estado y de ministros de Exteriores “tan pronto como sea posible (…) sin condiciones previas”, con objeto de calmar estos tiempos turbulentos.....http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/08/06/actualidad/1375803407_270146.html
6/8/13
Commentary: Japan should never forget fate of previous Izumo in war of aggression...
ReplyDeleteBEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- While the Japanese people were praying for peace in commemoration of the 68th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during World War II, the Abe administration Wednesday was noisily reawakening the ghosts of Japan's militarist past.
It held a high-profile ceremony to unveil a new helicopter carrier named "Izumo" -- the same name carried by a flagship involved in its war of agression against China in the 1930s.
Officials of the Abe administration claimed the clash of the dates was a coincidence. AFP afterwards described it as indeed "an unfortunate coincidence."
On top of coincidences, the Japanese government also excels at playing with words, or rather "calling stags horses". When the monster ship was unveiled to the world for the first time, many experts and media were more inclined to call it an aircraft carrier in disguise than a helicopter destroyer, as the Japanase administration insisted on calling it.
The truth in front of our eyes is indisputable: in general, Izumo is a helicopter carrier with strong attacking capability. It is only 13 meters shorter than the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, and its standard and load displacements are far bigger than those of light carriers in some countries.
As for its performance, the flat-topped deck and island-shaped buildings offer great possibilities for launching military jets. It may even carry combat aircraft such as the F-35B with a few more modifications.
Regardless of the "coincidence" and tricky wording, all the covering up is bound to reveal itself before the mirror of history. Several decades ago, Japanese militarists' fetish for aircraft carriers prompted them to build more than 20 carriers and giant battleships. The carriers in turn became catalysts for their bulging aggression in World War II.
After its defeat, Japan was no longer allowed to build attacking ships under the constraints of its "Pacifist Constitution." But the desire to have carriers again has been an evil constantly haunting Japan's ultra-right politicians and militarists ever since.
The naming and launching of Izumo represents a flagrant evocation of the past militarism and Abe's intent to further militarise Japan.....http://english.cntv.cn/20130808/100017.shtml
8/8/13 Asia time
India to launch its indigenous aircraft carrier...
ReplyDeleteNEW DELHI, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- India is to launch its first indigenous aircraft carrier Monday, which will put the country in the league of nations to have such a capability, a top defense official said.
Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony's wife Elizabeth will formally launch the 37,500-ton carrier, INS Vikrant, at Kochi shipyard in the southern state of Kerala, nearly six years since its production started.
"The launch will be the crowning glory of the Indian Navy's indigenisation program," the deputy head of the Indian Navy, Vice Admiral R.K. Dhowan, told the media.
The aircraft carrier will be launched and then re-docked for the second phase of construction before being finally readied for extensive trials in 2016.
The ship is likely to be commissioned into the Indian Navy in 2018.
Only the United States, Britain, Russia and France have so far had the capability to build such an aircraft carrier.
http://english.cntv.cn/20130811/102728.shtml
11/8/13
Concerns of the Russian Federation with regards to plans of creation of a Japan-US missile defense system to be discussed in Japan....
ReplyDeleteRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov plans to visit Japan on November 1-2 on a working visit.
During the trip, he will participate, for the first time in the history of bilateral relations between Russia and Japan, in consultations of the defense and foreign ministries in the format of “two plus two”.
One of the crucial themes of the upcoming talks will be issues concerning the new security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region; the Russian side plans to clarify its principle strategic attitude to these issues. In addition, Russian ministers are going to express to their Japanese partners concerns of Moscow, caused by the Japanese-American plans to establish a regional missile defense system. Also Moscow is ready to discuss with Tokyo, “the prospects of increasing exchange and contacts in the military field”, commented the Russian Foreign Ministry. Cooperation in this area contributes to the strengthening of trust between the two countries and will have a positive impact on security in the region, especially in the North East Asia, is noted in the report.
“Problems related to the peace treaty between Russia and Japan will be discussed. A favorable atmosphere in relations between the two countries has permitted to reach an agreement on resumption of relevant negotiations by the leaders”, reported the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Read more: http://indian.ruvr.ru/news/2013_11_01/Russia-Japan-US-missile-defense-system/
1/11/13