Photos of the sea trials of the light aircraft carrier JS Kaga (DDH-184), which began circulating on the Internet in the last days of December, fit into a much broader context. Japan, faithful to its pacifist constitution for decades, is rearming at an impressive pace. What weapons is Tokyo investing in?
The war with Russia, which has not formally ended since 1945, resulting in a dispute over the Kuril Islands, China’s superpower ambitions and North Korea’s aggressive rhetoric cause Tokyo to set new records in the amount of its budget for the defense, year after year.
In 2023 they amounted to 48 billion dollars, but in 2024 military spending is expected to be even greater and will reach 54 billion dol. (for comparison: Poland also has a record defense budget of $48 billion in 2024). There is a certain paradox in this, because – formally – Japan does not have an army, but only self-defense forces, where weapons are used by civilians in uniform.
Regardless of the legal nuances, Japanese Self-Defense Forces they are ranked in various rankings as one of the most important armies in the world. At the same time, they are armed forces with a specific specificity – with a very strong navy, in which the names of the classes of ships do not correspond to their capabilities and purpose.
Examples include light aircraft carriers, classified until recently as “helicopter destroyers”, or the consistent designation of ships that would be cruisers in other countries as destroyers.
An exception on a global scale is also the Japanese Air Force, which uses an unusual aircraft, the Mitsubishi F2, which is essentially an expanded, strengthened and very expensive aircraft, built only for the needs of Japan. F-16 variant.
The development of the Japanese land forces took place somewhat in the shadow of the navy and air force, but in their case there was also an acceleration of technical modernization, resulting in the introduction of new types of equipment into service. What weapons has Tokyo invested in in recent years?
Fleet expansion
In the last days of 2023, photos circulated on the Internet – probably taken by the crew of the on-board helicopter – of the Japanese light aircraft carrier JS Kaga (DDH-184), undergoing sea trials after renovation. It is a ship that in 2015, together with her sister ship Izumo entered service as a helicopterbut it has been adapted to work with F-35B aircraft.
At the same time, ultra-modern Mogami-class frigates are being built at record speed. Although the first ship of this type was launched in 2019, Japan decided that the ships, which were only a few years old, needed to be modernized, which resulted in a change in design, resulting in, among other things, increased hull length and displacement of new units.
The Mogami-class frigates are also an example of how Japan is preparing demographic problems – despite their size, the ships are operated by small crews of 90 people.
At the same time, in recent years, Japan has put into service another type of large ships – the Maya-class guided missile destroyers with the AEGIS battle management system on board. The next type of large unit with the AEGIS system will enter service in 2027.
Airplane
The mainstay of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force currently consists of over 150 air superiority fighters Mitsubishi F-15 – mainly produced under license in Japan. Large machines specialized in air combat are complemented by smaller ones Mitsubishi F2.
It is an enlarged variant of the F-16, with a modified fuselage, larger wings, Japanese avionics and, compared to the original, much greater capabilities. Such a thorough reconstruction of the F-16 for the needs of just one customer resulted in a very high unit price: in the mid-1990s the F2 was about 5 times more expensive than the F-16.
Japan is currently putting F-35 aircraft into service. Tokyo also tried to persuade the United States to sell F-22 Raptors, but was refused, which led Japan to work independently on next-generation aircraft. In 2023, Japan has abandoned the independent development of a new machine and is developing the GCAP program together with Great Britain and Italy.
Ground forces
Modernization and development also apply to land forces. A few years ago, Japan adopted a new type of small arms – Type 20 carbines, complemented this year by the emergency purchase of machine guns and sniper rifles in Europe.
Tokyo is ordering further deliveries of Japan’s most modern tanks, the Type 10 tanks, introduced into service in 2012, as well as new Type 20 self-propelled howitzers, similar in design to the French CAESAR.
The new orders also concern infantry fighting vehicles: wheeled vehicles based on the Type 16 tank destroyer, as well as new armored personnel carriers in the form of Patria XP vehicles. It is worth emphasizing that all types of weapons currently ordered are new equipment, which entered service in the last decade.
Łukasz Michalik, journalist from Wirtualna Polska
2023-12-29 22:20:00
#Japanese #armaments #military #power #SelfDefense #Forces