New helicopter carrier bolsters Japan's maritime defence capability
The biggest Japanese warship at sea since the second world war starts military service
Japan's Maritime Self Defence Force yesterday took delivery of the biggest Japanese warship since the second world war, the Izumo, a helicopter carrier as big as the Imperial Navy aircraft carriers that battled the US in the Pacific during the 1940s.
The Izumo with a crew of 470 sailors is a highly visible example of how Japan is expanding the capability of its military to operate overseas and enters service as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seeks lawmakers' approval to loosen the restraints of Japan's pacifist post-war constitution.
The 248-metre-long Izumo resembles US Marine Corp amphibious assault carriers in size and design but it is designated as a helicopter destroyer, a label that allows Japan to keep within the bounds of a constitutional ban on owning the means to wage war.
Aircraft carriers, with their ability to project force, are considered offensive weapons prohibited under the constitution.
"The vessel can serve in a wide range of roles including peace keeping operations, international disaster relief and aid," Gen Nakatani, Japan's Minister of Defence, said standing beside the vessel after a handover ceremony at the Japan United Marine shipyard in Yokohama.
"It also helps improve our ability to combat submarines."