Japan Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Miragedriver

Brigadier
Japan defense forces to ramp up support of American military

UxWlQRK.jpg

TOKYO -- Japan's Self-Defense Forces will provide more support to the U.S. military, including protecting American ships, under revised defense guidelines the two countries are negotiating.

An interim report on the revision was issued Wednesday at a meeting of senior foreign affairs and defense officials from both countries.

The new guidelines aim to reflect new threats posed by China's military expansion and maritime ambitions, as well as respond to America's strategic "rebalancing" toward Asia. North Korean nuclear missile development and the military use of space and cyberspace will also be incorporated.

The interim report calls for seamless defense cooperation from peacetime to emergencies. This marks a clear departure from the current guidelines, which spell out Japanese and American responsibilities separately for three circumstances: peacetime, contingencies in areas surrounding Japan, and emergencies involving Japan.

The existing guidelines cover cooperation in such fields as information collection, monitoring, reconnaissance, and facilities usage. The new ones will add protection of assets, such as American ships on guard against ballistic missiles; maritime security, which includes mine removal in sea lanes during a conflict; and air and missile defense.

Back in July, the cabinet reinterpreted the Japanese constitution to let the country exercise the right to collective self-defense. The revised guidelines will reflect this by outlining cooperation in cases where Japan can use force when an ally is under attack. Details will be included in the final report.

By stating that Japan and the U.S. will work together for global peace and security, the revised guidelines will make clear that they will cooperate even in situations not directly linked to Japanese security. The partners hope to revise the guidelines by the end of the year.

The guidelines were created in 1978 to deal with a possible attack by the Soviet Union and revised in 1997 in response to possible hostilities on the Korean Peninsula.


I will now get back to bottling my Malbec
 

delft

Brigadier
To call the Izumo a "Helicopter Destroyer" is an insult to reason.
Indeed the destroyers were originally, a century ago, torpedo boat destroyers. According to that formula a helicopter destroyer would protect other ships from attack by helicopters.
 

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
Janiz said:
Izumo Pic
As I say, interesting that the forward Phalanx CIWS was placed on the end of the flight deck.

Earlier pictures and the design called for a sponson on the port side forward where it would be placed to free up the flight deck. From the stern, you can see that both the Phalanx and the SeaRAM are on sponsons off of the flight deck. The forward SeaRAM is too.

I wonder if the placement of the forward CIWS was done to alieviate fears of the carrier being used for fixed wing aircraft?

Clearly, if the JMSDF ultimately goes for the F-35B, then that CIWS would be moved off of the flight deck to allow for STOVL take-offs.

GREAT pics guys. Thanks!
 
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Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
Video of the JS Izumo, DDH-183, departing for sea trials:


[video=youtube;ukGoY06lxrw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukGoY06lxrw[/video]

Beautiful vessel.
 
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