{"id":61976,"date":"2015-04-12T18:42:49","date_gmt":"2015-04-12T18:42:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2015\/04\/12\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:40:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:40:49","slug":"izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/sea-air-space\/2015\/04\/12\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\/","title":{"rendered":"Izumo Drives Japanese Naval Buildup"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">TOKYO \u2014 Last month&#8217;s commissioning of the Japanese helicopter carrier Izumo spearheads the buildup of Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) antisubmarine capabilities, analysts said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span class=\"rte rte-comment\">This March 25, <\/span>Defense Minister Gen Nakatani led the March 25 commissioning of <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">ceremony for <\/span>the 248-meter, 24,000-ton helicopter carrier, <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">and <\/span>Japan&#8217;s largest postwar naval vessel, <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">, the JS <i>Izumo<\/i> (DDH-183). <\/span>capable of carrying seven Mitsubishi-built SH-60K antisubmarine warfare (ASW) helicopters and seven AgustaWestland MCM-101 mine countermeasure helicopters and up to 400 troops. <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">, the <i>Izumo<\/i> spearheads the buildup of new capabilities far beyond the already accomplished ASW role of the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) analysts say.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this ASW role, Izumo forms the third of a four-ship force, which will include another ship in the same class, which is under construction and should enter the <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">MSDF <\/span>fleet <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">in<\/span> around 2017. These two <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">new <\/span>ships will join two 18,300-ton Hyuga-class helicopter carriers commissioned in 2009 and 2011, replacing two smaller Shirane<i>&#8211; <\/i>and two Haruna class-DDHs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b><span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/sea-air-space\" title=\"http:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/sea-air-space\">Digital Show Daily: Complete coverage from the Navy League Sea-Air-Space Exposition<\/a><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On face value, the Izumo class fits into a longer term MSDF strategy to counter <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">to<\/span> evolving maritime threats from the Chinese People&#8217;s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), North Korea, and to a lesser extent, the Russian Pacific Fleet, said Guy Stitt, president, AMI International. These threats include increasing numbers of diesel-electric submarines armed with heavyweight torpedoes and anti-ship missiles operating in the littorals with greater range, <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">and <\/span>endurance and stealth, and more strategically, the <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">Chinese <\/span>PLAN&#8217;s development of missile subs and a nuclear second-strike capability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The Izumo brings a unique multimission capability for ASW, mine warfare and organic self-defense, as well as the ability to conduct sustained operations employing unmanned vehicles,&#8221; <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">(UUV, USV, and UAV),&#8221; <\/span>Stitt said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The Izumo class carries up to 14 helos [ASW and MCM type]. It has a higher sortie rate, more ASW coverage due to the size of the air wing than the Hyuga class,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The &#8220;multirole&#8221; and &#8220;multipurpose&#8221; nature of the Izumo class has already led to suspicions that the Izumo is <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">all but <\/span>an aircraft carrier in all but name. There certainly is scope within the emerging US-Japan security architecture for such a role. Already the <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">this month&#8217;s<\/span> updated US-Japan security agreement identifies Japan as a peer with the US, requiring Japan to take a proactive approach to acquire platforms and weapons, <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">systems,<\/span> cooperate seamlessly with the US, and conduct operations to support UN operations and international coalitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reflecting this, the Izumo class is capable of carrying USMV-22 Ospreys and the Lockheed Martin F-35B combat jet for <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">an <\/span>expanded amphibious\/strike warfare missions. <span class=\"rte rte-comment\"> set. <\/span>The Izumo also carries an advanced hull-mounted sonar and point defense anti-air warfare<span class=\"rte rte-comment\">AAW<\/span> systems, the Sea Rolling Airframe Missile <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">EARAM <\/span>and Phalanx close-in weapon system,<span class=\"rte rte-comment\">CIWS,<\/span> Stitt said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The Izumo class will allow the JMSDF to conduct coordinated multimission [ASW, amphibious and MCM] operations as part of an amphibious group or permissive non-combatant type operations&#8221; such as<span class=\"rte rte-comment\">&#8220;<\/span> humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) in the Asia Pacific region,<span class=\"rte rte-comment\">&#8220;<\/span> he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Apart from being the centerpiece of a hunting flotilla, the <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">new role of the <\/span>Izumo class will <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">is to <\/span><span class=\"rte rte-comment\">maintain sea control <\/span>escort<span class=\"rte rte-comment\">ing<\/span> convoys and is designed to incorporate a variety of functions from ASW to <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">humanitarian assistance and disaster response (<\/span>HADR<span class=\"rte rte-comment\">)<\/span>, said Alessio Patalano, a naval expert at the Department of War Studies, King&#8217;s College, London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;In this sense, the Izumo is not a carrier but intended as a platform for power projection. It is designed to offer the option to expand fleet air defense or support short-distance amphibious raids. Izumo maximizes a variety of functions, from ASW to HADR, showing the extent of Japan&#8217;s seriousness as a responsible stakeholder in international security,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The command-and-control function is the main reason why the Japanese government is looking to commission four ships, in addition to the need to <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">be able to <\/span>conduct multiple operations simultaneously. The MSDF requires one DDH for each of the MSDF&#8217;s four escort flotillas tasked with ensuring the integrity of Japan&#8217;s sea lines of communication <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">SLOCs <\/span>during any regional or national defense contingency, said Corey Wallace, a Japan security policy expert at New Zealand&#8217;s University of Auckland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unless there is a significant reorganization of its <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">the MSDF&#8217;s <\/span>fleet structure, the MSDF will not acquire more than four DDHs, and the <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">currently <\/span>projected fleet does give Japan a platform for further expansion, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Future needs for large tonnage ships will probably be centered on acquiring amphibious vessels such as an LHD to support Japan&#8217;s amphibious rapid deployment brigade, or perhaps a specialist hospital ship for HADR operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;It may be possible that \u2026 an additional, naval aviation-oriented role will be added to Japan&#8217;s DDHs&#8217; operational repertoire, and Japan may thus require additional vessels,&#8221; Wallace said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span class=\"rte rte-comment\">Therefore <\/span>The Izumo demonstrates <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">shows <\/span>how Japan is starting to build up key maritime <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">platform <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">&#8220;<\/span><\/span>force multipliers <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">&#8220;<\/span><span class=\"rte rte-comment\">maritime power platforms, <\/span>backed by an increasingly modern and balanced fleet structure centered on flexible <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">&#8220;<\/span>big-deck<span class=\"rte rte-comment\">&#8220;<\/span> aviation and amphibious ships, a world-class submarine force, and Aegis-equipped destroyers, said Bob Nugent, Affiliate Consultant at AMI International.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, Nugent said questions remain <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">need to be asked <\/span>about how Japan can <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">will<\/span> sustain or <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">even <\/span>expand this maritime modernization with an economy that has shown <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">with <\/span>little or no growth over the past decade, and has scant prospect of any significant jumps in GDP to finance additional naval spending over the next decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to AMI&#8217;s estimates, Japan&#8217;s annual spending on the sea service is roughly US $12 billion. While this compares favorably with certain naval peers in the Asia-Pacific region \u2014 <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">for example, <\/span>Australia spends about $10 billion and South Korea <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">spends <\/span>between $8 billion and $9 billion \u2014 China is already spending about $65 billion on its Navy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;[As] the costs of building and operating the most modern ships and submarines continue<span class=\"rte rte-comment\">ing<\/span> to go up, Japan faces some fiscal challenges in sustaining fleet development in the future. Nor does it appear likely that Japan will reallocate a static defense budget to increase the naval share \u2014 now at roughly a quarter of annual defense spending,&#8221; Nugent said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nugent predicted that Japan will have to start looking at its own version of the US offset strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;I expect Japan will boost investment in key <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">&#8216;<\/span>force multiplier technologies<span class=\"rte rte-comment\">&#8216;<\/span> \u2026 with regional allies and friendly states, to enhance future maritime system and platform development. These would include \u2026 unmanned systems, space and maritime ISR, advanced energy and propulsion systems \u2026 and advanced sensor integration on future ship designs,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Email: <span><a href=\"mailto:pkallender@defensenews.com\">pkallender@defensenews.com<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last month&#8217;s commissioning of the Japanese helicopter carrier Izumo spearheads the buildup of Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) antisubmarine capabilities, analysts said<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":89960,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":97,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[29,97,33],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1996],"class_list":["post-61976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digital-show-dailies","category-sea-air-space","category-home"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"R73BVRFVCVCTHN76ETOZJVESEU","arc_canonical_url":"\/digital-show-dailies\/sea-air-space\/2015\/04\/12\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Izumo Drives Japanese Naval Buildup - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Last month&#039;s commissioning of the Japanese helicopter carrier Izumo spearheads the buildup of Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) antisubmarine capabilities, analysts said\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Izumo Drives Japanese Naval Buildup\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Last month&#039;s commissioning of the Japanese helicopter carrier Izumo spearheads the buildup of Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) antisubmarine capabilities, analysts said\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/sea-air-space\/2015\/04\/12\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-04-12T18:42:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T00:40:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Paul Kallender-Umezu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Paul Kallender-Umezu\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/digital-show-dailies\\\/sea-air-space\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/12\\\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/digital-show-dailies\\\/sea-air-space\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/12\\\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Izumo Drives Japanese Naval Buildup\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2015-04-12T18:42:49+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T00:40:49+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/digital-show-dailies\\\/sea-air-space\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/12\\\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 1089,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/digital-show-dailies\\\/sea-air-space\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/12\\\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/635640143060815834-dfn-japan-izumojpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Digital Show Dailies\",\n\t                \"Don't use -- Sea Air Space\",\n\t                \"Home\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/digital-show-dailies\\\/sea-air-space\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/12\\\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/digital-show-dailies\\\/sea-air-space\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/12\\\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/digital-show-dailies\\\/sea-air-space\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/12\\\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Izumo Drives Japanese Naval Buildup - Defense News\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/digital-show-dailies\\\/sea-air-space\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/12\\\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/digital-show-dailies\\\/sea-air-space\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/12\\\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/635640143060815834-dfn-japan-izumojpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2015-04-12T18:42:49+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T00:40:49+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Last month's commissioning of the Japanese helicopter carrier Izumo spearheads the buildup of Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) antisubmarine capabilities, analysts said\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/digital-show-dailies\\\/sea-air-space\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/12\\\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/digital-show-dailies\\\/sea-air-space\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/12\\\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/digital-show-dailies\\\/sea-air-space\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/12\\\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/635640143060815834-dfn-japan-izumojpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/635640143060815834-dfn-japan-izumojpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/digital-show-dailies\\\/sea-air-space\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/12\\\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Digital Show Dailies\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/digital-show-dailies\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"digital-show-dailies\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Don't use -- Sea Air Space\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/digital-show-dailies\\\/sea-air-space\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"sea-air-space\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 4,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Izumo Drives Japanese Naval Buildup\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Defense News\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Izumo Drives Japanese Naval Buildup - Defense News","description":"Last month's commissioning of the Japanese helicopter carrier Izumo spearheads the buildup of Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) antisubmarine capabilities, analysts said","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Izumo Drives Japanese Naval Buildup","og_description":"Last month's commissioning of the Japanese helicopter carrier Izumo spearheads the buildup of Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) antisubmarine capabilities, analysts said","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/sea-air-space\/2015\/04\/12\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\/","og_site_name":"Defense News","article_published_time":"2015-04-12T18:42:49+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T00:40:49+00:00","author":"Paul Kallender-Umezu","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Paul Kallender-Umezu","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/sea-air-space\/2015\/04\/12\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/sea-air-space\/2015\/04\/12\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Izumo Drives Japanese Naval Buildup","datePublished":"2015-04-12T18:42:49+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T00:40:49+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/sea-air-space\/2015\/04\/12\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\/"},"wordCount":1089,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/sea-air-space\/2015\/04\/12\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635640143060815834-dfn-japan-izumojpg.jpg","articleSection":["Digital Show Dailies","Don't use -- Sea Air Space","Home"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/sea-air-space\/2015\/04\/12\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/sea-air-space\/2015\/04\/12\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/sea-air-space\/2015\/04\/12\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\/","name":"Izumo Drives Japanese Naval Buildup - Defense News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/sea-air-space\/2015\/04\/12\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/sea-air-space\/2015\/04\/12\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635640143060815834-dfn-japan-izumojpg.jpg","datePublished":"2015-04-12T18:42:49+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T00:40:49+00:00","description":"Last month's commissioning of the Japanese helicopter carrier Izumo spearheads the buildup of Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) antisubmarine capabilities, analysts said","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/sea-air-space\/2015\/04\/12\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/sea-air-space\/2015\/04\/12\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/sea-air-space\/2015\/04\/12\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635640143060815834-dfn-japan-izumojpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635640143060815834-dfn-japan-izumojpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/sea-air-space\/2015\/04\/12\/izumo-drives-japanese-naval-buildup\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Digital Show Dailies","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/","ad_zone":"digital-show-dailies"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Don't use -- Sea Air Space","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/sea-air-space\/","ad_zone":"sea-air-space"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Izumo Drives Japanese Naval Buildup"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","name":"Defense News","description":"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization","name":"Defense News","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","caption":"Defense News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Defense News","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635640143060815834-dfn-japan-izumojpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61976"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61976\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61984,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61976\/revisions\/61984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61976"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=61976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}