Interesting factoid of a changing world. The Japanese Navy is roughly twice the size of the Uk’s Royal Navy. 18 RN surface combatants -vs- 44 in the JMSDF. Three times the number of attack submarines (though the RN is nuclear)
And the British have one Helicopter carrier. The Japanese have 4. And the Japanese ships are ready for an STOVL, or VTOL jet.
Look at a photo of a Japanese “Helicopter Destroyer” and be ready for a surprise. And you can bet the thing is built with Toyota/Honda quality, and not some rebuilt Russian job.
Their new class is extremely small, though it does look well built. I would agree it probably runs well.
I think the Japanese subs, though non-nuclear, are much more dangerous to all Chinese vessels including their subs. I don’t view their non-nuclear status as being much of a handicap, given the job their sub fleet was likely built for.
Also, even though they have emasculated their warships to a degree, they have a history of seafaring far more robust than the Chinese. More experience of all kinds.