This is the JS Izumo. You thought this is a what? No, the Japanese Navy is strictly a self-defense force and has no ships larger than a destroyer. This is a multi-purpose operation destroyer.
does this mean we won’t be blowing up their refineries and selling more oil to Japan?
-————Not a FR foreign policy expert, or any other kind of expert.
Climb Mount Nitaka
Keep an eye on Russia.
““Thousands of Japanese ships ply those waters every year including vessels carrying nine tenths of our oil. It is Japan’s lifeline,”
They had the same reason why they went to war the last time. But hey, times change..
Sounds like “burden sharing” to me.
I watched a speech given by Peter Zeihan on YouTube and he explained why this is happening. He call himself a geopolitical strategist. He also wrote a book if you’re interested called Absent Superpower. If you take Canada’s tar sand oil and America’s oil, we no longer need middle east oil. And in fact he says we no longer need to bribe an alliance of nations to help us fight the cold war. Thus we simply have no pressing national interest to make sure oil flows out from the Persian Gulf. And in a larger sense, we have no pressing need to safeguard the security of other countries at large. China, Japan, India and other SE Asian countries rely heavily on Middle East oil. And they will be patrolling the oceans to make sure Iran and Somali pirates don’t do stupid things.
I suspect their grandfathers of the WWII IJN would be proud.
And if they just happen to snag a couple whales along the way, well that’s just a coincidence!
Japan is telling the world that it has returned as a naval power. Watch closely for similar demonstrations soon of its return to being a military and aviation power.
The Japanese MSDF is the third largest navy in the world today, larger than the Royal Navy and Russia, larger than France and India. The only reason the other navies are considered more powerful is because they have nuclear arms. But there is reason to believe that Japan, like Israel, has a nuclear capability, they just keep it a secret, for geopolitical purposes. The Japanese MSDF has every type and class of sea going vessel and littoral ship the US navy has, including aircraft carriers and submarines. The Japanese have one of the finest air forces in the world. The Japanese miltary has every modern and up to date weapon system that the best navies, including China, currently have. The US economy generates 27% of the world’s industrial output. Japan generates about 11%. The United states and Japan alliance commands almost 40% of the world’s GDP and constitute a formidable fighting force arrayed against any foe. When you add the might of the other nations allied with the US, like the UK, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Australia, Israel, and many others, the “free world” would be very difficult for the Chinese and/or Russia, or any of the Moslem countries, to defeat.
President Trump has ushered in a golden age for the world in our lifetime.
This is the JS Izumo. You thought this is a what? No, the Japanese Navy is strictly a self-defense force and has no ships larger than a destroyer. This is a multi-purpose operation destroyer.
Iran best not send it’s Kerry style boats to challenge the Japes... They won’t roll over and play dead like the USN. ..
“I wonder how the Irannians and Chicoms are going to take the news.”
Given the capability of the JMSDF, they won’t like it at all.
May as well be another American ship.
Japan has the 3rd best navy in the world and centuries of martial experience at sea...an unbroken line of experience and tradition.
And their ships are as good as ours.
Honestly, Japan has long needed to do more here. So have the Yurps. After all, they are the ones dependent on Middle Eastern oil - not us.