As someone that served in Japan and aware of the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Forces please do not sleep on the JMSDF. They may not have as many ships as China, but the quality is vastly superior to anything the Chicoms have in the water! Even their 4 Helicopter Carrying Destroyers (2 now outfitted to carry F-35s would give China’s 2 Skijump Heavy Aviation Cruisers a run for their money. Subsurface the JN have had decades develop Asia’s most quite long range diesel even for us in Wargames they were hard to detect. China on the other hand continues to noisy Subs diesels and Nukes. China is at best a bully with a bunch of 1990s technology built into its Naval Forces on a good day.
The modern Japanese Navy exceeds the British Royal Navy by far. As does the Indian Navy.
The naval world is FAR different than it was in the 80s.
That is encouraging to hear, sir.
Thank you.
Preliminary rounds - data gathering, waiting for their 1st flat top with EMALS to be finished and load up on J-35s
https://breakingdefense.com/2021/07/chinas-j-35-carrier-fighter-appears-step-to-most-powerful-navy/