The renderings of the formation navigation of two Japanese "Aegis system carrier ships".

  Recently, according to Kyodo News, Japan's defense minister Nakatani Moto revealed that Japan will invest 1.94 trillion yen (about 13.7 billion US dollars) to build two "Aegis system carriers" as an alternative to the "land-based Aegis missile interception system program". This project has become the largest single weapon development project in Japan in recent years.

  High design indicators

  According to reports, in 2020, due to protests by residents of the deployment site, the Japanese government abandoned the "land-based Aegis missile interception system program" and then deployed a large sea-based launch platform as an alternative to order two "Aegis system-mounted ships", namely new destroyers. In July 2024, the Japanese Ministry of Defense announced the latest design drawings of the new destroyer in the "2024 National Defense White Paper", clarifying that the two ships were constructed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Japan Maritime United Corporation and delivered in 2028 and 2029 respectively.

  At the Abu Dhabi International Defense Exhibition held in March this year, Lockheed Martin, a US-based company, a new destroyer radar supplier, showed off the latest model and performance parameters of the ship. The new destroyer is 190 meters long and 25 meters wide, with a standard displacement of 12,000 tons, and a full load displacement of more than 14,000 tons, which is 1.7 times that of the latest Arleigh Burke-class Flight III destroyer of the US Navy, far exceeding the largest Maya class destroyer in service in the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, as well as warships of the same type in other countries, and is touted by Japanese media as the "world's largest destroyer."

  In terms of performance, the new destroyer is equipped with AN/SPY-7 active phased array radar. This radar was originally used in land-based anti-missile system, and its detection and tracking capabilities have been improved compared with the active AN/SPY-1 passive phased array radar. In theory, it can cope with ballistic missiles and hypersonic weapons.

  In terms of weapon systems, there are 128 vertical launch units on the ship, which can launch "Standard"-3Block IIA interceptor missiles and "Standard"-6 air defense missiles, and are compatible with "Tomahawk" cruise missiles and Japanese Type 12 anti-ship missiles improved, and have long-range strike capabilities against land and sea.

  There are many problems

  Japan has high hopes for the new destroyer and it is difficult to cover up its many problems.

  First of all, its core equipment, AN/SPY-7, is huge in size, resulting in the hull being larger, affecting its maneuverability, making it difficult to adapt to high-intensity naval combat environments.

  Secondly, the ship's core components and technology are highly dependent on the United States, and radar systems, vertical launch units, ammunition, etc. are all purchased from the United States, which makes Japan's combat capabilities and subsequent upgrades subject to the United States.

  Again, from the huge investment in this project, a considerable amount of funds flowed into the pockets of US military-industrial enterprises. Not only will Japan bear high procurement costs, it also needs to pay high upgrade and maintenance costs to the United States, and the capital investment is seriously unbalanced with actual military benefits.

  Ambitions should not be underestimated

  Analysts believe that Japan's huge investment in building a new destroyer cannot be underestimated.

  The new destroyer is centered on performing ballistic missile interception missions, and can be deployed in Japan's offshore and key waterways for a long time, and has long-range strike capabilities. In the future, with the completion of the transformation of the Izumo-class helicopter destroyer, new destroyers may form maritime combat formations with them to perform ocean-going combat missions. This move seriously violates the principle of "defensive defense" of the Peace Constitution, marking a dangerous step in Japan's military expansion.

  In addition, the AN/SPY-7 radar is deeply connected to the US military's coordinated combat system and can receive US military early warning data in real time. Japan intends to build the ship into a maritime outpost of the US anti-missile network in the Asia-Pacific region, and to use this to deeply embed the US military combat system to strengthen its own strategic value to obtain military technical support.

  Japan's move is essentially an offensive military layout dressed in a defensive cloak, aiming to achieve breakthrough development of military forces. It will undoubtedly bring new risks and challenges to regional security and stability, and it deserves high attention and vigilance from the international community. (Zi Song)

[Editor in charge: Wang Jinzhi]