FLEETS #26: The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force today

Written by D-Mitch  

Maya-class destroyer (DDG); it entered service in 2020

Following Japan's defeat in World War II, the Imperial Japanese Navy was dissolved by the Potsdam Declaration acceptance. Japan's 1947 Constitution was drawn up after the conclusion of the war, Article 9 specifying that "The Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes." The prevalent view in Japan is that this article allows for military forces to be kept for the purposes of self-defense. In 1954, the JMSDF was formally created as the naval branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF), following the passage of the 1954 Self-Defense Forces Law. The first ships in the JMSDF were former U.S. Navy destroyers, transferred to Japanese control in 1954. In 1956, the JMSDF received its first domestically produced destroyer since World War II, Harukaze. You can read more about The evolution of Japanese destroyers after WWII. This FLEETS post is devoted exclusively to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force today, one of the most powerful navies on the planet. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (海上自衛隊 Kaijō Jieitai), JMSDF, also referred to as the Japanese Navy, is tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF has a fleet of about 154 ships and 346 aircraft and consists of approximately 45,800 personnel. The first graph (G #1) includes all the carriers, submarines, destroyers, frigates, missile boats and naval aviation (ASW/SAR/MPA/ELINT) that will be in active service by February 2023 (UPDATED). The.. "offensive" force if I may say. Note that Japan is currently converting both 248-meter Izumo-class helicopter destroyers into real light aircraft carriers capable of operating the F-35B STOVL fighters! 

 

The lead ship of the new class of multi-mission stealth frigates

 

On August 31, 2022, the Japan Ministry of Defense announced that JMSDF will operate two massive 20,000-ton "Aegis system equipped ships" to replace the earlier plan of Aegis Ashore installations, commissioning one by the end of fiscal year 2027, and the other by the end of FY2028. According to the Defense Buildup Program that was published on December 16, 2022 the JMSDF will increase the number of Aegis-equipped guided-missile destroyers (DDG) from the current eight to ten, as well as two Aegis system-equipped vessels (ASEV) to be deployed in ballistic missile defense (BMD) operations. Therefore by the end of the decade, the JMSDF will operate 12 ships equipped with Aegis Weapon System (AWS) and likewise plans to replace its fleet of older, less capable destroyers and destroyer escorts with Mogami-class frigates.

A second graph (#2) will be added in this post, with all the replenishment ships (5 ships), mine countermeasure vessels (25 vessels), landing craft (9 craft), training ships (8 ships) and other auxiliaries.

The Japan Maritime Self Defense Force in 2023 (G#1) (corrected)

For a comparison, the following graph is the old one that depicts the JMSDF (G#1) in 2019.

 

The Japan Maritime Self Defense Force in 2019 (G#1). High resolution image here.