Japan unveils largest warship since World War II. The 810-ft long ship is able to carry up to 14 helicopters. (VIDEO YT)

YOKOHAMA - Japan today (Aug 6) unveiled its biggest warship since World War II, a huge flat-top destroyer that has raised eyebrows in China and elsewhere because it bears a strong resemblance to a conventional aircraft carrier.
The ship, which has a flight deck that is nearly 250 metres long, is designed to carry up to 14 helicopters. Japanese officials say it will be used in national defence - particularly in anti-submarine warfare and border-area surveillance missions - and to bolster the nation’s ability to transport personnel and supplies in response to large-scale natural disasters, like the devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2011.


Though the ship - dubbed “Izumo” - has been in the works since 2009, its unveiling comes as Japan and China are locked in a dispute over several small islands located between southern Japan and Taiwan. For months, ships from both countries have been conducting patrols around the isles, called the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyutai in China.
The tensions over the islands, along with China’s heavy spending on defence and military modernization, have heightened calls in Japan for beefed-up naval and air forces. China recently began operating an aircraft carrier that it refurbished after purchasing from Russia, and is reportedly moving forward with the construction of another that is domestically built.
Japan, China and Taiwan all claim the islands.
Though technically a destroyer, some experts believe the new Japanese ship could potentially be used in the future to launch fighter jets or other aircraft that have the ability to take off vertically. That would be a departure for Japan, which has one of the best equipped and best trained naval forces in the Pacific but which has not sought to build aircraft carriers of its own because of constitutional restrictions that limit its military forces to a defensive role.
Japan says it has no plans to use the ship in that manner.
The Izumo does not have catapults for launching fighters, nor does it have a “ski-jump” ramp on its flight deck for fixed-wing aircraft launches. AP
 http://www.todayonline.com
6/8/13
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• China recela del nacionalismo japonés ... Los ambiciosos planes militares y el endurecimiento del discurso soberanista de Shinzo Abe ponen en alerta a Pekín...

Cuando el primer ministro de Japón, Shinzo Abe, tuvo que abandonar su agenda política nacionalista tras la derrota sufrida en las elecciones de la Cámara alta en 2007 que condujo a su dimisión, los gobernantes chinos probablemente respiraron aliviados. Las cosas han cambiado desde entonces. En diciembre pasado, Abe regresó al poder como consecuencia de la victoria del Partido Demócrata Liberal (PDL) en las elecciones generales, que se ha visto reforzada por la lograda el mes pasado en las elecciones a la Cámara alta. Ahora tiene el control de las dos Cámaras del Parlamento y podrá hacer lo que en su anterior mandato no pudo: impulsar la reforma del Ejército y poner fin al pacifismo que adoptó Japón tras su derrota en la Segunda Guerra Mundial —lo cual requiere modificar la Constitución de 1947—, con el consiguiente efecto sobre las siempre difíciles relaciones con China.

El dirigente japonés, de 58 años, ha decidido emplear una doble estrategia. Por un lado, ha endurecido la posición sobre los conflictos territoriales marítimos con el país vecino y ha defendido la necesidad de transformar las denominadas Fuerzas de Autodefensa en Ejército de grado pleno, ante lo que considera un entorno más amenazante, debido al creciente poderío de China y una Corea del Norte imprevisible. En esta política, se enmarca la presentación ayer del mayor buque de guerra construido por Japón desde el conflicto mundial, un portahelicópteros de 248 metros de eslora, capaz de transportar nueve aparatos, que se prevé que entre en servicio en 2015. Por otro lado, Abe ha ofrecido una rama de olivo a Pekín, que, de momento, parece no haberla aceptado.

Abe ha propuesto a los líderes chinos la celebración de una cumbre de jefes de Estado y de ministros de Exteriores “tan pronto como sea posible (…) sin condiciones previas”, con objeto de calmar estos tiempos turbulentos.....http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/08/06/actualidad/1375803407_270146.html
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• Japan’s biggest warship since WW2 stirs China tensions ...

Japan on Tuesday unveiled its new 250-meter-long destroyer, the country’s biggest warship since World War II. The warship, called Izumo, enters service as Tokyo confronts Beijing over a long-standing island sovereignty dispute.

The Izumo is designed to carry up to 14 helicopters, and Japan says the warship’s anti-submarine and surveillance capabilities will bolster its national defense. Tokyo is also showcasing the vessel’s potential role in disaster relief, transporting aid workers and transporting emergency supplies to affected areas.

The warship has been under construction since 2009, but its unveiling comes at a time of an uneasy stalemate between Japan and China over a border dispute. Both countries are claiming sovereignty over a group of small islands between Japan and Taiwan, which are located in a part of the East China Sea rich in energy and mineral resources. Taiwan also claims the islands, called Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyutai in China, for itself.....http://rt.com/news/japan-warship-military-china-113/
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Related:

• Senkaku/Diaoyu issue
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• video- Japan: the largest warship unveiled. Izumo-class helicopter destroyer (22DDH) launched in Yokohama. The 810-ft long ship is able to carry up to 14 helicopters.