US Ally Shows Off Navy’s Newly Updated Aircraft Carrier

Japan has published new pictures of a navy destroyer currently undergoing modifications to become one of the country’s first aircraft carriers since World War II.

The photographs released on December 25 showed the JS Kaga, an Izumo-class destroyer, during sea trials at an undisclosed location. The flat-top warship is being converted from a helicopter carrier into a light aircraft carrier, which will host fifth-generation fighter aircraft designed in the United States.

Tokyo, the U.S.’s most important ally in Asia, is rearming with American support as both industrial powers look to boost their defenses amid shared security challenges posed by Beijing and Pyongyang.

The Kaga, homeported in Kure, Hiroshima, is the largest ship in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force fleet, alongside the class’s lead ship, the JS Izumo. The helicopter destroyers measure over 800 feet in length and displace 27,000 tons, far smaller than the U.S. Navy’s 100,000-ton nuclear-powered supercarriers.

Japan hosts the most American troops outside of U.S. territory and boasts one of the most potent militaries in the world, backed by a heavy industry filled with experienced defense contractors. However, the Japanese government remains cautious about playing up its latest advances because of the country’s restrictive postwar constitution.

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Encouraged by Washington, with which it maintains a decades-long security treaty, Tokyo has ramped up its defense spending to churn out more surface vessels, submarines, fighter jets and long-range missiles. Funds were also allocated toward major upgrades to its Izumo-class destroyers, which are expected to host Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter.

The modifications included a heat-resistant coating on their flight decks, which have become square and wider at the bow like the U.S. Navy’s Wasp- and America-class amphibious assault ships.

The changes were first seen on the Kaga in April at the Kure shipyard of Japan Marine United. Last month, Japanese media said the destroyer had begun trials at sea.

Its sister ship the Izumo underwent initial modifications in 2021 and achieved an interoperability milestone with the U.S. Marine Corps when an F-35B, a variant with short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) capabilities, landed on its desk, becoming the first Japanese warship to carry fixed-wing aircraft since World War II.

While the comprehensive modification process is expected to be completed by early 2027, Japan is set to receive the first of 42 F-35B fighter jets by 2025, adding to the 105 F-35A the Japan Air Self-Defense Force will eventually operate.

“Japan is acquiring the most F-35s of any international customer,” Lockheed Martin says on its website.

Tensions with China have triggered a strategic shift in Japan’s defense posture, in which Tokyo’s policymakers are looking beyond immediate disputes like the contested Senkaku Islands to potentially world-changing regional flashpoints like the Taiwan Strait.

The Japanese Defense Ministry’s recent record budget request of $52.9 billion will go toward ongoing naval upgrades as well as the procurement of F-35 jets and cruise missiles that can strike deep into enemy territory.