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The Izumo, Japan's new helicopter carrier, could
be used as a command center to coordinate the
ground, air and maritime forces of the nation in a
potential conflict with China over the disputed
Diaoyutai islands (Senkaku in Japan, Diaoyu in
China) in the East China Sea, reports the Tokyo-
based Kyodo News.
In an article for the paper, Makoto Yamasaki, a
retired vice admiral of the Japan Maritime Self-
Defense Force (JMSDF), said the primary mission
of the Izumo is to serve as a flagship with
intelligence command capabilities. Equipped with
an electronic conference room that can give
commands to individual units and an advanced
communications system, Japanese military
magazine Ships of the World indicated that the
Izumo is capable of strengthening the integrated
operations of Japan's military as a frontline
headquarters.
Military experts said that the Japan Air Self-
Defense Force's E-767, E-2C early warning
aircraft, F-15J fighters, the JMSDF's P-3C patrol
aircraft, destroyers, as well as the Ground Self-
Defense Force's anti-aircraft and anti-ship units
can all be coordinated on the battlefield once this
248-meter-long vessel with a standard
displacement of 19,500 tonnes becomes a
frontline HQ.
Kyodo News also reported that the Izumo may be
redesigned as an aircraft carrier when the F-35
fighters begin to arrive in Japan. The Japanese
defense ministry, meanwhile, plans to purchase 17
MV-22 Ospreys from the United States to operate
from the flight deck of the Izumo by 2018.
In addition to combating the PLA Navy in a
potential conflict over remote islands in the East
China Sea, the ship may also be used in the the
event of major natural disasters, Kyodo said. It is
capable of accommodating some 450 people,
excluding crew members, and is equipped with a
surgery room and beds for medical treatment.
Japan's ground and maritime forces have learned
valuable lessons about fighting amphibious
warfare through joint exercises with the United
States Navy and Marine Corps. However, the
Izumo still lacks a well deck like other dedicated
amphibious assault ships, the paper said, adding
that the carrier as a command center may
become the first and an easy target for the PLA
Navy is a conflict over the region were to occur.
Izumo could serve as Japan's command center in Diaoyutai conflict|Politics|News|WantChinaTimes.com