beware of japan's sea self-defense force's shift from defense to offense
2024-09-09
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zhang junshe
recently, the japanese ministry of defense released a draft request for the defense budget for fiscal year 2025. in the section "organization of the self-defense forces" of this request, it is mentioned that the japanese maritime self-defense force will undergo the largest organizational restructuring in more than 60 years in the future. this has attracted great attention from the outside world.
the most eye-catching adjustment this time is the abolition of the original "escort fleet" and "escort group" and other names of the forces with the word "escort", including: the "escort fleet" with a history of 63 years, which is under the jurisdiction of the main surface combat ships and supply ships, will be abolished and replaced by the newly created "surface fleet"; the four "escort groups" under it will also be reorganized into three "surface combat groups"; the "surface fleet" will have a new "amphibious warfare and mine warfare group" and a "patrol and warning group". each of the three "surface combat groups" is equipped with a helicopter destroyer (i.e., a helicopter carrier), and the newly established "amphibious warfare and mine warfare group" will also be equipped with a helicopter destroyer. this round of reforms will be completed by the end of fiscal year 2025.
in name, japan's move is to more effectively integrate the existing main battleships. however, as japan has continued to increase its defense budget and break through the "peace constitution" in recent years, its intention behind it has alerted neighboring countries. according to officials from the japanese ministry of defense, the purpose of establishing three "water battle groups" is to "flexibly respond to the combat needs of the three-way front." to some extent, the regional "exclusive defense" attribute of the main force of the japan maritime self-defense force is being further weakened.
this major adjustment trend of the japan maritime self-defense force inevitably reminds people of a word that has been buried in history - "combined fleet". the "combined fleet" was a strategic and tactical corps of the imperial japanese navy that carried out aggressive operations in the middle and far seas in the first half of the 20th century, and was also the "vanguard" of japan's invasion of east asian countries. obviously, japan now wants to build an offensive maritime strike force, strengthen its military presence in the waters of its neighboring countries and other countries in peacetime, increase its interference in regional security affairs, and be able to fight against potential opponents in three directions in wartime, and even launch "preemptive" raids and amphibious landing operations to invade other countries' territories again. what is the difference between such a "water fleet" and the "combined fleet" of the imperial japanese navy?
as the source of the war in asia during world war ii and a defeated country, japan has pursued a "peace constitution" and "exclusive defense" policy after the war, requiring japan not to regain its army, navy, and air force, and its military power can only be used for self-defense, called the "self-defense forces." however, militarism has not been completely cleared up within japan. in recent years, the japanese government has deliberately used various tricks to break the shackles of the "peace constitution" and the "exclusive defense" policy, vigorously develop offensive military power, and introduce advanced fighter jets and cruise missiles from the united states. japan has also actively cooperated with the us geopolitical strategy, increased its military presence in the asia-pacific region and around the world, and found various excuses to continuously send troops overseas.
japan is gradually getting rid of the restrictions of the "peace constitution" through some seemingly subtle changes, seeking the status of a world political and military power, achieving "national normalization", and enhancing its influence on international security affairs. this is also a long-standing tactic used by japan's right-wing forces. the author believes that based on past history, asian neighbors and the international community should remain vigilant about japan's military and security trends. (the author is a naval military expert)▲#deep good articles project#
