Throughout the Cold War, the MSDF’s strategic orientation was directed to the north and west, towards the Soviet Union. But if further progress is to be made, the MSDF will require not only more funding, but also more personnel. So far, Japan has managed that naval transformation on a shoestring. With those efforts set into motion, Tokyo could set about transforming the MSDF from a force narrowly focused on defending Japan’s home islands and performing escort duties into a more balanced one with the amphibious and power-projection capabilities needed to protect its remote territories. Although that may immediately bring to mind then-Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzō’s efforts to change Japan’s pacifist constitution, his government’s efforts to improve Japan’s defense procurement process and defense industry’s competitiveness were also vitally important. For most of the 2010s, Tokyo has worked to lay the groundwork for the revitalization of its navy, a key component of its “dynamic defense” strategy. Its force structure and personnel strength, until recently, have been nearly identical to what they were two decades ago.īut for all the stillness above the waterline, there has been stirring below it. By comparison, the MSDF has seemed trapped in time. More worrisome still for Tokyo, China has added a host of warships with entirely new capabilities, including aircraft carriers that can launch fixed-wing aircraft and an array of amphibious vessels. But over the last decade, the MSDF has seen its position eclipsed by that of China’s navy, which has grown to twice its strength in terms of submarines and oceangoing surface combatants, like destroyers and frigates. Its fleet is larger than those of traditional European powers like France and the United Kingdom combined. Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF), as it is officially known, is one of the world’s most powerful navies.
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