nebula82

Can anyone provide updates as to the current status of the fleet modernisation & expansion plans of the JMSDF?

Are there any plans on procuring more offensive ships, such as cruisers, or increasing the fleet of submarines?

Any plans to increase the total number of ships?

I’m pretty sure in the coming years the Japanese Government will be forced to review the status of their military, and give it a more offensive role while still retaining the 'Self-Defence' title.

Would it be accurate to label the JMSDF as Asia’s most modern navy? Haven’t the PLAN made considerable strides in recent years?

There’s no doubt the Western Pacific is one of the world’s hottest flashpoints. The navies of Japan, the US, China & Taiwan all operate there (& previously the USSR) & there have already been a number of incidents.

Thx,
Nebula82.

TopHatter

Very much so. Technologically, the JMSDF is far and away the most advanced navy in Asian and the Pacific nations. Only India can compete and that's mostly because of her naval aviation assets.

The Japanese are deliberately sandbagged by their constitution and the results of World War II.

Otherwise you'd see cruise missiles and larger aviation ships than they ones they're building, that sort of offensive firepower dripping with high technology.

Sure, but you're still talking about a brown-water centered navy with a handful of modern PLAN warships leading a huge pack of antiquated Soviet designed and/or built scrap heaps.

-{SpoonmaN}-

Yeah, I think that while the PLA are supposed to have made big strides in the last decade, they're still a couple of generations off from being a serious military power. It'll happen, but not yet. The same is true of Japan, not because of economic or political factors, but rather the non-interventionist stance they've had imposed upon them, so it's probably going to take another generation or so before that really begins to subside. Either way I don't think there's anything to necessarily fear from either, so long as they can get along with eachother.

It definitely won't hurt Australia anyway.

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