THE JAPANESE MARITIME SELF-DEFENSE FORCE

 

New Missions in a New World

 

 

                               

 

 

     The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force has matured from a cold War ally of the U.S. Navy into a regional naval force in need of a mission commensurate with its assets. With the end of the Cold War, the JMSDF has to find a doctrine, which coincides with Japans role as an economic superpower.

   The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, the Kaiso Jeitai, was created in 1952 as a result of the Peace Treaty and Mutual Security Pact signed in San Francisco in 1951. Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida was reluctant to expand the Japanese military. To defend Japan in the event of Russian invasion, the Japanese would depend on the United States. Yoshida regarded the defense of Japan and the western Pacific as the responsibility of the United States. The containment of communism was an American problem. " The truth was that the Japanese did not take the Communist threat seriously. They did not believe that Japan would be invaded by the Soviet Union1...".                             

    The U.S. wanted Japan to contribute more to its own defense. The Self Defense Force was expanded to 110,000 troops in 1952. The Air Self Defense Force was created in 19542. Article 9 of the Japanese constitution forbade the creation of a standing military. Article 9 renounced war as a means of settling disputes and conflicts with other countries. The large force structure of the Japanese military is inconsistent with the renunciation of war as stated in the constitution. The United States imposed the constitution and in particular Article 9 on Japan in May 1947. The constitution was ratified before the threat of communist Russia and China had become apparent. 

    The successive Japanese governments have slowly expanded the military. They have shaped Japan into the economic superpower that it is today. The reliance on the shield of American power, in particular the Seventh Fleet, accelerated the economic miracle of Japan. The U.S. paid the bill.

    The Japanese mainland is composed of four islands, roughly the size of California3.  These islands are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku. To the west is the Sea of Japan and the Korean Peninsula. In the north lies Sakhalin Island and the Russian occupied Kurile Islands. The Pacific Ocean lies to the east.

   Access to the Sea of Japan is gained through three straits. They are Tsushima Strait between the Korean Peninsula and Kyushu, the Tsugaru Strait in the center between Honshu and Hokkaido. Lastly there is the Soya Strait between Hokkaido and Russian owned Sakhalin Island. There is another strait that accesses the Sea of Japan from the north. This is the Tartar Strait between Sakhalin Island and Siberia. The Tartar Strait is strategically insignificant due to the limited access of the Sea of Okhotsk.

   Access through the Soya, Tsugaru, and the Tsushima straits can be effectively controlled by defensive mine laying. The has two dedicated minelayers capable of laying 200 mines each. Mine-countermeasures (MCM) forces will assist in controlling access to and from the Sea of Japan

     Japan has never been invaded and then occupied by a foreign army. The United States had planned Operation Olympic, the invasion of Kyushu, and Operation Coronet, the invasion of Honshu. These operations were cancelled due to the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan surrendered and was occupied by American troops in September 1945.

    Defending the coasts and the sea lines of communication is the role of the expanding JMSDF. The trade routes to Singapore,  Taiwan, the Persian Gulf, and Australia have to be secured from potential enemies such as North Korea, Iran, China, and possibly the United States. There are also large numbers of pirates operating in the South China Sea and the East China Sea. As the US Navy degrades its combat and logistical effectiveness with continuing force reductions, the JMSDF will have to fill the void left open by the apparent withdrawal of the USN from the Pacific Rim. By apparent withdrawal, it is reasoned that with 11 naval expeditionary forces (NEF), a carrier battle group may not always be available for deployment to the western Pacific or the South China Sea. With emphasis placed on littoral warfare, an effective deep-water presence may not be possible at times in and around the Sea of Japan and the western Pacific.

   The acquisition of Aegis aboard the DDG Kongo enables the JMSDF to operate in a high-threat environment. Aegis can defeat anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM), aircraft, and tactical ballistic missiles (TBM) with Standard SM-2 MR missiles4. Aegis controls the air defense for an entire escort group. Three more Kongo Class DDG�s are under construction. There are 6 more DDG�s in the JMSDF. They are the Hatakazi class, two units, and the Tachikaze class, three units. Armament includes Standard SM-1 MR (40) missiles, MK 15 Phalanx CIWS, ASROC, Harpoon SSM, 5�  MK 42 guns and MK 44/46 ASW torpedoes. There are no ASW helicopters carried. The Amatsukaze (DDG-163) was the first DDG in service. 

    The electronics are mostly of Japanese origin. There is an increasingly competitive and sophisticated defense electronics industry. The sonar�s, such as the OQS-4 hull sonar aboard the Hatakazi and Tachikaze classes, are domestically manufactured.  The U.S. SQS-23 sonar, when built in Japan, is referred to as the OQS-3. 5 Variable depth sonar (VDS) is installed aboard most classes of destroyers and frigates. VDS is also aboard the Chikugo class frigates. These are tasked for coastal ASW missions. The VDS sonar units are American SQS-35 (J) and the SQR-18A TACTAS.                             

     ASW forces are centered on the large DDH's of the Haruna and Shirane classes, 12 DD of the Hatsuyuki type, and four Takatsuki class destroyers. Specialized ASW ships are the six hunter-killer  destroyers (DDK) of the Yamagumo class and the three DDk's of the Minegumo type. They are comparable to a frigate in the USN.                                                            

     Coastal ASW forces include 15 frigates. There are several MCM ships with limited ASW capability.                            

     The surface forces of JMSDF, including support and underway replenishment vessels, MCM, and five FAC's are based at five large bases. They are Yukosuka, near Tokyo, Sasebo on Kyushu, Ominapo,  Kure in the Hiroshima Prefecture, and Maizuru in the Kyoto Prefecture.6   

      Underway replenishment forces include three AOE, including the Sagami class capable of vertical replenishment and up to 24 small tankers. There are two submarine rescue vessels, several training vessels and one AGS, an intelligence ship.                

     The JMSDF has primarily been a coastal ASW and surface warfare navy since its creation in 1952. Its mission has been to assist the U.S. Navy in negating the effectiveness of the former Red Banner Pacific Fleet based at Vladivostok and Petropavlosk.

      The submarine force is composed of eight Yuushio and seven Uzushio class boats. These boats have tear drop hulls, license-built bow mounted sonar of American design, and six 533mm torpedo tubes mounted amidships as in USN design practices. These submarines are very quiet diesel-electric boats. They can dive to 500 meters. The weapons load-out includes Sub-Harpoon, and ASW and anti-ship torpedoes of Japanese manufacture. The submarines are based at Yokoska and Kure. The submarines operate alone as in the U.S. Navy.

      It is not presently known if the JMSDF is considering the acquisition of an indigenously designed and built nuclear submarine. If built, the SSN might be of comparable displacement and size to the French Rubis Class SSN. The torpedo tubes would probably be mounted amidships with a bow-mounted sonar of Japanese manufacture.                                                               

     The construction of conventional submarines with air independent propulsion would be a more politically acceptable solution for future Japanese submarine construction. The proliferation of conventional submarines by Third World nations is a growing problem. Iran has acquired two Kilo class boats from Russia. Australia is building the Collins class. The German Type 209 have been exported to 13 countries. Sweden in building the Gotland class with AIP.7 

    The JMSDF maintains high standards of building or obtaining the best weapons systems that the defense budget can procure. An air independent propulsion system, quieter and almost as capable     as a nuclear reactor, would seem to be the system to buy.                                                          

     The construction of aircraft carriers by Japan would be seen as direct evidence of Japan becoming a military superpower. The building of carriers would be the beginning of a fracture in American-Japanese relations. A JMSDF carrier would have to be relatively large, near the size and displacement of the French Foch, the U.S. Oriskany, or larger. A CVN would not be out of the question. The vast distances of the Pacific would rule out   a smaller carrier. The firepower of a small carrier, like HMS Invincible would not be militarily and economically feasible in the Pacific. Japan does not currently have any aircraft carriers under construction or planned.  

     Japanese corporations like Mitsubishi and Kawasaki are capable of building carrier-borne aircraft. The shipbuilding industry in Japan is strong and has the capability of building aircraft carriers. Although the current recession in Japan may temporarily slow down the shipbuilding and aviation industry, the defense industry will emerge just as competitive. Downsizing may happen at the Mitsubishi shipyards at Kobe or Nagasaki or Hitachi, Maizuru.   

      The Shirane and Haruna classes serve as command ships for ASW escort groups. Each group comprises one or two three ship divisions of modern anti-submarine destroyers and a  two-ship division of air defense destroyers.8 The Kongo class are now the primary air defense assets of the JMSDF. Training standards and morale is high.                                                     

     The USN and the JMSDF have and still do engage in joint exercises. Japan is nominally a nuclear weapons-free country. The USN home ported the USS Midway at Yokosuka, which had nuclear weapons aboard. The USN does not confirm or deny the presence of special weapons aboard it vessels. The deployment of special weapons aboard carriers and other types are a standard practice. Protests against the presence of special weapons have taken place at Yokosuka. The environmental group Green Peace has tried to stop the entrance of the Midway into the harbor. The Midway has been decommissioned due to budget cuts and old age.

      Naval air power is an integral part of the JMSDF. Headquartered at Atsugi, naval air has 12 bases along the coasts of Japan.9 Its primary mission is ASW and ocean surveillance. There are approximately 100 MR/ASW aircraft, including P-3 and P-2 patrol planes, ASW flying boats, and S-2 Trackers. Approximately 25 helicopters are carried aboard ships, including three HSS-2B, on each Haruna/Shirane type. The HSS-2B is a license built Sikorsky SH-3 ASW/SAR Helicopter. There is a squadron of MCM helicopters for airborne minesweeping.     

    The Maritime Safety Agency, the Kaijo Hoancho, is the Japanese coast guard. It is the worlds largest and best equipped coast guard.10 The MSA high-endurance cutters enforce the 200-mile economic zone. Maritime Safety Agency cutters and patrol boats are engaged in port safety, fire-fighting, weather reporting, and Arctic research. The MSA is also charged with law-enforcement,    including drug-interdiction operations. There is a growing narcotics problem in Japan. The interdiction of illicit drugs will become an increasing factor in MSA operations in the next ten years. Fisheries-enforcement duties will become increasingly important as fishing grounds become depleted.                                                      

     The cutters and some patrol boats of the Maritime Safety Agency are armed in peacetime, although they fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation. In wartime the navy would control MSA.     

     With the exception of North Korea, the threat against the JMSDF was negligible in 1994. Its primary role until the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1990 was to deny the Soviet Pacific Fleet, the former Red Banner Pacific Fleet, access to and from the sea lines of communications adjacent to the home islands of Japan.   

         Admiral Chaiki Hayashitazake commands the JMSDF. The many successive governments in Japan and the fracturing of Liberal Democratic Party will not provide an efficient means of acquiring a new purpose and operational doctrine for the JMSDF in the next five to ten years.                                  

     The author had a chance to pose some questions to Captain Chiro Yokoyama, the Naval Attach� of the Embassy of Japan.

 About the North Korean situation? 

" We expect stabilization of the Korean peninsula. We hope North Korea will continue to settle the political situation and will begin talks with South Korea and the United States as soon as possible. And about nuclear issues, we hope North Korea won't deploy and produce nuclear weapons."                                                     

What about China? 

"China is a very big country and we hope China will make improvements in the economy. Some people are wondering about the increasing defense budget."                                                    

On relations with the US Navy?    

" I think the US Navy plays a very good role in the east Asian area. We hope the United States Navy will continue to provide continued presence in east Asia. We in JMSDF desire to keep good relations with the US Navy."                                                                                                                                  

     The United States and Japan have had a roller coaster relationship for the past 45 years. There are many fundamental flaws in U.S.-Japanese relations. The balance of power is changing in the Pacific. The United State is currently the only superpower. Japan is an economic superpower. Through political and military necessity Japan is becoming a military superpower. Whether by design or circumstance, the militarization of Japan is being realized. The political and military situation in the Pacific Rim demands vigorous diplomacy and a continuous American naval presence.

      In any future regional conflict in eastern Asia, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force will probably be forced to engage in combat operations. Under United Nations auspices, the Self-Defense Force has conducted mine clearing operations in Cambodia. Japan has not been a neutral nation since before the Korean War. A return to Japanese colonialism and the JMSDF becoming a true deep-water navy is not in the interest of the United States or Japan.

 

Richard P. Connolly

July 20, 1994

                                                             

                           SOURCES CONSULTED

 

 

1.   Friedman, George, and Meredith Lebard, The Coming War with Japan (New York, 1991), P.121.

 2.   Ibid. P.123

 3.   Hoffman, Mark F. The World Almanac and Book of Facts (New York, 1991)

 4.   Fallon, Willard G. Combating the Ballistic Missile Threat. Proceedings. ed. Rainbow, Fred                    H. (Annapolis, July, 1994) P.31-34.

   Tactical ballistic missile (TBM) defense systems are being developed for CG-47 and DDG-51            Aegis cruisers and destroyers. The lightweight exoatmospheric projectile (LEAP) interceptor would      be a valuable theater missile defense (TMD) system, if acquired by the JMSDF. 

 5.   Couhat, Jean Labayle, ed. Combat Fleets of the World (Annapolis, 1984), P.402

 6.   Yokoyama, Captain Chiro, Naval Attach�, Embassy of Japan Washington D.C. (Phone interview,       July 22, 1994)

 7.   Walker, Lieutenant Commander William B. Here are the Submarines: Where are the Tactics.           Proceedings. ed. Rainbow, Fred H. (Annapolis, July, 1994)

8.   Jordan, John, Modern Destroyers (New York, 1986), P.73

9.   Couhat, Jean Labayle, ed. Combat Fleets of the World

      (Annapolis, 1984), P.401

 10.  Ibid. P.428

 

  

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bamford, James. The Puzzle Palace. New York: Penguin Books, 1982. Jones, James. WW II. New York: Ballantine Books, 1975.

Hoffman, Mark S., Ed. The World Almanac and Book of Facts. New York: Pharos Books, 1991.

Couhat, Jean Labayle, ed. Combat Fleets of the World; 1984/1985. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1984.

Bishop, Chris, ed. World Sea Power. London: Aerospace Publishing Limited, 1988.

 Jordan, John. Modern Destroyers. New York: Prentice Hall Press, 1986.

 Lawrence, William P., Vice Admiral, USN. (Ret'd). "Carrier

Battle Group: The Great Fleet". In Sea Classics. Ed. Schneph,

 Edwin A. North Hollywood, California: Volume 27, Number 3. March,1993.

Friedman, George and Meredith Lebard. The Coming War With Japan. New York: St. Martins Press, 1991.

 Walker, William B. Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy. " Here are the Submarines: Where are the Tactics". In Proceedings. Ed. Rainbow, Fred H. Annapolis: U.S. Naval Institute, July, 1994. Volume 120/7/1097.           

Bonds, Ray, ed. Modern Military Aircraft. London: Crescent Books, 1977.

 Wallace, Martin. The Cold War: A History. New York: Henry Holt and Company, Inc. 1993.

Hansen, Chuck. U.S. Nuclear Weapon: The Secret History. New York: Orion Books, 1988.

 

  This paper was originally submitted to the US Naval Institute's International Navies Essay Contest in 1994.

 Links to:

 Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force

 US Naval Institute