Key Point - Japan reworked two “helicopter destroyers” into F-35B–capable flattops, threading the needle between Article 9 constraints and rising Chinese pressure. Here’s how it became legal—and ...

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — The aircraft carrier USS George Washington returned unexpectedly to its homeport Saturday morning, less than three weeks after resuming its annual patrol and just ahead of ...

Four F-35B Lightning II fighter jets conducted flight operations on the JS Kaga, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force’s largest multirole cruiser. Despite the cruiser designation, the JS Kaga can ...

Tokyo has clearly sought to downplay the fact that its flattops are aircraft carriers—possibly owing to political sensitivities, as the Japanese military has not operated carriers since World War II.

PLAN Aircraft carrier CNS Liaoning (16) and its strike group departed the Philippine Sea to enter the East China Sea on Dec. 12, 2025. Japan’s Joint Staff Office photo China’s Liaoning Carrier Strike ...