Japan's Self-Defense Forces Reorganize for Offensive and Defensive Capabilities, Experts: Will Undoubtedly Disrupt Regional Peace and Stability

【Global Times Report by Reporter Guo Yuandan】According to a report by Japan's Kyodo News, on the 23rd, the Japan Self-Defense Forces implemented a large-scale organizational adjustment. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force will establish a "Maritime Fleet" to coordinate the operations of destroyers and mine countermeasure units, and will also create a new "Amphibious Mine Warfare Group" under it. This is the largest organizational adjustment in the history of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. Experts interviewed by the Global Times on the 23rd analyzed that Japan is currently gradually changing the nature of its armed forces in a "sausage-slicing" manner, pushing its transition from a self-defense type to a combined offensive and defensive type. Japan's vigorous development of offensive military capabilities, including expanding troop numbers and updating weaponry, will undoubtedly undermine regional peace and stability.

As early as September 2024, the Japanese Ministry of Defense announced plans to completely reform the current structure of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, which has been in place for over 60 years, hoping to "more effectively integrate existing main combat vessels." Previously, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force was composed of the Self-Defense Fleet and "Regional Deployment Forces," among which the Self-Defense Fleet is the main force, including the escort fleet, submarine fleet, and mine countermeasure units as subordinate forces.

The Japanese Ministry of Defense stated that after the adjustment, the Maritime Self-Defense Force will abolish the escort fleet and mine countermeasure units, replacing them with a "Maritime Fleet" to achieve unified command. Japanese media reported that this is due to increased surveillance activities and a shortage of vessels and personnel. Additionally, a new unit under this Maritime Fleet, the "Amphibious Mine Warfare Group," was established on the 23rd, with its command located in Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture. This unit will include mine countermeasure vessels and transport ships. Kyodo News claimed that this is "part of strengthening defense capabilities in the Nansei Islands in response to China's movements."

Public reports indicate that according to the vision outlined in the "Three Security Documents" released in 2022 and information disclosed by the media, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force plans to reorganize the "Maritime Fleet" into a new structure of 6 groups and 21 escort units within 10 years, increasing the number of destroyers to 54.

"The large-scale reorganization of the Japan Self-Defense Forces is approaching a breakthrough of the 'Self-Defense Forces' nominal restrictions, transitioning towards a formal military. Its core objective is to achieve military power goals, promoting Japan's so-called 'normalization' as a nation, breaking through the post-war pacifist constitution's restrictions on its armed forces, and significantly enhancing offensive combat capabilities," military expert Zhang Junsha told the Global Times reporter on the 23rd. He stated that although Japan still retains the name "Self-Defense Forces," its armed forces have already acquired offensive capabilities to launch preemptive strikes against other countries.

Zhang Junsha analyzed that after the integration of the Maritime Self-Defense Force into the "Maritime Fleet," it has completely detached from a defensive nature—previously, the escort fleet and mine countermeasure units were centered on defense, while the future Japan "Maritime Fleet" will not only conduct defensive mine countermeasure and escort operations but also implement offensive operations, such as offensive mining. Furthermore, Japan has procured offensive weapons such as "Tomahawk" cruise missiles and "Harpoon" anti-ship missiles from the United States, planning to equip them on destroyers, escort ships, and submarines, enabling preemptive strikes against targets in other countries in the future.

In addition to the reorganization of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, this large-scale restructuring of the Japan Self-Defense Forces also encompasses land and air aspects. Kyodo News reported that as part of the steps to rename the Air Self-Defense Force to "Aerospace Self-Defense Force" by the end of 2026, the Air Self-Defense Force will significantly expand the personnel scale of its space specialized units. The Air Self-Defense Force will upgrade the "Space Operations Group," responsible for space surveillance, to a "Space Operations Regiment," with personnel numbers increasing from about 310 to approximately 670. By the 2026 fiscal year, it will further upgrade to a "Space Operations Group," with a scale of about 880 personnel.

At the same time, Japan will also address "cognitive warfare," which causes social and political chaos through information space manipulation, by establishing units. The Maritime Self-Defense Force will create a new "Intelligence Operations Group" to integrate dispersed intelligence units, while the Ground Self-Defense Force will establish a new "Intelligence Operations Team." The Ground Self-Defense Force will also integrate the "Weapons School," "Supplies School," and "Transport School," which are responsible for personnel training, into a "Logistics Support School."

Zhang Junsha told the Global Times reporter that Japan's armed forces are now capable of conducting offensive and defensive operations in traditional land, sea, and air domains, while also emulating the United States by incorporating space into the operational domain, along with layouts in cyber and cognitive fields, forming a comprehensive combat capability across land, sea, air, and space.

Japanese media reports also mentioned that Japan's reorganization has intentions targeting China. Zhang Junsha believes that one of its main intentions is to align with the United States' Indo-Pacific strategy, acting as the "enforcer" for the U.S. during wartime, coordinating with the U.S. across multiple domains including land, sea, air, space, cyber, and cognitive. "This move is extremely dangerous. As a nation that initiated and lost World War II, Japan should adhere to international documents such as the Potsdam Declaration, which stipulates that it must not rearm, but this large-scale reorganization clearly violates relevant international law provisions."