South China Sea BATTLE? Japan sends BIGGEST WARSHIP to disputed waters in show of strength
JAPAN is sending its biggest warship to the South China Sea in its strongest show of naval force since the Second World War.
Japanese warship Izumo will set sail for the South China Seas in May
The mighty 820-ft Izumo helicopter carrier will leave port in May and complete a three-month tour before returning to Japan in August.
China claims almost all the disputed waters of the South China Sea belong to Beijing and its growing military presence has fuelled concern in Japan and the West, with the US holding regular air and naval patrols to ensure freedom of navigation.
The Izumo, which was only commissioned two years ago, will make stops in Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka before joining the Malabar joint naval exercise with Indian and US naval vessels in the Indian Ocean in July.
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Japanese warship Izumo is the largest warship in the fleet
The aim is to test the capability of the Izumo by sending it out on an extended mission
A Japanese military source told Reuters: "The aim is to test the capability of the Izumo by sending it out on an extended mission.
"It will train with the US Navy in the South China Sea.”
A spokesman for Japan's Maritime Self Defence Force declined to comment.
Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei also claim parts of the sea which has rich fishing grounds, oil and gas deposits and through which around $5trillion of global sea-borne trade passes each year.
The missions is seen as Japan's biggest show of strength since World War II
Japan does not have any claim to the waters but has a separate maritime dispute with China in the East China Sea.
This lag-flying operation coincides with the US taking a tougher line with China.
Washington has criticised China's construction of man-made islands and a build-up of military facilities that it worries could be used to restrict free movement.
In January, Beijing said it had "irrefutable" sovereignty over the disputed islands after the White House vowed to defend "international territories".
The Izumo is as big as Japan's Second World War-era carriers and can operate up to nine helicopters.
Izumo will eventually join Indian and US Navy colleagues for joint excercises
In recent years, Japan has been stretching the limits of its post-war, pacifist constitution, particularly under prime minister Shinzo Abe.
It has designated the Izumo as a destroyer because the constitution forbids the acquisition of offensive weapons.
Even so the vessel allows Japan to project military power well beyond its territory.
Based in Yokosuka, near to Tokyo, which is also home to the US Seventh Fleet's carrier, the Ronald Reagan, the Izumo's primary mission is anti-submarine warfare.