F-35As bolster Pacific defense, projecting fifth-gen power from Japan, enhancing reach and attack capabilities against potential threats.
By Kris Osborn, Warrior
U.S. forces first arrived at Japan’s Misawa Air Base in 1945 following the end of WWII and has maintained a presence ever since, so it makes sense that the U.S. would now be adding more F-35s to the area. The tactical and strategic advantages are multi-faceted, as the move not only puts more F-35s within reach to potentially defend Taiwan, but it places 5th-gen attack air power in a position to attack mainland China if needed without necessarily requiring a non-stealthy tanker to extend range. The F-35 can hit ranges up to 1,000 to 1,300 miles, so operating land-based F-35As from Japanese islands and coastal areas massively extends the “reach” of 5th-generation aircraft in the Pacific theater.
The advantages of Japan-based F-35s expands well beyond the clear value of proximity to include massive networking advantages. The Japanese Self-Defense Forces have in recent years been acquiring billions in F-35 aircraft and now regularly operate Vertical Take-Off-and-Landing F-35Bs from amphibious ships and small mini-carriers in the Pacific. Photographs of Japan’s mini-carriers were released by the JMSDF in 2024, showing a picture of a redesigned or refitted helicopter-carrying amphibious assault ship. Called the “JS Kaga,” the newly configured amphib-carrier is designed to transport F-35s, troops, helicopters and other power-projecting and attack-enabling assets. The vessel operates with a maximum displacement 27,000 tons with a full load and an 814-ft flight deck, a ship vastly smaller than US Navy carriers which displace more than 100,000 tons.
U.S.-Japanese F-35s
Flying operational F-35Bs from Japanese ships is something that has been developing for several years, as the US Marine Corps conducted a joint US-Japanese multinational exercise wherein Marine Corps F-35Bs landed on Japanese warships. This clearly seems to have been a precursor to what is happening now with Japan’s growing fleet of “mini-carriers.”
An ability to fortify a Japanese maritime force of F-35s with U.S. Air Force F-35As could prove decisive in any potential engagement in the Pacific as it could allow a greater ability to “mass” 5th-Gen air power in large impactful formations across a perimeter in the Pacific spanning from Japan to the Korean Peninsula all the way down through the Philippines and Australia. This could in effect almost “encircle” the Chinese coastline with F-35s, or at least form a semi-circular extended air-boundary sphere from which to defend against or attack PLA air and ground forces.
Japan Mini-Carrier Advantage
This is quite significant, because the US and its Japanese allies could potentially operate with a decisive 5th-generation advantage in the air. China operates the J-20, but that is a land-launched platform incapable of projection power from the ocean; the J-20 may also be more vulnerable to F-35s and F-22s depending upon the range and fidelity of its sensors and the range and accuracy of its weapons systems. Regardless, the US and its allies are increasingly in a position to operate a large force of F-35s in position to counter or contain China from the air. This kind of tactical thinking is likely a large reason why the Japanese MOD is both acquiring F-35s and building “mini-carriers.”
Given this threat scenario, it makes sense that the Japanese JMSDF and U.S. would be rapidly acquiring F-35Bs and F-35Cs for the region. All F-35s operate with a secure, high-speed data-link called Multi-Function Advanced Data Link (MADL) able to network across all countries operating F-35s. This enables a multi-national, large-scale, semi-circle like formation of F-35s involving the US Navy, South Korea and even Australia and Singapore further south. The additional bases being added in the Philippines might also provide an opportunity for the US and its allies to add F-35s there and “fill-in” a gap in the semi-circle between Japan and Australia and Singapore.
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University