The plan, contained in draft defense guidelines approved by the government\u2019s governing parties, comes as China is exerting increased military strength.<\/b>
\nJapan took a step on Tuesday toward expanding its military capabilities by advancing plans for aircraft carriers that can launch fighter jets.
The plans, contained in a draft of new defense guidelines approved by the governing parties, would effectively arm Japan with its first aircraft carriers since World War II, with potential striking powers well beyond Japanese territory.
The move risks inflaming a politically delicate debate in Japan over whether such expanded military capability is compatible with the country\u2019s pacifist constitution. The plans could be construed as offensive weapons beyond those deemed necessary for self-defense.
Under the change, large Japanese naval vessels now equipped with helicopters would be upgraded, enabling them to carry jet fighters capable of short takeoffs and vertical landings, and equipped with stealth technology to avoid detection.
With such upgrades, Japan will \u201cenable fighter jets to be operated from existing warships, if necessary to improve the flexibility of their operation,\u201d according to a passage from the guidelines reported by the Kyodo News Agency .
Kyodo quoted unidentified government sources as saying that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe\u2019s cabinet intended to endorse the revised guidelines this month.
Military analysts in the United States said the upgrades, which Japanese defense officials have been talking about for a while, reflected Japan\u2019s shared concern with the United States about the growing assertiveness of China\u2019s aerial and naval forces in the Pacific.
Japan and China have been locked in a longstanding dispute over East China Sea islands that the Japanese call the Senkaku and the Chinese call the Diaoyu. Japanese officials are also increasingly concerned about North Korea\u2019s military capabilities.
In September, a Japanese submarine participated in war games in the South China Sea, a direct response to China\u2019s presence.
Eric Wertheim, a defense consultant and author of the United States Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World, said the planned upgrades in Japan were designed for confrontations in contested waters.
In such situations, he said in a telephone interview, \u201cthe single most valuable asset is the use of air power, and carrier power when you don\u2019t have air bases nearby.\u201d
While supporters of the Japanese upgrades would argue that they are defensive, Mr. Wertheim said, such a change \u201cimproves Japan\u2019s capability to project power.\u201d
Kyodo said that under the planned upgrades, the Japanese government would convert its Izumo flattop destroyers, which can hold 14 helicopters each, so that they can also be used to deploy short-takeoff and vertical-landing aircraft like the F-35B, an American warplane.
The agency quoted Japan\u2019s defense minister, Takeshi Iwaya, as telling reporters that since the Izumo had originally been designed as a multipurpose escort ship, \u201cit wouldn\u2019t pose any threat to other countries if fighter jets are deployed on it.\u201d
Mr. Iwaya said last month that the government was considering purchases of the F-35B, a variant of the Lockheed Martin Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. Mr. Iwaya said the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force\u2019s two Izumo-class warships would have to be upgraded to handle F-35B operations.<\/p>\n