USNI



 

The first of a new class of landing support vessels dedicated to the Japan Self-Defense Force’s Maritime Transport Group was launched last week in Tokyo’s latest move to bolster its forces facing China in the Ryuku Island Chain.

Constructed by the Naikai Zosen Corporation at the Setoda Shipyard, JS Yoko (4101) follows the recently launched landing craft utility JS Nihonbare (LCU-4151).

The Japan Ground-Self Defense Force, which will participate in the new tri-service Maritime Transport Group, said Yoko is more capable than the Nihonbare and will “enable prompt and reliable transportation of troops and supplies in the southwestern islands.”

Yoko has two ramps to offload personnel, vehicles, and supplies at the port, similar to a roll-on/roll-off vessel. This contrasts Nihonbare, which appears to have a bow door and ramp like a traditional landing-ship tank. Naval News reported that Yoko displaces 3,500, has a length of 120 meters and has a draft of four feet.

“The Yoko is a vessel capable of transporting goods between the mainland and islands in the southwestern region. In light of the current severe security environment, the Ministry of Defense will steadily proceed with the construction of transport vessels to strengthen transport functions to islands,” stated an Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency social media post.

According to Naval News, the Japan Self-Defense Force’s tri-service Maritime Transportation Group will contain ten vessels, including two landing support vessels like the Yoko.

This unit was created in response to the lack of maritime logistical capabilities amid Tokyo’s defensive shift from the ground-based posture in Hokkaido to the maritime and aerial domain of the Ryukus in recent years. Until the launch of vessels such as Yoko and Nihonbare, Japanese troops relied on commercial ferries and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s limited amphibious force of Osumi-class landing ship tanks.

The shallow drafts of these new vessels will allow Japanese forces to easily access the islands within the Ryukus chain compared to existing assets, which Tokyo claims “will contribute to strengthening the island defense system.”

Chinese air and naval forces have regularly passed through the Ryukus in their trips between the first and second island chains, prompting their Japanese counterparts to frequently challenge and monitor their transits.

Beijing also claims the Senkakus, a group of uninhabited islands that has been the site of a dispute with Tokyo. In turn, Japan has strengthened its regional presence with anti-ship missile batteries and air defense units, which could threaten Chinese forces transiting the strategic island chain.

Alongside Tokyo’s efforts, which include the establishment of an anti-ship missile regiment and the creation of an amphibious unit dedicated to the protection and recapture of seized territories, the U.S. has stepped up its Army, Air Force and Marine Corps deployments in Japan.

From a new composite watercraft unit, to advanced F-15EX fighter jets and even a plan to station High-Mobility Rocket Systems within the island chain in the event of a war over Taiwan, Washington has also recognized the strategic importance of the Ryukus.