According to Japanese media reports, the United States is seeking to reach an agreement with the Japanese government to authorize Japanese shipyards to overhaul and maintain U.S. Navy ships in order to improve the efficiency of U.S. Navy ship operations in the Western Pacific. Japan and the United States have established a joint group to coordinate this.
According to the report, according to the preliminary intention reached by Japan and the United States, in the future, some large private shipyards in Japan will be authorized to conduct comprehensive repair and maintenance of large combat ships such as the U.S. Navy's Ali Burke class destroyer. Previously, the US Navy used to rely on Japanese shipyards to repair logistics ships, but the maintenance of large combat ships still needs to be returned to the US mainland. The US Navy claimed that the warships deployed in the western Pacific region returned to China for overhaul, which was time-consuming and costly, and that maintenance in Japan could significantly improve the efficiency of warships' operational deployment.
A large part of the US military forces deployed overseas are concentrated in Japan and its surrounding areas. The home port of the 7th Fleet of the US Navy is located in the Yokosuka base in Japan, and more than 20 of its ships are stationed in Japan. Emanuel, the US ambassador to Japan, declared that the use of Japanese shipyards for the maintenance of US Navy combat ships would improve the joint deterrence capability of the US and Japan.
It is reported that some private shipyards in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Takekawa City, Kyoto Prefecture and Takeshi City, Hiroshima Prefecture have experience in repairing Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force ships, which may become partners of the US military. US officials said that the US Navy planned to maintain ships in Japan, including destroyers, cruisers, amphibious attack ships and other large ships, while aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines were not considered. The source said that once the plan was implemented, the United States would also recommend that Japanese shipyards provide maintenance services for warships of Britain and Australia and other allies.
For the United States, there are two main purposes in promoting the overseas maintenance of warships.
On the one hand, improve sustained combat capability. The US Navy has already begun to promote the so-called "overseas maintenance plan for warships". In 2022, the US Navy began to rely on the Indian shipyard to repair the supply ship. In 2023, the United States signed a long-term maintenance contract with India's Mazagang Shipyard. The US Navy believes that Japan has a relatively mature shipbuilding industry chain and the ability to maintain large ships. If the US and Japan can reach an agreement on this, the deployment and duty efficiency of combat ships of the US Navy's Seventh Fleet will be improved.
On the other hand, integrate the allied military industry into the US military system. Vertically, relying on the Japanese shipyard to carry out maintenance is only the first step. In the future, it may also be discussed that the Japanese shipyard should undertake the modernization of U.S. Navy ships and the construction of some types of warships. Horizontally, if the plan of ship maintenance in Japan is well advanced, the US Navy may introduce the "overseas ship maintenance plan" to South Korea, the Philippines, Australia and other countries.
For Japan, by obtaining orders from the US Navy, it can understand the construction needs and technical requirements of US warships and stimulate the development of domestic shipbuilding industry. Many shipyards in Japan have the problems of insufficient orders and declining capacity. The future maintenance orders of the US Navy can alleviate this situation to some extent.
However, there are voices in Japan that if Japan and the United States reach an agreement on this, it means that the risk of Japan's involvement in the war will also increase significantly. In the future war, Japanese private shipyards may bear the risk of extinction due to the maintenance of U.S. naval vessels. (Zige)
(Editor in charge: Chen Yu, Liu Yuanyuan)
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