Originally Posted by The Old Fat One
Why, because the Japanese Consitution prohibits aircraft carriers and any other means of offensive power projection (such as an amphibious assault ship). Therefore it cannot be one...the government says so.
Try again... the Japanese constitution says no such thing!
Here... read it for yourself.
THE CONSTITUTION OF JAPAN
And the legal interpretation that allows a military that isn't a military:
I. Constitution of Japan and Right of Self-Defense
The 16DDH class are designed with a deck that cannot deal with the heat from the F-35 rear nozzle, and without the other support features needed for such an aircraft... it was designed for ASW helos only.
The 22DDH class, now... that's where the questions arise:
22DDH Class
foreground 16DDH, background 22DDH.
