The Japanese Navy Izumo-class Destroyers

In today’s article, I will discuss the impact of the Japanese expanding their carrier fleet and naval capacities in the Indo-Pacific region and what that means in international relations and geopolitics.

The number one reason for the expansion of Japanese military power is that the United States of America has been withdrawing from its global commitments as the protector of international free trade since the end of the Cold War in 1989.

The United States created globalisation, as we understand it, as a bribe to win over allies against the Soviet Union and defeat the forces of communism during the Cold War period from 1945 to 1989, which the United States won.

Since Bill Clinton’s election in 1992, the United States has become increasingly isolationist and is withdrawing military commitments protecting global shipping lanes.

This can be seen in the reduction of America’s destroyer fleet in favour of creating supercarriers, of which there are currently 11 in operation.

According to Global Firepower’s 2023 military rankings, the USA has only 92 destroyers compared to China’s roughly 50-destroyer-strong fleet.

Supercarriers are nation killers.

They’re not designed to protect global shipping lanes because these 11 supercarriers can only be in one place simultaneously.

This means having a large destroyer and frigate fleet is essential to protect international shipping.