SUBIC, July 03 (AP): One of Japan's largest warships, the helicopter carrier Izumo, is returning home from Subic port in the Philippines following a powerful show of Tokyo's determination to expand its military presence and counter China's forays into strategic waters.
Subic, a former US naval base, was the Izumo's final stop in a two-month deployment in the Indo-Pacific region at a time of prolonged tensions over maritime territory.
The carrier, along with the destroyers Murasame and Akebono, just finished a series of drills with the United States and other countries.
Island nation Japan's ability to project military power beyond its borders is severely constrained by the commitment to pacifism and rejection of use of military force in conflict enshrined in its post-World War II constitution, though in 2015 it was reinterpreted to allow the use of force in defending itself and its allies.
But the Izumo's mission offers a glimpse of where its military is headed: For the first time, troops from a newly formed amphibious brigade of the Ground Self Defense Force participated in an extended naval deployment.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made amending the constitution to allow the military greater leeway one of his lifetime goals. President Donald Trump has sought to help that cause, calling repeatedly for Japan to do more to defend itself under its alliance with the US
In May, Japan conducted its first quadrilateral exercise with France, the US and Australia in the Bay of Bengal. France deployed its flagship nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the FS Charles de Gaulle, while the United States sent a missile destroyer, the William P Lawrence.
Other drills have included Canada, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and the Philippines.
Japan is preparing to reconfigure the Izumo to accommodate US stealth fighters, including F-35Bs, after announcing it would purchase 42 of its own. The aircraft are designed to operate with short takeoffs and vertical landings, such as on carriers.
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