Chinese expert warns Japan's increased surprise attack capability with first F-35B deployment for negatively impacting regional peace, stability
Global Times
By Guo Yuandan Published: Aug 08, 2025 09:02 PM
The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) deployed F-35B stealth fighter jets to the Nyutabaru Air Base in Miyazaki Prefecture for the first time on Thursday, marking the first time since World War II that Japan has possessed carrier-based fighter jets. A Chinese military affairs expert told the Global Times on Friday that with the introduction of the F-35B, the JASDF has acquired a rapid-response aerial combat platform, greatly enhancing its surprise attack and assault capabilities - moves that will undoubtedly have a negative impact on regional peace and stability.
Japan's Ministry of Defense had originally planned to deploy the F-35B at Nyutabaru Air Base in 2024, but delivery was delayed by the US. The JASDF plans to acquire a total of 42 F-35Bs and deploy eight to the base. Of the first batch of four aircraft stationed on Thursday, three flew from Guam to the base under the control of US pilots, while the fourth was delayed due to inspection of the airframe, according to Kyodo News.
Planned training flights for the US-made jets, which can take off from short runways and land vertically, have already sparked a backlash from residents who are angry about the associated noise. On Thursday, when the three arriving F-35Bs reached the base, one of them conducted a vertical landing. The jet hovered almost motionless in the air before slowly descending straight down, producing a deafening roar that lasted about two minutes. About 50 protesters rallied at a square near the base, holding up signs opposing the F-35B deployment, according to reports by Kyodo News.
Japan's Ministry of Defense said this year that it planned to conduct up to about 100 training flights per month, including around 40 at night. Vertical landings, including hovering, typically take about two minutes - five times longer than a normal fighter landing - with noise levels reaching as high as 130 decibels, far exceeding the 92 decibels of a standard landing, reported Asahi Shimbun.
Despite waves of local protests, Japan has persisted in deploying the F-35B because of its powerful stealth features, which make it difficult for radar to detect, as well as its ability to take off and land vertically over short distances. The fighters are expected to be deployed aboard the Kaga and Izumo, two Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers currently being converted into aircraft carriers, Kyodo News said.
It also said that this move contradicts Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, which renounces the maintenance of war potential, as well as the nation's "exclusively defense-oriented" policy. It could also trigger concern or even protests from neighboring countries.
An anonymous military affairs expert told the Global Times on Friday that Japan's introduction of F-35Bs from the US signals a national defense strategy shift from defense to offense. In the future, the F-35Bs will be stationed on the refitted Kaga and Izumo light carriers.
The expert said that Japan would then be capable of conducting offensive missions not only in waters around the "first island chain" but also across the vast Pacific and even further afield. "Moreover, using light carrier groups as cover, Japan's Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade could carry out island-seizure operations. This will undoubtedly have a negative impact on regional peace and stability."
With the F-35B, the JASDF gains a rapid-response aerial combat platform capable of operating in complex combat environments. According to the expert, the F-35B requires a very short runway for takeoff. "Even if Japan launches a preemptive strike and its air bases are hit, destroying runways, the F-35B can still take off and land on limited runway space. On some smaller islands, as long as there is a basic airstrip, the F-35B can operate."
"Therefore, the deployment of F-35Bs significantly boosts Japan's surprise attack and assault capabilities. Previously, Japan had no stealth fighters. With the F-35A and F-35B, it will inevitably prioritize the use of these stealth fighters in preemptive strikes," the expert noted. "The US export of the F-35B to Japan shows Washington is deliberately "letting the tiger out of its cage" - strengthening Japan's offensive military capabilities so it can collaborate more closely with US forces in the so-called Indo-Pacific region."
Meanwhile, Japanese media have repeatedly hyped claims that "China is steadily strengthening its carrier capabilities around Japan." The Nikkei reported on Friday that China currently operates two aircraft carriers - Liaoning and Shandong - and sailed through the "second island chain" in June, arguing that the expanding operational range of Chinese carriers poses a threat to Japan.
Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Friday that such claims are pure fabrication. For years, whether developing or purchasing stealth fighters, hypersonic missiles, submarines, or other offensive weapons, Japan has done so under the banner of countering the so-called "China threat" narrative, using it as a pretext to circumvent the constraints of its pacifist constitution and abandon its exclusively defense-oriented policy.
At the end of 2018, the Japanese government revised its defense guidelines and other documents, deciding to convert the Kaga and Izumo helicopter destroyers into aircraft carriers, reported by Nikkei.
Zhang stressed that this conversion is an important move for Japan to break the constraints of its pacifist constitution and pursue so-called 'military normalization.' Japan's development and procurement of offensive weapons will worsen regional security, undermine peace and stability, and constitute an open challenge to the international order, something the global community should pay close attention to.
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