By Liu Cheng
Shin Nihonkai Ferry's HAKUOU passenger ship
The Japanese Defense Ministry is in talks with several commercial ferry companies about using civil transport capacities to undertake military tasks, Japanese media reported. The move is to cover up Japan's strengthened war preparedness with a "civil" cloak and to establish an amphibious transport and logistics supply model similar to that of the US, which will facilitate their defense cooperation.
It is reported that the Japanese Defense Ministry already signed contracts in August this year to continue leasing Shin Nihonkai Ferry's HAKUOU passenger ship and Tsugaru Kaikyo Ferry's Natchan World passenger ship to transport JSDF's tanks and other armored vehicles. The two ships currently leased are as capable as military transport ships and able to transport two combat reconnaissance battalions or 60 armored vehicles. Besides, commercial ships performing military tasks are difficult to detect and can select the optimal route with military support.
According to analysts, there are two reasons why the JSDF, is increasing the use of commercial resources for military purposes,10 years after it introduced civil transport capacities. For one thing, its previous exercises and training have verified the effectiveness of commercial ships. For instance, during the massive joint military exercise "Keen Sword 23", HAKUOU and Natchan World delivered more than 700 JSDF members and 230 tanks and other armored vehicles from Kagoshima and Hokkaido to Kyushu and the southwestern islands of Japan.
For another, the JMSDF, with only three large amphibious transport ships, complains about its small capacities. Although the Japanese Defense Ministry has announced a plan to form a maritime transport fleet, the R&D of new ships will take a long time and cost a great deal of money, not to mention the shortage of sailors needed on amphibious transport ships. Therefore, it hopes to lease more commercial ships to make up for its inadequate transport capacity.
In addition to leasing civil ships, the Japanese Defense Ministry also plans to grant commercial sailors as "JSDF reserves" and incorporate them in the "reserve maritime transport fleet". According to the contract with relevant ferry companies, about 21 sailors will be recruited per ship, which will help reserve maritime transport personnel who can quickly switch into military roles in wartime, and also save expenses as these people are mainly paid by commercial companies.
On another note, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry's two-year defense budget, at least 19 civil docks will be transformed into dual-purpose ports in the future.
Analysts said the enhanced employment of civil transport capacities for military purposes is another means of Japan's disguised military buildup, something it has been doing with greater intensity over recent years. Private Japanese companies are playing an important role in the military industry, and Japan has invested nearly 100 billion Yen this year to enhance the resilience of the supply chain of military-industrial products. Recently, it has also intensified interactions and collaboration with countries such as the UK, Germany, France and Australia in military bases and logistics supply.
As America's loyal follower in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond, Japan often imitates America's military moves. The US Navy and Army consistently lease a large number of commercial ro-ro ships – the largest one exceeding 55,000 tons – to transport troops worldwide, and they have formed preset fleets out of these leased ships and deployed them in various mission sea areas. Inspired by this, JMSDF also plans to organize its leased ships into a "reserve fleet" and distribute them to JMSDF's multiple bases.
It's worth noting that according to the logistics cooperation agreement between the US and Japan, several Japanese military-industrial enterprises will build ship and plane repair and maintenance centers for the US military in the Indo-Pacific. This means Japan's civil transport capacities and other potential war resources may be turned into quasi-military forces that can be used to interfere in regional affairs under the framework of US-Japan defense integration. Once the US and its allies and partners obtain the right to use such civil resources either temporarily or for a long time, they will be able to expand the coverage of their military pivots in the Asia Pacific and make their military operations in the region more efficient.