ASKING THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS: Does Japan Need an Aircraft Carrier?

In June of 1942, Imperial Japan was rather suddenly in need of four new aircraft carriers, but modern Japan could go with a leisurely build-up to that many and still give Beijing serious pause.

And for what it’s worth, Japan’s Izumo-class “helicopter destroyers” could, with fairly minor few modifications, carry a dangerous complement of F-35B jets, and they’ve already commissioned two of those.