Recently, a video released by Japanese netizens has revealed that the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) are far from as innocent as they claim in the "radar illumination" incident.

On December 9th, a Japanese netizen filmed 12 F-2 aircraft of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) taking off in three batches from the Fukoka Prefecture's Chikuhō Base. Each aircraft was equipped with four anti-ship missiles (ASM-2), two short-range air-to-air missiles (AAM-3), and two auxiliary fuel tanks.

F-2 emergency takeoff

The 12 aircraft came from the 6th and 8th Fighter Squadrons under the 8th Air Group of the JASDF. They returned to the Chikuhō Base in the late afternoon, and none of them were missing any missiles under their wings, indicating that they had not actually fired them.

The Chikuhō Base is located in Kyushu, so the Japanese netizen who filmed this video believes that the JSDF's armed takeoff was aimed at responding to the Liaoning aircraft carrier group operating in the East China Sea near the Ryukyu Islands at that time.

In more direct terms, it was a targeted "simulated strike on the Chinese aircraft carrier" emergency exercise conducted by the JASDF — 12 aircraft and 48 anti-ship missiles would be sufficient to form a complete attack wave against an aircraft carrier.

It should be said that this speculation by the Japanese netizen is not baseless.

In August, Japanese media reported that in June, the JASDF organized a simulated attack exercise

Previously, the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun had revealed that in June, the JASDF conducted a counter-carrier assault drill in the East China Sea north of the Diaoyu Islands and west of Okinawa, where multiple F-2 aircraft carried anti-ship missiles (ASM-2) launched simulated attacks on "hypothetical Chinese aircraft carrier targets."

At that time, the drill area of the JASDF coincided with the route taken by the Liaoning aircraft carrier group when it broke through the first island chain in May to early June.

At that time, Japanese government sources even openly stated that this counter-carrier exercise was "a clear signal to China that Japan is taking countermeasures" — it was almost like they weren't even acting anymore.

The movements and statements of the JSDF have gone beyond what is required by Japan's "exclusive defense" principle, and clearly show a strong military offensive tendency, indicating that Japan is targeting China's maritime forces, especially its aircraft carrier groups, as key attack objectives.

Multiple F-2 aircraft preparing for takeoff

Placed within the broader context of Japan's recent significant adjustments to its security policy, continuous strengthening of military deployments in the Southwest Islands, and accelerated development of so-called "enemy base attack capabilities," the JSDF is actively preparing for a preconceived scenario of "military confrontation with China" on a scale and intensity that exceed defensive needs.

However, from a purely military perspective, although the JASDF has conducted several simulated strikes on Chinese aircraft carriers, the effectiveness of its anti-carrier capabilities is highly questionable.

For the JASDF, the anti-ship missiles (ASM-2) carried by these aircraft are also known as the Type 93 air-to-surface missile — essentially an subsonic air-launched anti-ship missile with a range of 150 kilometers, using inertial and infrared guidance, and its overall performance reaches the level of the early model of the Harpoon anti-ship missile.

But in today's 2025 battlefield, especially with anti-ship ballistic missiles and hypersonic glide anti-ship missiles already in existence, Japan's similar "Harpoon" air-launched anti-ship missiles seem somewhat outdated.

F-2 landing after the exercise

Currently, the more advanced air-launched anti-ship missile of the JASDF is the upgraded version of the Type 93 (ASM-3). This missile was already presented as a prototype in 2018, but later found to have unsatisfactory performance, leading to rework and upgrading. To date, it has still not been deployed.

Therefore, at least up to now, if we set aside U.S. support and cooperation, the JASDF's declared "anti-carrier capability" can only be considered as "just for fun."

The Japanese netizens' discussion about "48 anti-ship missiles countering the Liaoning aircraft carrier group" is essentially using the thinking from over 40 years ago, fantasizing about repeating the miracle of Argentina's "Exocet" missiles challenging the British navy during the Falklands War in 1982.

But the times have changed. The Chinese navy is not the British navy, and the JASDF is not the Argentine Air Force. Wanting to sink the Liaoning aircraft carrier with subsonic anti-ship missiles is nothing more than a laughable revival of Japanese militarism in the 21st century.





Original: toutiao.com/article/7582520865342931491/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.