Japan Navy Nations // Asia

OVERVIEW The Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF, or Kaiso Jeitai) has the basic mission of securing and defending the Japanese islands and protecting the sea lines of communication out to 1,000 miles. Defending the neighboring sea areas and maintaining maritime traffic are vital to Japan's energy resources, which largely come via sea routes. Although Japanese naval assets are sizable, the MSDF would rely on the support of outside forces, primarily the United States, to provide an assault...