Japan's 'Izumo' was designed as aircraft carrier from start: Asahi | Asia Times: "Japanese defense planners apparently believe that it pays to think ahead.
The Asahi Shimbun reported on Friday that Japan’s helicopter “destroyer” Izumo had been designed to be an aircraft carrier all along. The newspaper says former Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) executives have confirmed that the warship’s original blueprints called for it to be turned into an aircraft carrier.
“It is only reasonable to design (the Izumo) with the prospect of possible changes of the circumstances in the decades ahead,” a former MSDF executive told Asahi. “We viewed that whether the Izumo should be actually refitted could be decided by the government.”" Read More