The Royal Navy’s Flagship Has Arrived in Japan

For the first time, Royal Navy F-35Bs conducted cross-deck operations with the JS Kaga aircraft carrier.

The Royal Navy flagship HMS Prince of Wales, which is at the midway point of the historic Operation Highmast Indo-Pacific deployment, arrived in Japan earlier this week. It marks only the second time since the late 1990s that a British carrier has visited Japan, and comes as the United Kingdom has remained committed to maintaining a presence in the region to deter Chinese aggression.

HMS Queen Elizabeth, sister ship of HMS Prince of Wales, previously made a port call to Japan four years ago. This year’s visit will see the latter carrier remain in Yokosuka, home of the United States Seventh Fleet, from August 12 to 28, and then a shorter visit to the capital of Tokyo from August 28 to September 2.

“The deployment also embodies the deepening partnership between the United Kingdom and Japan, demonstrating the unprecedented cooperation established through our enhanced global strategic partnership, including the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), and the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP),” the British government said in a statement in advance of the carrier’s arrival in Yokosuka.

The HMS Prince of Wales Racked Up a Series of Firsts

The arrival of the Carrier Strike Group 2025 (CSG25) and Royal Navy flagship in Japan came only days after the carrier completed joint exercises with the US Navy’s USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group (CSG-5), a USMC Amphibious Ready Group led by the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA-6), and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces (JMSDF) JS Kaga, the Izumo-class multi-function helicopter carrier/destroyer that is being converted to operate with the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter.

For the first time, Royal Navy F-35Bs conducted cross-deck operations with the JS Kaga, enabling the warship to serve as a de facto aircraft carrier. Tokyo has not had true aircraft carriers since the Second World War, and the country’s post-war pacifist constitution prohibits the possession of offensive weapons. It has been “reinterpreted” to allow the transformation of the helicopter destroyers in the wake of fears from China.

“It was a real privilege to land the first UK F-35B on JS Kaga,” said Lt. Cdr. Dan Latham, 809 Naval Air Squadron, who was among the Royal Navy aviators to take part in the recent training exercises.

“Although the hard work to enable this evolution had taken months to prepare, on the day itself, all force elements integrated seamlessly,” Latham added. “It truly demonstrated the ease with which the United Kingdom and Japan can operate together in the Indo-Pacific region, now and in the future.”

JS Kaga carried out training with the US Navy last year, but Japan only took delivery of its first three of a planned 42 F-35Bs earlier this month. The aircraft are currently being employed in vertical landing training at the Nyutabaru Air Base in the Miyazaki Prefecture.

A Second F-35B Was Forced to Make an Emergency Landing

Before the arrival in Yokosuka, one F-35B operating from HMS Prince of Wales made what could be described as an early arrival in Japan. The aircraft suffered a mechanical issue that necessitated its diversion to Kagoshima Airport in southwest Japan on Sunday. The plane landed safely at the airport, which closed its runway for 20 minutes while the fighter was moved to a taxiway.

Although the pilot of the British F-35B suffered no injuries, and the issues with the aircraft were reported to be minor, this incident follows another episode in which a Lightning was grounded in India for several weeks. That aircraft was ultimately recovered, and continues to serve with the Prince of Wales.

The Japan Visit Is the Final Leg of Britain’s “Operation Highmast”

The visit to Japan will mark the final leg of CSG25’s Operation Highmast, which has already seen visits to Singapore and Australia, where the conventionally-powered carrier took part in last month’s multinational Talisman Sabre exercises.

The strike group will depart from Tokyo and begin the voyage back to the United Kingdom.

What is not clear is whether the warship, named to honor the title of the heir apparent to the British throne, will cross over the waters where the last Royal Navy warship named HMS Prince of Wales was sunk by land-based Japanese aircraft in December 1941. The King George V-class battleship was the first capital ship to be sunk by aircraft while at sea, a first that perhaps is best forgotten during this deployment.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].

Image: Wikimedia Commons.