In view of the growing Chinese threat, the Japanese armed forces have been developing their own amphibious capabilities for several years. A naval infantry brigade has now reached full operational readiness in spring 2024.

In view of Japan's role in the Second World War, the constitution that came into force on 3 May 1947 commits the country to promoting an international peace order and rejects military force as a means of resolving conflicts between states. As the constitution strictly prohibits the island nation from even maintaining its own armed forces, these armed forces operate in the country as "self-defence forces" and emphasise their purely defensive nature.

Officially, Japan's armed forces still refrain from using offensive weapons, but have long possessed a considerable arsenal of weapons systems that cannot be denied a certain offensive potential. The Japanese navy, for example