article_snippet: Regional neighbors and rivals questioned the legitimacy of such a ship for purely defensive purposes, pointing out that, due to such a ship size and deck configuration such a ship could be repurposed as an aircraft carrier -- a class banned under Japan's pacifist constitution.
article_snippet: It's also possible that Japan may explore the possibility during The Izumo's service," Li Jie, a Beijing-based military expert, told the Chinese state-backed Global Times newspaper.
article_snippet: Japan can serve in a wide range of roles including peacekeeping operations, international disaster relief and aid.
article_snippet: Japan, along with the Philippines and Vietnam, is engaged in territorial disputes with China over the sovereignty of islands in the South China Sea, and Kazuhisa Ogawa, a defense analyst at the Strategic Research Institute of International Change in Japan, says that, in combination with Japan's other helicopter carriers, the Izumo could be used to "regain remote islets.
article_snippet: The commissioning of the Izumo comes amid heightened tensions between Japan and Japan neighbors China and South Korea.
article_snippet: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe allowed for a reinterpreting of Japan's constitution, paving the way for more active military engagement overseas.
article_snippet: Japan's handling of Japan
article_snippet: wartime aggression is frequently criticized by China and other Asian nations -- Japan is often accused of downplaying Japan actions during the Second World War.
article_snippet: Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga has previously said that China should work on developing a future-looking cooperative relationship with Japan, rather than highlighting Japan's previous, 70-year-old indiscretions.
highlights_snippet: Critics in neighboring countries say the largest Japanese military ship since the Second World War could contravene Japan's pacifist constitution .