( CNN ) Japan 's Maritime Self-Defense Force ( MSDF ) has taken delivery of the Izumo , the largest Japanese military vessel to see service since World War II . The warship was unveiled at a ceremony at the Yokusuka naval base near Yokohama , also home to the U.S Navy 's Seventh Fleet . The Izumo has a crew of 470 , and with a standard displacement of 19,500 tones ( 24,000 tonnes at full load , according to military publication Jane 's ) , it is as large as the storied Yamato-class battleships which fought U.S. naval forces in the Pacific theater of World War II . The wreck of one of the two Yamato-class battleships , the Musashi , was discovered early in March 2015 by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen . At 241 meters ( 791 feet ) in length , the Izumo is 51 meters ( 167 ft ) longer than the Hyuga , another helicopter carrier which was , until now , the MDSF 's largest vessel . Regional neighbors and rivals questioned the legitimacy of such a ship for purely defensive purposes , pointing out that , due to its size and deck configuration it could be repurposed as an aircraft carrier -- a class banned under Japan 's pacifist constitution . `` The Izumo proves that Japan has the technical capabilities and demand to develop aircraft carriers . 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 . However , Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters in Yokohama that the MSDF did not intend to use it in this way . `` We are not thinking about using this as an aircraft carrier , '' he said , saying that the lack of hangers and service bays , along with a deck unsuitable for takeoffs and landings , meant that the Izumo was n't designed for fixed-wing aircraft . He said that it needed to be as large as it is so it could host joint operations and act as a command center . He insisted that the new addition to Japan 's maritime forces was designed for peaceful purposes . `` The vessel can serve in a wide range of roles including peacekeeping operations , international disaster relief and aid . '' He added that its helicopter capabilities -- it can host seven anti-submarine patrol helicopters , plus two rescue and transport helicopters , the Japan Times reported -- would aid in the detection of sophisticated Chinese submarines . 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 . '' He also downplayed China 's suggestions that the size of the Izumo represented an escalation of Japan 's military ambitions , telling CNN that although it is the biggest Japanese military ship since World War II , it is only a fifth of the size of the USS George Washington . `` It would cost five times Japan 's current defense spending for the SDF to have an independent operational capability . The Japanese public would not take that kind of risk , '' he said . The commissioning of the Izumo comes amid heightened tensions between Japan and its neighbors China and South Korea . In July . Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe allowed for a reinterpreting of Japan 's constitution , paving the way for more active military engagement overseas . The Chinese government has also invited the Japanese leader to attend a ceremony in the Chinese capital in September to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War . Japan 's handling of its wartime aggression is frequently criticized by China and other Asian nations -- it is often accused of downplaying its actions during the war . Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Tuesday that the Chinese government had contacted `` all relevant countries '' with a view to attending . The Japanese Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said that , as the celebrations will feature a military parade , Abe is `` unlikely to attend . '' It quoted an unnamed Foreign Ministry official as saying : `` While the Japanese government is demanding China improve the transparency of its defense spending , attendance of the prime minister is impossible . '' 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 . CNN 's Yoko Wakatsuki in Tokyo contributed to this report .
Japan 's Maritime Self-Defense Force takes receipt of newly-commissioned helicopter carrier . The ship , named the Izumo , is the largest Japanese military ship since the Second World War . Critics in neighboring countries say the ship could contravene Japan 's pacifist constitution .