Japan has not formally had its own army since the end of planet War II, which, among another things, imposes restrictions on nipponese naval self-defense forces that formally cannot have carriers to attack another countries. That's what's changing with short-start aircraft and vertical landing. The British F-35B as part of the exercises for the first time in past landed on a nipponese "non-aircraft" or Kaga chopper (DDH-184).
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