YOKOSUKA, Kanagawa Pref.: Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono on Saturday inspected one of the two Izumo-class destroyers, which are set to be transformed into de facto aircraft carriers.

He visited the vessel at the Maritime Self-Defense Force's base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo. The Izumos are the largest destroyers of the MSDF. This was Kono's first Izumo inspection since he assumed the defense portfolio in September.

After inspecting the flight deck and command post, Kono addressed crew members about a series of ballistic missile launches by North Korea and Chinese government ships' repeated intrusions into Japanese territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

"Under the severe security environment, your duty is becoming significantly more important, and the expectations of the people are growing much larger," he said.

The minister also inspected the Aegis destroyer Kirishima and the Takashio submarine.

JIJI Press