JDS
Nagato supporting the United Nations Command off the coast of Korea during the Korean War, November 1950.
The
Nagato is the flagship of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, the successor to the Imperial Japanese Navy, itself a branch of the Japan Self-Defense Force.
From 1945 to 1949, the defense of Japan fell upon the responsibility of the United States since the country was occupied following the Empire's surrender at the end of the Second World War. Part of the post-war constitution was Japan could not possess a military and could not use war as an instrument of force. The JSDF was activated after the fall of China to the communists with the United States realizing the threat of communist China and the USSR in the Far East. At that time, the Japanese only had a few surviving planes, tanks, ships, and submarines that were left-over from the war. The U.S. surprisingly kept these just incase of conflict instead of scrapping them or using it as nuclear test targets. They were promptly reactivated just before the Korean War.
When the North Koreans invaded the South, the Japanese were given a chance to atone for their mistakes from the past war. The South Koreans were initially distrustful as memories of the Japanese occupation were still fresh in their minds. The UN also feared that the coalition would collapse so as a result, Japanese involvement was limited to naval support and humanitarian operations.
To increase the strength of the JMSDF, the Truman administration is considering donating surplus
South Dakota-class battleships, light aircraft carriers, destroyers, destroyer esocrts, landing ship tanks, and submarines.