TOKYO -- Japan plans to convert the Maritime Self-Defense Force's helicopter carrier Izumo into an aircraft carrier under a new basic defense program to be adopted later this month.
The plan was revealed in an outline of the program presented by the government at a national security meeting at the prime minister's office on Tuesday. The outline states that the Izumo will be converted into an aircraft carrier, enabling Japan to deploy the U.S.-built, short-takeoff and vertical-landing F-35 fighters on the vessel.
