SINGAPORE — As China dwarfs other Pacific nations with its naval expansion in terms of raw tonnage, number of hulls and the amount of capabilities hitting the sea, US allies Japan and South Korea are scrambling to modernize their own naval capabilities.
The scale of China’s naval expansion is stark. According to the BBC, citing a CSIS report, China’s four major shipyards produced 39 warships with a total displacement of 550,000 tonnes between 2019 and 2023. That same BBC piece also added that as of 2024 the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) had 332 warships to the US Navy’s 319.
Adding to the pressure for more naval capabilities is the dependence of East Asia’s economies on seaborne trade, meaning nations need a bolstered navy to protect incoming shipments.
In addition to China’s growing threat, both US allies also have to also contend with nuclear-armed North Korea’s missile programs as well as its own naval ambitions that has seen the Stalinist regime pursue its own nuclear-powered submarine.
So, in the race to modernize, what are Japan and South Korea doing?
