Kaga departs the port with great momentum: Is it ready to intercept the Liaoning? Will it really be able to intercept it?

On December 8, Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force's DDH-184 Kaga, a quasi-aircraft carrier, grandly departed its home port located in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture. According to publicly available AIS (Automatic Identification System) signals, this helicopter destroyer, which has completed the first phase of its aircraft carrier transformation, is sailing southwest and is highly likely heading towards the western Pacific Ocean.

At almost the same time, the Liaoning aircraft carrier group is conducting routine offshore training in the area—both movements are highly overlapping in time and space.

Combined with the recent background of the J-15 locking onto the F-15, it seems that Kaga's personal deployment reveals a clear signal: Japan is attempting to intercept the northbound Liaoning as a 'quasi-aircraft carrier.'

But the question is, does Kaga really have the capability to 'intercept' the Liaoning? The answer is no. Even after the modifications, Kaga's deck has the potential to operate F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing fighter jets, but as of now, Japan has not actually deployed F-35B on board, and the shipborne aviation power is still mainly composed of SH-60K anti-submarine helicopters.

On the other hand, the Liaoning carries J-15 heavy carrier-based fighter jets, forming a complete combat group with the 055 destroyer and 052D destroyer, equipped with multi-dimensional combat capabilities such as long-range strikes, area air defense, anti-submarine warfare, and electronic warfare.

More importantly, modern naval warfare is no longer a one-on-one ship confrontation. Behind the Liaoning carrier group are satellite reconnaissance, KJ-500 early warning aircraft, shore-based long-range radar, and electromagnetic spectrum monitoring systems supporting it.

While Japan can utilize the U.S. military's intelligence-sharing network, it still appears weak in constructing an independent operational system. Even if the larger 'Izumo' is brought in, facing a systematized carrier battle group still poses no substantial threat. This departure is merely a symbolic action of unwillingness to accept defeat.