Japan will boost Self Defense Forces capabilities with U.S. amphibious vehicle AAV-7 LVTP-7 2908125.

Built by FMC Corporation in the 1980s, the AAV-7 can carry up to 21 combat-equipped troops over land or water. Armament is either a Mk.19 automatic grenade launcher or M2 .50 caliber machine gun. The AAVs would be used to carry troops of the Western Army Infantry Regiment, the GSDF’s amphibious-trained unit. The AAVs would be embarked on the MSDF’s Oosumi-class amphibious landing vessels and then depart for the shore via the ship’s well deck.

The AAVs are a response to Japan’s worry that armed foreign activists will take over a remote Japanese island and proof difficult to dislodge. This contingency has been a part of Japan’s defense white paper for years, and predates the recent landing of Hong Kong and Chinese activists on the Senkaku islands. Japan seems determined to acquire the capability to dislodge such a group without building up an amphibious force that would appear provocative.

The legality of having amphibious vehicles — which are generally considered offensive-oriented — is an issue in Japan. According to the Sankei Shimbun the government was never in favor of buying the vehicles. It quoted an official in the Ministry of Defense as saying that although elements of the public believe there is no reason to have such vehicles, if one works under the assumption that the islands were seized, then amphibious landing craft are indispensable.

The AAV-7 has been out of production for decades, so it’s possible that the SDF vehicles will be drawn from surplus U.S. Marine Corps stocks and refurbished.