Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera has told a Upper House Budget Committee session that he has authorized the study on whether the Izumo-class helicopter destroyers can operate the F-35B.
By Kaijō Jieitai （海上自衛隊 / Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force） (http://www.mod.go.jp/msdf/formal/jmp/201612.html) [CC BY 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons
“No decision has yet been made about whether the F-35B will actually be attached to the Izumo,” he added, as turning the ship into an aircraft carrier is forbidden under the constitution.