This story originally appeared at the Nikkei Asian Review:

TOKYO — A U.S. independent policy research institute has issued a provocative report calling for deployment of an additional aircraft carrier in Japan.

The report highlights the need to bolster U.S. Navy’s capabilities in the western Pacific to counter China’s military buildup.

An aircraft carrier is an offshore military base. Deployment of two aircraft carriers in Japan could greatly affect the military balance in Asia. The report will likely generate much debate among policy wonks and pundits.

In late November, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments released the policy report: “Deploying Beyond Their Means: America’s Navy and Marine Corps At a Tipping Point.”

The Washington, D.C.-based institute is mostly comprised of former officials of the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. military forces. As a result, the CSBA has close ties with the Pentagon.

In 2010, the CSBA laid out a new military strategy, called AirSea Battle, in the face of the Chinese military’s efforts to boost its capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region. That report also gained much attention at the time.

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