Helicopter frigates and Japan's interest in sea-control ships

How viable is a more helicopter-oriented frigate modeled on Japanese helicopter destroyers?

It is feasible, but fixed-wing aviation is useful enough that a larger helicopter ship can become a candidate for conversion into a light carrier.

A helicopter-oriented frigate is feasible, but the usefulness of fixed-wing aviation encourages expansion toward a light-carrier role. Japanese conversions are given as the example of that pressure. The Maritime Self-Defense Force's earlier interest in the American sea-control-ship concept is connected to its work protecting sea lines of communication. The Shirane and Haruna classes are presented as more conventional helicopter destroyers than Japan's later ships. Expense helped limit interest in the sea-control concept. In a larger international carrier programme, Japan is imagined as preferring a different-sized ship while still benefiting from common systems development.