Regarding whether or not V/STOL aircraft such as the F-35 Lightning II or the AV-8B Harrier II can take off and land on the flight deck of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force DDH ("helicopter destroyers" - a name in Japan for a helicopter carrier) Hyuga, there are a variety of opinions, such as "The strength of the deck is inadequate, or else the deck would not be able to withstand the heat of jet exhaust, so it is impossible," or "If the deck were treated to withstand heat, takeoff and landing would become possible," or "Even now - if we ignore matters such as fuel consumption rate - takeoff and landing are possible," and at the present time it is not possible to make a definitive statement either way.
(Note: "the present time" indicates June, 2009, when this article was written)
However, in any case, the the JMSDF is not supposed to make use of V/STOL fighter aircraft, so V/STOL aircraft takeoff and landing is impossible in the first place.
No matter what, the Hyuga is an "escort ship" whose primary enemy is submarines, and is completely different from an "aircraft carrier" whose goal is to attack enemy surface vessels and bases or secure air superiority.
The Hyuga is called a "destroyer" (goei-kan - "escort ship" in Japanese) for historical and political reasons, but this also underscores the fact that the JMSDF's most important duty is conducting anti-submarine missions.Hey lightning-chan, don't play the mischief with my apron!V/STOL craft are a no-no!