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SDF

Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said he has instructed his ministry to investigate whether or not there have been any further incidents.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 26, 2024
Five senior SDF officers punished for mishandling secret info
They passed on secret information to personnel within their units who were not cleared to handle such data.
A crew member walks past an SH-60K helicopter on the deck of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Hyuga-class Ise helicopter carrier during a joint exercise between the U.S. and Japan in the Philippine Sea on Jan. 31.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2024
U.S. military and MSDF ocean observation ship to join hunt for crashed helicopters
The search effort is ramping up as officials work to narrow down the cause of the deadly crash.
Saturday's crash involved two Maritime Self-Defense Force SH-60K helicopters that were conducting nighttime anti-submarine training about 270 kilometers east of Torishima in the Izu Islands.
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2024
No sign of aircraft issues in MSDF chopper crash, defense officials say
As the search for survivors continues, officials acknowledge the difficulty of salvaging the helicopters due to the depth of waters at the crash site.
The Air Self-Defense Force's T-4 jet trainers are expected to be replaced with a new trainer co-developed by Japan and the United States.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Apr 22, 2024
Japan-made jet trainer plans dim after Kishida-Biden summit
Some lawmakers in Japan's ruling bloc have questioned the idea of joint development
Contact was lost with the two SH-60K helicopters, each carrying four crew, in an area east of Torishima in the Izu Island chain during anti-submarine warfare training Saturday night.
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2024
At least one dead, seven missing after two MSDF helicopters crash off Izu Islands
The two aircraft were believed to have collided during a nighttime training anti-submarine drill, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said.
The main goal of Australian's new defense strategy is to change a potential adversary’s belief that it could achieve its ambitions with military force at an acceptable cost.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 19, 2024
Australia, like Japan, sees national security interests ‘farther afield’
The goal of Australia's new strategy is to change a potential adversary’s belief that it could achieve its ambitions with force at an acceptable cost.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara is considering visiting Hawaii for talks with his U.S. counterpart, Lloyd Austin.
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2024
Japan and U.S. mull holding defense ministers meeting in Hawaii
Kihara and Austin are expected to agree to accelerate efforts to realize more effective command and control systems for the Japan-U.S. alliance.
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. John Aquilino speaks at the IISS Special Lecture in Singapore in March last year.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 18, 2024
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief Aquilino to visit Japan as term set to expire
Adm. John Aqulino is expected to discuss a planned revamp to the command and control framework for U.S. forces in Japan with the SDF chief of staff.
Residents of Uruma, Okinawa Prefecture, hold a rally in the city on March 20 to oppose the construction of a Ground Self-Defense Force training ground.
JAPAN
Apr 12, 2024
Japan scraps plan for new GSDF training ground in Okinawa
Locals were opposing the plan because the site is close to a residential area.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Kaga vessel was unveiled Monday in the city of Kure, in Hiroshima Prefecture, after completing the first stage of work to turn it into a flattop for F-35B stealth fighter jets.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 9, 2024
MSDF unveils modified Kaga vessel refurbished for F-35B stealth fighters
The former helicopter carrier's flat deck has been given heat-resistant paint, new markings and a reshaped deck.
James Schoff, senior director at Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA, speaks in an interview in Washington last week.
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2024
Expert cites need for stronger U.S. military command in Japan
A U.S. expert has stressed the urgent need for strengthening the functions of the U.S. military command in Japan.
Philippine, Australian, Japanese and U.S. warships take part in the four nations' first-ever joint military drills in the South China Sea on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 7, 2024
Philippines, U.S., Australia and Japan hold joint military drills in disputed South China Sea
The exercises came as the Chinese military held a “joint maritime and aerial combat patrol” in an unspecified area of the waterway.
The Osprey provides vertical takeoff and landing like a helicopter but is also capable of flying at high speeds over long distances when operating as a conventional plane.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 3, 2024
The Japan-U.S. alliance needs the versatile Osprey
In Japan, there has been an outsized and lingering concern about the aircraft’s safety. That concern is, frankly, misplaced,
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Izumo destroyer docked in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in November 2021
JAPAN
Apr 3, 2024
Online video of Japanese destroyer may be fake: Defense Ministry
Video seemingly shot by a drone, which are banned around the military base.
Self-Defense Force soldiers search for survivors after a landslide swept through a residential area in Asaminami Ward, in the city of Hiroshima, in August 2014. Despite the nation’s numerous natural disasters, the government needs better contingency planning.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 28, 2024
Is Japan ready for the worst-case scenario?
Is the nation ready for massive disasters? Based on my studies of Japan’s crisis management system, I say “no” and unfortunately not.
With emerging headwinds in the U.S. and Japan, U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will have their work cut out for them next month as they look to maintain the momentum driving change in the alliance between both countries.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 31, 2024
Kishida heads to U.S. with a mission — maintain alliance momentum amid challenges
Defense and security will likely top the agenda, though it is unclear how the PM will handle the issue of Ukraine assistance amid a split U.S. Congress.
Japan’s Cabinet agreed to ease defense export rules for the nation’s next-generation fighter jet, a concept model of which is seen on display here at a defense show in Chiba in March 2023.
EDITORIALS
Mar 29, 2024
Japan greenlights its defense industry
The government's steps on easing defense export rules will allow Japanese companies to participate more fully in the global market for defense equipment.
Naha Airport is among 16 airports and ports named as facilities that will be available for use by the Self-Defense Forces and the Japan Coast Guard.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 28, 2024
Japan plans to upgrade 16 air- and seaports for possible defense use
The facilities are envisaged to be used as hubs for dealing with ballistic missile launches and terrorist attacks against ships.
Maritime Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Adm. Ryo Sakai during a news conference at the Defense Ministry on Tuesday
JAPAN / Society
Mar 27, 2024
Japan MSDF punishes two officers for 'power harassment'
One was hit with a three-month suspension, while the other will see his pay cut by one-sixth for one month.
A U.S. Marine prepares to demonstrate the use of night vision goggles to Ground Self-Defense Force troops at the GSDF's Camp Somagahara in Gunma Prefecture in March 2017.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 25, 2024
U.S. eyes revamped military command in Japan, reports say
The allies are expected to announce the landmark agreement when Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visits the White House next month.

Longform

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