Tag - defense-ministry

 
 

DEFENSE MINISTRY

Self-Defense Force troops take part in an amphibious landing exercise on Tokunoshima island in Kagoshima Prefecture last November.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 1, 2024
Japan's SDF marks 70th anniversary as it faces change and challenges
The SDF is grappling with dramatic policy shifts while facing down challenges ranging from recruitment to rising Chinese military assertiveness.
German and Japanese fighter jets take part in an exercise over Japan in September 2022.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 29, 2024
Russia protests to Japan about joint exercises with NATO countries
Moscow accused Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of placing his country "on a path to dangerous escalation" in response to the planned exercises with Germany and Spain.
A vapor trail believed to be created by a North Korean ballistic missile is seen from South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island near the two countries' maritime boundary on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 26, 2024
North Korea missile launch ends in midair explosion, Seoul says
The launch came as the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier visited South Korea for joint military exercises with Seoul and Tokyo.
German and Japanese fighter jets take part in an exercise over Japan in September 2022.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2024
Japan to hold fighter jet drills with Germany, France, Spain in July
A contingent of more than 30 military aircraft from Germany, France and Spain will arrive in Japan next month to conduct a series of training exercises with the ASDF.
A plan is underway to install a laser system on high-mobility vehicles of the Ground Self-Defense Force.
JAPAN
Jun 16, 2024
Japan Defense Ministry eyeing laser system to counter drones
The ministry will make a prototype of a laser system to be mounted on GSDF vehicles by the end of March 2026.
Under the DICAS forum, Japan and the U.S. could look to co-produce weapons that both countries currently do not have in large quantities, with munitions such as Patriot interceptors "low-hanging fruit," according to some experts.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 11, 2024
U.S. looks to Japan for help in boosting weapons production
The allies are aiming for partnerships in areas such as U.S. warship and aircraft repairs in Japan, as well as in the joint production of advanced weaponry.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore on Saturday.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2024
Upgrade for U.S. military's command in Japan gains steam
U.S. defense chief Lloyd Austin has said that basing a four-star commander in Japan is something the Pentagon is “looking at very closely.”
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel (left) meet aboard the USS Ronald Reagan super carrier on the sideline of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force’s International Fleet Review near Tokyo in November 2022. Under a new agreement, U.S. warships will be able to undergo repairs in Japanese commercial shipyard.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 4, 2024
Ambassador Emanuel can deepen Japan-U.S. defense cooperation
Infrastructure, logistics and sustainment should certainly be atop the list of DICAS initiatives.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korean defense chief Shin Won-sik attend a trilateral meeting on sidelines of the Shangri-la Dialogue security conference in Singapore on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 2, 2024
Japan, South Korea and U.S. unveil new initiatives to cement defense ties
The three partner nations agreed to develop a framework to institutionalize trilateral cooperation within the year.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and his South Korean counterpart, Shin Won-sik, meet on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 1, 2024
Japan and South Korea agree to prevent repeat of 2018 naval row
The move to shelve long-standing political differences is seen as a significant step toward restoring bilateral defense and security cooperation.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara delivers a speech during the Shangri-La Dialogue regional security conference in Singapore on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 1, 2024
Japan defense minister warns of ‘simultaneous crises’ in Asia and beyond
Defense chief Minoru Kihara said Tokyo is “ready to lead the way” in preserving and strengthening a free and open international, rules-based order.
Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara (left) shakes hands with Chinese defense chief Dong Jun on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 1, 2024
Japan defense chief tells China counterpart of 'serious' military concerns
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara met Chinese defense chief Dong Jun on the sidelines of a major Asian security conference in Singapore on Saturday.
A man watches a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a train station in Seoul on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 30, 2024
In unusual move, North Korea fires off barrage of at least 10 ballistic missiles
While the North has in the past launched multiple missiles in a single volley, the sheer number fired Thursday pointed to training for so-called saturation strikes.
A woman walks past a television at a railway station in Seoul on Tuesday showing a news broadcast with NHK footage of a projectile that exploded into a fireball a day earlier, following Pyongyang's failed attempt to put a second spy satellite in orbit.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 28, 2024
Pyongyang’s fiery space-race failure cold comfort as more launches expected
The launch failure was also viewed as a possible symbolic success in being disruptive just as a rare summit involving Japan, South Korea and China was concluding.
Self-Defense Forces soldiers walk past a Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile unit at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo in October 2017.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
May 26, 2024
Evolving drone and missile threats prompting Tokyo to rethink air defense
The low cost of mass-producing tools for modern warfare is pushing the Defense Ministry to find ways to upgrade detection, tracking and interception capabilities.
A missile is launched as North Korea conducts a test firing of a tactical ballistic missile on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 23, 2024
Japan underlines qualitative improvement of North Korean nukes
An early draft of Japan's annual defense white paper also expressed a strong sense of crisis over China's military over its activities around Taiwan.
A railgun prototype developed by the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency. A railgun uses electromagnetic force to fire bullets at high speeds, making them harder to intercept, but challenges remain over improving fire accuracy and making the weapon smaller.
JAPAN
May 21, 2024
Japan sends defense official to U.S. Navy for railgun development
The move is aimed at absorbing the know-how of the United States, which long researched railguns, to put the weapon into practical use as soon as possible.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara is expected to hold bilateral talks with  his South Korean counterpart, Shin Won-sik, during the Shangri-La Dialogue to be held in Singapore from May 31.
JAPAN / Politics
May 21, 2024
Tokyo and Seoul to bolster defense ties with deal to prevent radar row repeat
The two neighbors' defense ministers hope to use an agreement to kick-start their defense relationship, which has been in limbo since the incident.
The Defense Ministry has signed a contract with the United States to jointly develop the so-called Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI).
JAPAN
May 16, 2024
Japan and U.S. sign agreement to develop hypersonic missile interceptor
The plan was first announced in August when the leaders of the two countries met in Camp David outside Washington.
A new era in Japan-U.S. military cooperation is set to begin after Japan's parliament enacted new laws to establish a joint command headquarters for the nation’s Self-Defense Forces.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 14, 2024
Let the real work on Japan’s defense modernization begin
Scheduled to go into effect in March 2025, the Japan Joint Operations Command will centralize command of the country’s military services.

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Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?