Tag - defense-ministry

 
 

DEFENSE MINISTRY

JAPAN / Politics
Dec 5, 2023
Japan defense chief says concerns linger after U.S. Osprey crew remains found
Dive teams have found the remains of five more crew members from a CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft that crashed off southwestern Japan last week.
The Principals’ Board for the Combined Space Operations initiative gather in Ottawa in February 2020 for its annual meeting to formally recognize the addition of France and Germany to the CSpO.
JAPAN
Dec 4, 2023
Japan to attend meeting of multilateral space security initiative
Current member countries are slated to discuss Japan's bid to become an official CSpO member, among other topics.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the control center of the National Aerospace Technology Administration in Pyongyang to inspect the operational readiness of a new military spy satellite and view photographs in this image released Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 25, 2023
North Korea's Kim views satellite photos of South Korea and Hawaii
Pyongyang claimed the images showed “major target areas,” including Seoul and cities home to U.S. military bases in South Korea.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 24, 2023
Japan says North Korean ‘object’ orbiting Earth after launch
"We need to continue to carefully analyze the details, including whether the satellite is orbiting the Earth as intended," the defense minister said.
A North Korean rocket carrying a military spy satellite is launched in this undated photo released Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 22, 2023
North Korea calls spy satellite launch a success, but questions linger
A rocket carrying the payload passed over the Japanese archipelago late Tuesday, but Tokyo said it had not confirmed the veracity of Pyongyang's claims.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 21, 2023
Japan joint fighter development group planned for fiscal '24
The 'control tower' will oversee the countries’ requirements for the joint development of the fighter by 2035.
The U.S. Navy guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey fires a Tomahawk land attack missile in April 2018.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 18, 2023
U.S. approves deal to sell long-range Tomahawk missiles to Japan
The Pentagon said Friday that the U.S. State Department had signed off on the estimated $2.35 billion deal for 400 Tomahawk missiles.
U.S., Japanese and South Korean navy destroyers take part in joint missile defense exercises in international waters between South Korea and Japan in April.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 13, 2023
Japan, U.S. South Korea to share missile-warning data
Following talks between the countries' defense chiefs, the three sides said the mechanism is now "in the final stages of testing."
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and British counterpart Grant Shapps review an honor guard ahead of a bilateral meeting at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 8, 2023
Japan and Britain to ramp up security cooperation
Following talks held in Tokyo, the nations' ministers said in a joint statement that they aim to boost military coordination and interoperability.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is saluted by Maritime Self-Defense Force members during the International Fleet Review to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the MSDF, at Sagami Bay, off Yokosuka, on Nov. 6, 2022.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Nov 3, 2023
Weak yen forces Japan to cut back on historic military spending
Officials and industry sources said Japan will begin cutting back on aircraft purchases in 2024, the second year of the buildup plan, due to the weak yen.
The Self-Defense Forces face numerous obstacles in meeting their recruitment targets: Demographics, private-sector competition and image and morale issues.
EDITORIALS
Nov 3, 2023
The SDF has a big problem: Filling its ranks
The Japanese government needs to take steps to address SDF recruitment challenges that put the nation's security at risk.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 31, 2023
Defense chief condemns ‘outrageous’ response in SDF harassment case
A male perpetrator of sexual assault was forced to apologize directly to the female victim despite her wishes not to see him.
Two Air Self-Defense Force F-2 fighter jets (bottom) fly in formation with a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber as part of a joint exercise with the United States and South Korea in airspace near Kyushu on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 25, 2023
U.S., Japan and South Korea cooperation reaches new heights with aerial drill
While some view the move as signaling a "new era" in security ties, questions remain as to how long the current political momentum will hold
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara speaks during a meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon in Washington on Oct. 4.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 16, 2023
Defense chief retracts comments implying LDP vote would be good for SDF
Article 61 of the Self-Defense Forces Law explicitly forbids SDF personnel from engaging in political activity, with the exception of voting.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 8, 2023
Japan boosting SDF presence in southwestern area of Kyushu
The region will see new SDF units from next April, including an F-35B stealth fighter squadron and a surface-to-ship missile unit.
A model of a new fighter jet of the Global Combat Air Programme led by Britain, Japan, and Italy, is seen at the DSEI defense event in London on Sept. 12.
JAPAN
Sep 21, 2023
HQ for multilateral jet fighter project to be placed in U.K.
Japan and Britain will dominate design and manufacturing on the project.
Minoru Kihara
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 17, 2023
New Japan defense chief 'very concerned' about Chinese military moves
Minoru Kihara called trilateral cooperation with South Korea and the U.S. “the cornerstone” of Tokyo’s response to the regional security concerns.
New Defense Minister Minoru Kihara says Japan-U.S. joint drills are very important for strengthening the U.S. commitment to the region.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 17, 2023
Japan and U.S. boosting joint drills with eye on 'actual combat'
The exercises are intended to prepare forces in areas where a contingency could be possible, in view of military activity by China and Russia.
New Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa is seen in formal attire to attend an attestation ceremony after a Cabinet reshuffle in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 13, 2023
In Kishida's Cabinet reshuffle, two changes stand out
It will be the first time in 20 years that a woman has been foreign minister, while the new defense chief arrives amid dramatic shifts in defense posture.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2023
Japan's costs ballooning for new Aegis vessel plan
Overall costs will reach ¥900 billion if the amount already spent to purchase large radar and weapons systems is included.

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Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
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