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SDF

Ground Self-Defense Force members participate in a seminar to prevent harassment at Camp Asaka in Tokyo in April.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 10, 2024
Spate of scandals threaten to tarnish Defense Ministry and SDF’s reputation
The emergence of multiple scandals is the latest challenge for the Defense Ministry as it seeks to strengthen Japan’s defense capabilities.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara holds a news conference at the Ministry of Defense last month.
JAPAN
Jul 9, 2024
MSDF divers suspected of fraudulently receiving allowances, sources say
They have been making false claims for the diving allowances for many years, and the total amount they have fraudulently received may reach tens of millions of yen.
A Maritime Self-Defense Force's SH-60K helicopter. On April 20, two such helicopters collided during nighttime training off a remote island near Tokyo, killing all aboard.
JAPAN
Jul 9, 2024
Lack of coordination and improper lookout caused MSDF copter crash
Both SH-60K helicopters were aware of the other’s presence but had not performed evasive maneuvers up until the collision, possibly misjudging their distance, panel says.
Members of the Ground Self-Defense Force conduct drills in Shizuoka Prefecture in May.
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2024
Japan SDF hiring falls far short of target in fiscal 2023
The number of Self-Defense Forces personnel hired in fiscal 2023 totaled 9,959, only 51% of the Defense Ministry's target.
Ryo Sakai, the chief of staff of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, is expected to quit his post following reports that several MSDF vessels allowed unvetted personnel to handle top secret information related to national security.
JAPAN
Jul 6, 2024
MSDF chief may quit over widespread mishandling of secret info
The latest revelation comes just months after the ministry punished five SDF members over leaks of secret information to unvetted personnel.
Gen. Romeo Brawner, the chief of the Philippines' military, speaks at a news conference in Manila on Thursday.
JAPAN
Jul 4, 2024
Philippines hopes to sign key defense pact with Japan
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa are set to meet with their Philippine counterparts in Manila on Monday.
The Defense Ministry holds a lecture for military and police officials from Pacific island countries at the ministry on Friday as part of its security-related capacity-building support.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 3, 2024
Japan Defense Ministry boosting aid to Pacific island nations
Only three out of 14 Pacific island nations — Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Tonga — have armed forces.
The focus on artificial intelligence comes as the Self-Defense Forces grapple with concerns about recruitment and its abilities to harness the power of new technologies.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2024
Japan’s Defense Ministry unveils first basic policy on use of AI
The new policy comes as Japan looks to stave off a manpower shortage and keep pace with China and the U.S. on the technology’s military applications.
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 U.S. Air Force CV-22 Osprey stationed at Yokota Air Base in Tokyo in May
JAPAN
Jun 26, 2024
10 SDF and U.S. Ospreys to take part in drills in Japan after accident
Around eight Marine Corps and two GSDF Ospreys are scheduled to take part in the Resolute Dragon 24 exercise.
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 Ground Self-Defense Force member welcomes a local resident at a bathing facility set up on the grounds of an elementary school serving as an evacuation shelter in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, in March.
JAPAN
Jun 23, 2024
Noto mission becomes SDF's longest quake response project
The record 175-day mission has highlighted the time-consuming work of restoring water supplies and sewerage systems.
German and Japanese fighter jets take part in an exercise over Japan. Germany's air force plans to send three of the fighters to Japan next month for the first-ever joint aerial exercise between the Luftwaffe and Air Self-Defense Force.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 19, 2024
Germany laser-focused on Indo-Pacific despite hurdles, top envoy to Japan says
German Ambassador Clemens von Goetze expects soaring ties with Japan to continue to reach unprecedented heights.
Japan is shifting its defense strategy to prioritize logistics and supply chain resilience, recognizing them as critical components of its overall defense capability.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 18, 2024
Real defense demands more than just being able to fight
U.S. Gen. Omar Bradley famously warned that “amateurs talk strategy and professionals talk logistics.”
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.”
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.
Ground Self-Defense Force personnel participate in a live-fire exercise at the GSDF's training grounds in the East Fuji Maneuver Area in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, on Sunday.
JAPAN
May 31, 2024
GSDF member killed during training after grenade explodes
A committee was set up to investigate the accident, with all live-fire exercises suspended until safety checks are completed.

Longform

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