Tag - sdf

 
 

SDF

EDITORIALS
Feb 25, 2015
Risky expansion of SDF missions
New Abe administration policies in the works appear to expand the scope of of SDF activities abroad to almost anything short of direct use of force.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 23, 2015
Japan looks to boost defense attaches after hostage crisis reveals major weakness
The Abe administration wants to strengthen Japan's intelligence-gathering capabilities in the Middle East after the recent hostage disaster revealed its shortcomings in gaining information through military channels.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 16, 2015
Japanese deaths stir debate on hostage rescue capabilities
Following the gruesome executions of two Japanese by the Islamic State group, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seems more eager than ever for legal authority to deploy Self-Defense Forces elements overseas, saying it is the government's duty to rescue its citizens.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 13, 2015
Ruling bloc parties explore positions on defense
The Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito ruling coalition kicked off formal discussions Friday on security legislation that would expand the range of missions the Self-Defense Forces could be deployed on.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 21, 2015
Remembering and learning from the Kobe quake
Cooperation in disaster relief efforts have helped strengthen ties between Japan and the United States.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 17, 2015
U.N. peace chief says logistics, not front line, is where Japan fits best
The U.N. peacekeeping chief says Japan won't be asked to supply troops for front-line missions but might be asked to provide more logistic support in Africa.
JAPAN / 70 YEARS OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY
Dec 31, 2014
Year ahead may mark turning point for SDF
The 70th year since the end of World War II may be a watershed for the Self-Defense Forces if they undergo the historic changes planned by the Cabinet.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Dec 31, 2014
Abe's goal of constitutional reform faces many challenges
This will be a tough year for the Abe administration as the calendar is full of policy goals that are unpopular with voters, observers say, particularly on defense policy.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 29, 2014
SDF admiral urges prompt action on crisis management pact with China
Adm. Katsutoshi Kawano, the nation's highest-ranking military officer, has urged the early start of a "crisis management" mechanism with China amid conflicting claims with Japan over the uninhabited Senkaku Islands off Taiwan.
JAPAN
Oct 16, 2014
Japan jets scrambling to counter rising Russian incursions
The number of times Japanese fighter jets scrambled to ward off Russian military aircraft more than doubled in the last six months, amid diplomatic tensions between the two countries which Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is keen to ease.
EDITORIALS
Oct 14, 2014
A shift in defense posture
A Japan-U.S. interim report proposes that geographical restrictions on the activities of the Self-Defense Forces in support of U.S. military operations be removed as part of a tremendous shift in Japan's defense posture.
EDITORIALS
Aug 26, 2014
Military courts unconstitutional
The recent Cabinet decision to let Japan take part in 'collective self-defense' raises the question of whether a courts-martial system, and what would likely be a more severe standard for punishing violators of Self-Defense Forces law, should be introduced.
EDITORIALS
Jul 24, 2014
Collective self-defense smokescreen
It is deplorable that Prime Minister Shinzo continues to avoid discussing the inherent dangers to Japan with regard to his Cabinet's recent reinterpretation of 'collective self-defense.'
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 28, 2014
Tooling up for war: Can Japan benefit from lifting the arms export ban?
The Paris-based Eurosatory is one of the world's biggest defense and security industry trade shows, drawing specialists from nearly 90 countries to view the latest in military hardware. Among the tanks, drones, military helicopters and police riot vehicles that were exhibited last month, 13 Japanese...
JAPAN / Politics
May 22, 2014
With wary eye on China, SDF drill simulates retaking of island
Japanese land, sea and air forces combined to simulate the recapture of a remote island on Thursday, a small drill that nonetheless underscores the country's concerns about far-flung territory claimed by China.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 18, 2014
SDF should utilize Shimoji airport
A political professor assserts that Japan's air power would have a better chance of survival against possible Chinese salvos of ballistic and cruise missiles if Shimoji airport in Okinawa Prefecture were transformed into a military or dual-use facility.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2014
'Tank girls' lead the charge
Being a soldier in Japan after World War II was seen as a job for failed police recruits and unemployed youths from depressed rural towns.
JAPAN / NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Jan 19, 2014
Best thing for Senkakus: Never let push come to shove
On Jan. 12, Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera observed the annual drill held by the Ground Self-Defense Force's elite 1st Airborne Brigade in Narashino, Chiba Prefecture.
EDITORIALS
Dec 29, 2013
Drones getting closer to home
Japanese should not assume that remotely controlled unmanned aerial vehicles for military purposes, otherwise known as drones, are being used only in remote parts of the world.
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Dec 19, 2013
Rift growing between allies
The gut feeling of American military leaderes is that if only to prevent war between the U.S. and China, they don't want Japan's Self-Defense Forces to possess offensive-strike capabilities.

Longform

Mamoru Iwai, stationmaster of Keisei Ueno Station, says that, other than earthquake-proofing, the former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station has remained untouched.
Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell