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SDF

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.
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 P-8 Poseidon flies over the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold as part of information-gathering operations during Valiant Shield 2016 in the Philippine Sea.
JAPAN
May 24, 2024
Japan's SDF to take part in U.S. 'valiant shield' drill for first time
The large-scale military exercise started in 2006 and is held in areas including Guam and involves about 10,000 personnel.
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 modernization of Japan's defense strategy is not just about military capabilities, it is also about building consensus and fostering public understanding.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 21, 2024
The winding road to Japan's defense modernization
The government's efforts to engage the public on defense issues are crucial for building consensus and ensuring the sustainability of defense reforms.
Members of the Self-Defense Forces are dispatched to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in January after a massive quake. The SDF will conduct a week-long quake drill in Hokkaido starting Monday.
JAPAN
May 19, 2024
Japan SDF to conduct drill for quake in Pacific trenches
The drill includes about 12,000 SDF members, U.S. troops in Japan and Australian military personnel and the Hokkaido prefectural government.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel meets with members of the Self-Defense Forces stationed on Yonaguni, Okinawa Prefecture, on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 17, 2024
U.S. envoy to Japan makes landmark visit to front-line island near Taiwan
Rahm Emanuel is the first U.S. ambassador to travel to the far-flung Japanese island, which is home to a Ground Self-Defense Force base and is just 160 km from Taipei.
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.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Kaga destroyer has undergone the first stage of modifications to turn it into a de facto aircraft carrier for F-35B stealth fighter jets.
JAPAN / Politics / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
May 13, 2024
MSDF’s Kure base expanding mission as it marks 70th anniversary
The unit has increased its activities not only in national defense, but also in disaster relief operations and overseas missions.
Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers participate in a seminar to prevent harassment at the GSDF's Camp Asaka in Tokyo on April 16.
JAPAN / FOCUS
May 13, 2024
Japan's military needs more women. But it's still failing on harassment.
Nine months after the Defense Ministry pledged to take drastic measures, it has no plans to implement a national system for reviewing training standards.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Izumo helicopter carrier is docked in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in April.
JAPAN
May 10, 2024
Japan says viral video of MSDF ship likely real, not fabricated
The Defense Ministry said it has determined that the footage was not AI-generated because details matched that of the actual Izumo helicopter carrier.

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