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Tim Kelly
For Tim Kelly's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 18, 2017
French carrier to lead joint amphibious Pacific drill with Japanese, U.S. personnel in show of force aimed at China
In a display of military power aimed at China, France will dispatch one of its powerful Mistral amphibious carriers to lead drills on and around Tinian island in the Western Pacific, with Japanese and U.S. personnel and two troop-carrying helicopters sent by Britain, two sources have said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2017
In show of naval force, Japan to send its largest warship to South China Sea
Japan plans to dispatch its largest warship on a three-month tour through the South China Sea beginning in May, three sources said, in its biggest show of naval force in the region since World War II.
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2017
As North Korea missile threat grows, Japan lawmakers argue for first strike options
Rattled by North Korean military advances, influential Japanese lawmakers are pushing harder for Japan to develop the ability to strike preemptively at the missile facilities of its nuclear-armed neighbor.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2016
Tokyo hawks air defense radar to Thailand as Beijing cozies up to Bangkok
With U.S. contractors blocked and Chinese influence growing in Southeast Asia, Japan is offering Thailand an air defense radar system to bolster its position in the region.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 12, 2016
Can Prime Minister Abe, U.S. President-elect Trump unite on China?
President-elect Trump's meeting next Thursday with Prime Minister Abe may mark the start of talks to garner Japan's support for a push back against China's growing influence.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 26, 2016
San Diego to South China Sea: U.S. Navy tested new command in latest challenge to China
The U.S. Navy destroyer that sailed near Chinese-claimed islands in the South China Sea last week was under orders from the Third Fleet headquarters in San Diego, a first aimed at bolstering U.S. maritime power in the region, two sources said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Oct 11, 2016
Difficult choice on Japan's new stealth jet fighter looms over Tokyo air show
Faced with the growing North Korean threat and expanding Chinese power, Japan's defense and aerospace industry will use this week's air show in Tokyo to push the case to develop a highly advanced, and costly, stealth fighter jet.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 4, 2016
20 years of North Korean missile strides put Japan's U.S.-reliant defenses on notice
Successful rocket tests have propelled North Korea ahead in its one-sided arms race with Japan, leaving the government unsure it could fend off a missile strike without U.S. help.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 29, 2016
North Korea threat prompts Japan to upgrade Patriot batteries in time for Olympics: sources
Japan is upgrading its Patriot PAC-3 missile defense system in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, adding range and accuracy needed to intercept more advanced North Korean ballistic missiles, four sources with knowledge of the plan said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 1, 2016
Toshiba reportedly mulling battery plant in Australia as Japan seeks sub deal
The government has enlisted Toshiba Corp. to help it try to win Asia's biggest defense contract, a $36 billion deal to build a dozen submarines for Australia, three sources said.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 23, 2016
Australian submarine tender narrows to Japanese and French bids: sources
The competition for a 50 billion Australian dollar ($34.55 billion) contract to build Australia's next submarine fleet is narrowing to a race between Japan and France as a bid from Germany's Thyssen-Krupp Marine Systems (TKMS) has lost ground over technical concerns, multiple sources said.
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 15, 2015
U.S. Navy commander warns of possible South China Sea arms race
The U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander has warned of a possible arms race in the disputed South China Sea which could engulf the region, as nations become increasingly tempted to use military force to settle territorial spats instead of international law.
JAPAN / Politics
May 9, 2015
Japan, Philippines to hold first naval drill in South China Sea: sources
Japan and the Philippines will hold their first joint naval drill this month in the South China Sea near a disputed shoal claimed by Beijing, sources in Tokyo and the Philippines said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Apr 23, 2015
New security law may drag SDF into conflicts in South China Sea
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plans to expand Japan's noncombat role in armed conflicts beyond "areas around Japan" could see Tokyo becoming dragged into action in the South China Sea in support of U.S. forces, government and ruling party sources say.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2015
Japan wants U.K. to buy sub-hunter jet
Japan approaches Britain about buying its P-1 submarine-hunting jet as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe marches the manufacturing industry into the once-taboo arms exports business.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 27, 2014
Japan mulls financing body to boost weapons exports
Japan might set up a financing arm for weapons exports that would help Prime Minister Shinzo Abe accelerate the break with pacifism and bolster regional security ties.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 21, 2014
Japan raises military profile in maritime war games with U.S.
Japan stepped up its role in large-scale war games with the United States this week, with one of its admirals commanding air and sea maneuvers that the U.S. military described as the most complex ever overseen by the Maritime Self-Defense Force.
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.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 11, 2014
Foreign firms bid for $2 billion chopper deal
The government is in early talks with top global helicopter makers and their Japanese partners on a deal worth around $2 billion to build transport aircraft for the Self-Defense Forces and for sale overseas, sources said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 29, 2014
Tokyo, Canberra test sub fleet export waters
Japan will get the chance to pursue an unprecedented military export deal when its defense and foreign ministers meet their Australian counterparts in Tokyo next month.

Longform

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