NEWSWORTHY
South Korea's Defense Ministry releases video of maritime incident to dispute Japan's account
South Korea released on Friday a video of an alleged radar lock-on incident involving a Japanese plane and a South Korean warship, repeating its demand that Japan stop "distorting" the truth about the case and apologize for a low-altitude flyby by one of its ...
The Defense Ministry will crank into high gear its research to develop a high-output military laser that can intercept mortar rounds and enemy drones flying at low altitudes. The ministry included development outlays of ¥8.7 billion for such research in the fiscal 2018 budget. It plans ...
Japan discloses footage of radar lock-on by South Korean warship
Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya says the footage proves that a South Korean military destroyer locked fire-control radar on an MSDF aircraft on Dec. 20.
Japan's new defense guidelines to exclude enemy base attack capability
New defense guidelines to be drawn up at year-end will not call for the acquisition of the capability to attack enemy bases, former Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said Monday. Meanwhile, the establishment of a unit to build capabilities in outer space will be stipulated in ...
Finance Ministry seeks cuts of ¥1 trillion to Japan's defense budget over next five years
The Finance Ministry on Wednesday called for cuts of ¥1 trillion off the nation's defense budget over the next five years through more cost-effective procurement of equipment including destroyers and fighter jets. The ministry is seeking to include the spending cut in the Defense Ministry ...
Japan's new defense minister Takeshi Iwaya distances himself from earlier LDP weapons proposals
Newly appointed Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya, who has long been a key defense policymaker of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, distanced himself Thursday from its earlier proposal that Japan should consider doubling its defense budget and procuring an aircraft carrier and F-35B stealth jets. Iwaya, ...
Japan developing supersonic glide bombs to defend Senkaku Islands
The Defense Ministry is developing the bombs to strengthen the defense of remote islands, including the Japan-controlled Senkakus, which are claimed by China.
The Defense Ministry plans to use artificial intelligence for the management of public records, drawing lessons from the mishandling of daily Self-Defense Forces activity logs, according to officials. Under the project, AI algorithms will "learn" the content of public records and ensure that every related ...
The Defense Ministry is considering the use of "white hat," or ethical, hackers to better prepare for cyberattacks due to a shortage of cybersecurity experts. The ministry aims to outsource some of its cybersecurity operations to private-sector firms beginning in fiscal 2019 starting April 1, ...
A panel of experts advising the prime minister started discussions Wednesday on the revision of the National Defense Program Guidelines, a policy document that outlines the nation's defense objectives for the next decade, with the aim of addressing the new realities that permeate the ...
Japan's Defense Ministry to request record ¥5.3 trillion budget for fiscal 2019
The Defense Ministry is considering making a record request of over ¥5.3 trillion for the fiscal 2019 budget, informed sources said. The amount will be over ¥100 billion bigger than its initial budget for fiscal 2018 because of the plan to buy into Aegis Ashore, ...
