NEWSWORTHY
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, ...
The Defense Ministry plans to strengthen measures against cyberattacks by setting up its first regional cyberdefense unit, amid China's efforts to bolster its own cyber capabilities, a governmental official said Thursday. The new unit will be set up within the Ground Self-Defense Force Western Army ...
Okinawa to proceed with late governor's move to block U.S. base construction
The Okinawa Prefectural Government held a hearing with local Defense Ministry officials on Thursday over its plan, announced by late Gov. Takeshi Onaga, to revoke permission for land reclamation during construction of a U.S. military base in the Henoko coastal district of the city ...
The Defense Ministry plans to expand the age range at which it will accept Self-Defense Forces members and cadets from the current 18-26 to as high as 32 by October at the earliest — its first such hike in 28 years, officials said Tuesday. The ...
No systematic cover-up of Iraq troop activity logs: Defense Ministry
The Defense Ministry said Wednesday its probe found no organizational cover-up of troop activity logs related to a controversial deployment to war-torn Iraq starting in 2004.
