Defense chief Takeshi Iwaya to meet new U.S. counterpart Mark Esper in Japan on Wednesday
Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said Friday he will hold his first face-to-face talks with U.S. counterpart Mark Esper next week in Japan. Iwaya told a news conference that during the meeting next Wednesday he wants to discuss ways to strengthen defense cooperation with the new ...
ASDF to resume F-35A flights four months after fatal crash off northern Japan
The Defense Ministry resumed flights of Air Self-Defense Force F-35A stealth fighter jets Thursday afternoon, having suspended them since a fatal crash in April, the first ever reported for the aircraft. In June, the ministry concluded that the crash of an F-35A into the Pacific ...
Defense chief apologizes to Yamaguchi governor for faulty Aegis survey
Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya apologized Wednesday to Yamaguchi Gov. Tsugumasa Muraoka over a mistake in a geographical survey conducted by the ministry that was used to select the prefecture as a candidate site for a U.S.-developed missile defense system. "We'll conduct the survey again and ...
Japan Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya apologizes over errors in Aegis deployment survey
The apology comes a week after the governor of Akita Prefecture criticized the ministry’s erroneous survey in connection with the deployment of the land-based Aegis Ashore missile defense system.
Akita governor blasts Defense Ministry over missile defense system survey errors
Akita Gov. Norihisa Satake criticized the Defense Ministry on Monday for making errors in the geographical survey that was used to select the prefecture as a candidate for hosting Aegis Ashore missile launchers. A ministry official was also caught snoozing when local residents were briefed ...
Pilot's 'spatial disorientation' was likely cause of F-35A crash, Japan defense minister says
According to a ministry report, there were no signs the pilot tried to eject and he is believed to have lost his bearings just before the crash.
Japan's plan to remodel Izumo-class carriers: Needed upgrade or mere show of force?
Rarely have Maritime Self-Defense Force ships garnered this much attention. On April 30, the Izumo helicopter carrier — one of Japan's two largest and arguably most controversial naval vessels — set off for a three-month deployment and this month it conducted two quadrilateral naval exercises ...
Japanese Defense Ministry mulls further steps against power harassment as SDF recruiters struggle
The Defense Ministry plans to compile a set of measures this summer to prevent power harassment, a senior ministry official said Friday. The ministry believes existing measures have been ineffective in light of the increasing number of punishments that have been issued for power harassment. While ...
F-35 stealth fighter that crashed off Japan didn't send distress signal before Pacific plunge
The single-seat jet had a system that would have emitted distress signals if the pilot ejected from the cockpit with a parachute, the ASDF said.
F-35A fighter jet crashed, Japan's defense ministry says, as hunt for missing pilot continues
According to Air Self-Defense Force, the incident in waters off Aomori Prefecture is the first crash involving an F-35A fighter anywhere in the world.
Japan and U.K. to postpone 'two-plus-two' security talks amid Brexit deadlock
Tokyo and London have decided to postpone their ministerial security talks scheduled for next week, a Japanese government source said Wednesday, due to the U.K. Parliament's continued efforts to end the Brexit impasse. The fourth "two-plus-two" meeting between the two countries' foreign and defense ministers ...
U.S. Osprey makes emergency landing at western Japan airport
A U.S. military Osprey aircraft made an emergency landing Monday afternoon at a busy airport in western Japan, causing some commercial flight delays, the Defense Ministry said. An MV-22 Osprey belonging to U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa Prefecture landed at Itami airport, ...
