National Dec 12, 2020
Due to ballooning costs, Japan has decided not to include spending in the next budget for upgrading F-15 fighter jets to carry long-range cruise missiles.
National / Politics Nov 27, 2018
Japan eyes introduction of multipurpose aircraft ‘mother ship’ and purchase of extra 100 F-35 jets
The government is considering transforming a helicopter destroyer into an aircraft carrier, a source said, in what could be seen as a departure from the country’s pacifist Constitution.
National Nov 19, 2018
ASDF fighter jet makes emergency landing at U.S. base in Okinawa
An Air Self-Defense Force F-15 fighter jet made an emergency landing at the U.S. Air Force's Kadena Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture on Monday morning after a hydraulic system failure was detected, defense officials said. The pilot was not injured in the incident, which the ...
National Aug 24, 2018
1st Lt. Misa Matsushima, 26, has become Japan's first woman to qualify as a fighter jet pilot in the nation's Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF). "My longtime dream has come true. I want to become a fully-fledged pilot, no different from men, as soon as possible," ...
National Jan 30, 2017
The sole runway at Naha Airport in Okinawa Prefecture was forced to close temporarily Monday after an Air Self-Defense Force F-15 fighter jet developed a problem in its front-landing gear, forcing at least 60 commercial flights to be canceled or diverted to other destinations. The ...
National Apr 13, 2015
F-15 scramble in Naha interrupts ASDF training demonstration
Two F-15 fighter jets were scrambled Monday from an Air-Self Defense Force base in Okinawa Prefecture as a real mission interrupted a training session that was being held for the media. At the ASDF's Naha base, the pilots and maintenance crew on show dramatically rushed ...