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SDF

The main goal of Australian's new defense strategy is to change a potential adversary’s belief that it could achieve its ambitions with military force at an acceptable cost.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 19, 2024
Australia, like Japan, sees national security interests ‘farther afield’
The goal of Australia's new strategy is to change a potential adversary’s belief that it could achieve its ambitions with force at an acceptable cost.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara is considering visiting Hawaii for talks with his U.S. counterpart, Lloyd Austin.
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2024
Japan and U.S. mull holding defense ministers meeting in Hawaii
Kihara and Austin are expected to agree to accelerate efforts to realize more effective command and control systems for the Japan-U.S. alliance.
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. John Aquilino speaks at the IISS Special Lecture in Singapore in March last year.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 18, 2024
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief Aquilino to visit Japan as term set to expire
Adm. John Aqulino is expected to discuss a planned revamp to the command and control framework for U.S. forces in Japan with the SDF chief of staff.
Residents of Uruma, Okinawa Prefecture, hold a rally in the city on March 20 to oppose the construction of a Ground Self-Defense Force training ground.
JAPAN
Apr 12, 2024
Japan scraps plan for new GSDF training ground in Okinawa
Locals were opposing the plan because the site is close to a residential area.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Kaga vessel was unveiled Monday in the city of Kure, in Hiroshima Prefecture, after completing the first stage of work to turn it into a flattop for F-35B stealth fighter jets.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 9, 2024
MSDF unveils modified Kaga vessel refurbished for F-35B stealth fighters
The former helicopter carrier's flat deck has been given heat-resistant paint, new markings and a reshaped deck.
James Schoff, senior director at Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA, speaks in an interview in Washington last week.
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2024
Expert cites need for stronger U.S. military command in Japan
A U.S. expert has stressed the urgent need for strengthening the functions of the U.S. military command in Japan.
Philippine, Australian, Japanese and U.S. warships take part in the four nations' first-ever joint military drills in the South China Sea on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 7, 2024
Philippines, U.S., Australia and Japan hold joint military drills in disputed South China Sea
The exercises came as the Chinese military held a “joint maritime and aerial combat patrol” in an unspecified area of the waterway.
The Osprey provides vertical takeoff and landing like a helicopter but is also capable of flying at high speeds over long distances when operating as a conventional plane.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 3, 2024
The Japan-U.S. alliance needs the versatile Osprey
In Japan, there has been an outsized and lingering concern about the aircraft’s safety. That concern is, frankly, misplaced,
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Izumo destroyer docked in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in November 2021
JAPAN
Apr 3, 2024
Online video of Japanese destroyer may be fake: Defense Ministry
Video seemingly shot by a drone, which are banned around the military base.
Self-Defense Force soldiers search for survivors after a landslide swept through a residential area in Asaminami Ward, in the city of Hiroshima, in August 2014. Despite the nation’s numerous natural disasters, the government needs better contingency planning.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 28, 2024
Is Japan ready for the worst-case scenario?
Is the nation ready for massive disasters? Based on my studies of Japan’s crisis management system, I say “no” and unfortunately not.
With emerging headwinds in the U.S. and Japan, U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will have their work cut out for them next month as they look to maintain the momentum driving change in the alliance between both countries.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 31, 2024
Kishida heads to U.S. with a mission — maintain alliance momentum amid challenges
Defense and security will likely top the agenda, though it is unclear how the PM will handle the issue of Ukraine assistance amid a split U.S. Congress.
Japan’s Cabinet agreed to ease defense export rules for the nation’s next-generation fighter jet, a concept model of which is seen on display here at a defense show in Chiba in March 2023.
EDITORIALS
Mar 29, 2024
Japan greenlights its defense industry
The government's steps on easing defense export rules will allow Japanese companies to participate more fully in the global market for defense equipment.
Naha Airport is among 16 airports and ports named as facilities that will be available for use by the Self-Defense Forces and the Japan Coast Guard.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 28, 2024
Japan plans to upgrade 16 air- and seaports for possible defense use
The facilities are envisaged to be used as hubs for dealing with ballistic missile launches and terrorist attacks against ships.
Maritime Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Adm. Ryo Sakai during a news conference at the Defense Ministry on Tuesday
JAPAN / Society
Mar 27, 2024
Japan MSDF punishes two officers for 'power harassment'
One was hit with a three-month suspension, while the other will see his pay cut by one-sixth for one month.
A U.S. Marine prepares to demonstrate the use of night vision goggles to Ground Self-Defense Force troops at the GSDF's Camp Somagahara in Gunma Prefecture in March 2017.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 25, 2024
U.S. eyes revamped military command in Japan, reports say
The allies are expected to announce the landmark agreement when Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visits the White House next month.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends a graduation ceremony for the National Defense Academy in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Saturday.
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2024
Kishida vows to strengthen Japan's deterrence capabilities
The PM also urged the National Defense Academy graduates, expected to become senior members of the SDF, to eradicate harassment in the organization.
Gen. Hiroaki Uchikura, the Air Self-Defense Force's chief of staff, speaks during a news conference at the Defense Ministry on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 22, 2024
ASDF lieutenant general suspended over workplace bullying
It is the first punitive action against an ASDF lieutenant general for harassment.
A V-22 Osprey takes off from Ground Self-Defense Force's Camp Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture on Thursday.
JAPAN
Mar 21, 2024
Japan GSDF resumes Osprey flights near Tokyo after fatal U.S. crash
The Defense Ministry aims to relocate its Osprey fleet from Kisarazu to Saga in southwestern Japan by 2025.
A woman undergoes a blood test in Fuchu, Tokyo, for research on the impact of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 18, 2024
Japan to study health impact of PFAS chemicals amid growing fears
Twelve local assemblies across eight prefectures urged parliament to take action after high concentration levels of PFAS were detected in recent years.
A large-scale exercise of the Ground Self-Defense Force and U.S. Marine Corps is carried out on Okinoerabu Island in Kagoshima Prefecture on March 10.
JAPAN
Mar 15, 2024
Authorities deny report of SDF chopper crash in southwestern Japan
The Joint Staff Office said it has confirmed the status of all SDF aircraft and found no information related to an accident.

Longform

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.
For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on