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August 19, 2025
 

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SDF

U.S. President Donald Trump gestures after signing executive orders in Washington on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 24, 2025
Trump says Tokyo agreed to buy U.S. defense gear, but questions remain
Touting the surprise trade agreement with Japan, the U.S. president claimed that Tokyo agreed to buy billions of dollars in defense equipment.
The Maritime Transport Group's medium-size 3,500-ton Yoko-class landing support vessel will be used for rapid transportation of personnel and supplies.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 22, 2025
SDF maritime transport group boosts mobility in contingencies
China's ongoing maritime expansion has heightened regional tensions and increased concerns about a potential crisis involving Taiwan.
Elbridge Colby (center), then-nominee to be the Pentagon's undersecretary of defense for policy, is introduced by U.S. Vice President JD Vance (left), during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in Washington in March.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 16, 2025
Pentagon No. 3 praises Japan defense report, but vows to make alliance more 'equitable'
The Pentagon's top policy official Elbridge Colby labeled the defense white paper “an important, clear-eyed strategic assessment from our close ally."
Gen. Hiroaki Uchikura, chief of staff of the Air Self-Defense Force, attends a meeting at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, in April 2023.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 15, 2025
Japan taps ASDF chief as new top uniformed officer
The government has appointed current ASDF head, Gen. Hiroaki Uchikura, as the next chief of staff of the Defense Ministry's Joint Staff.
A senior member of a Self-Defense Forces honor guard inspects a formation before the arrival of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba for a visit to the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on June 30.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 15, 2025
With China and Trump, Japan defense report says world entering ‘new era of crisis’
The annual defense white paper says that U.S. actions under Trump will “significantly impact” the Indo-Pacific region and “will require continued attention.”
A Ground Self-Defense Force member conducts a military drill with an anti-ship missiles unit, at the GSDF's base on Miyako Island in Okinawa Prefecture in April 2022.
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2025
U.S. urges clarity on Japan’s role in potential war over Taiwan, report says
The move reportedly caught Japanese officials off-guard, since the U.S. itself maintains a policy of “strategic ambiguity” on whether or not it would defend Taiwan.
A Chinese JH-7 fighter-bomber flies close to an Air Self-Defense Force YS-11EB intelligence-gathering surveillance aircraft over the high seas in the East China Sea on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2025
China says Japanese ‘harassment’ behind close encounter with ASDF spy plane
The Defense Ministry in Beijing said “close-in reconnaissance and harassment” by the Japanese side was “the root cause” of the latest incidents.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to reporters during Association of Southeast Asian Nations-related meetings in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 11, 2025
Rubio says Japan defense spending hike less about money, more about capabilities
The comments echoed the view of Ishiba, who has repeatedly said that what is most important is the substance of strengthened defense capabilities — not arbitrary figures.
U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine speaks during a trilateral defense meeting with Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida, the chief of staff of the Self-Defense Forces’ Joint Staff, and South Korean Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Myung-soo at the Defense Ministry in Seoul on Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2025
South Korea, Japan and U.S. conduct air drill as defense chiefs meet
The three countries' defense chiefs also held an annual meeting in Seoul on Friday, where they recognized the importance of close trilateral cooperation.
A Chinese JH-7 fighter jet makes an near an Air Self-Defense Force YS-11EB surveillance aircraft over the East China Sea this week in this image released Thursday.
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2025
Chinese fighters came within 30 meters of Japanese spy aircraft, Tokyo says
Chinese fighter jets twice risked collisions with ASDF surveillance aircraft over the East China Sea on Wednesday and Thursday, the Defense Ministry in Tokyo said.
A V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor transport aircraft arrives at the Ground Self-Defense Force's new camp in the city of Saga on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 9, 2025
GSDF begins Osprey deployment to new camp in southwestern Japan
The deployment of the tilt-rotor aircraft from Camp Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture to the new camp in Saga is scheduled to be completed by mid-August.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Abukuma-class destroyer Chikuma (front) and the Australian Navy's Hobart-class guided-missile destroyer Brisbane sail in formation during a military exercise in the Pacific Ocean in November 2023.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 7, 2025
Japan eyes used warship transfer to Philippines in bid to counter China
Sending the Abukuma-class vessels to Manila would mark Tokyo’s first export of an entire major naval platform in decades.
F-35 aircraft on the deck of Britain's Prince of Wales aircraft carrier as it arrives at Marina Bay Cruise Center in Singapore on June 23
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2025
British F-35B fighters could soon land on a Japanese carrier
The latest British carrier deployment could see jets from the Prince of Wales vessel touch down on one of Japan's own de facto aircraft carriers.
A Self-Defense Forces tank unit takes part in parade at Camp Asaka, near Tokyo, in October 2018. The percentage of GDP spent on defense is a politically convenient but flawed metric that oversimplifies the complex realities of alliance management.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 2, 2025
In the Trump era, how much should countries really be spending on defense?
In truth, the “percentage of GDP” approach is a political one, not a practical one
German Ambassador to Japan Petra Sigmund says that Tokyo and Berlin "face similar security challenges," and that they must "invest in defense, deterrence and diplomacy alike."
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 1, 2025
‘No time to lose’: Germany aims to boost defense-industrial ties with Japan
Berlin’s ambassador to Tokyo says her country is looking to quickly ramp up cooperation amid a growing Russian threat.
Japanese seafood in a supermarket in Hong Kong in July 2023
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2025
China partially lifts ban on Japanese seafood imports in bid to ease frictions
Tokyo labeled the move “a major turning point,” though improving the relationship still faces hurdles over China’s military moves near Japan.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba inspects an honor guard upon his arrival at the Defense Ministry on Monday.
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2025
Japan needs to bolster defense capabilities steadily, says Ishiba
"The way of fighting keeps changing as the technology develops," the prime minister noted, citing Russia's invasion of Ukraine as an example.
A mock-up of Japan's upgraded Mogami-class frigate is displayed during the DSEI exhibition at Makuhari Messe in the city of Chiba on May 21.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 29, 2025
Top Japanese official visits Australia as bid to build new frigate heats up
The trip by Akihisa Nagashima, special adviser to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, was seen as another move by Tokyo to secure the multibillion dollar contract.
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Joel Vowell, the deputy commanding general of United States Army Pacific (fourth from right), walks with soldiers during the Khaan Quest 2025 exercises on June 15 at the Five Hills Training Area in Mongolia.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 29, 2025
U.S. Army capable of countering China’s plans to keep it at bay, top general says
Increased firepower, cutting-edge tech and greater interoperability with regional allies and partners are key for U.S. deterrence.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's P-1 aircraft, Japan's first domestic patrol
JAPAN
Jun 28, 2025
SDF's P-1 patrol aircraft underused due to engine and electronics issues
The issue was mainly due to engine corrosion and problems with electronic devices, a probe has found.
Winning warship bid gives Japan confidence boost as Tokyo eyes more exports
Australia’s decision to select Japan's upgraded Mogami-class warship, seen in this computer-generated image, has been “well received across Japanese industry," a Defense Ministry official said.
Two Japanese nationals shot dead in Manila
Commuters cross the street through traffic in Manila.
Osaka fire kills two firefighters and leaves four injured
Firefighters work at the scene of a fire in the Dotonbori district in the city of Osaka on Monday.
Trump’s peace-deal demands leave Ukraine's Zelenskyy with only bad options
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a joint news conference with the European Commission president in Brussels on Sunday.
Japan watches nervously as Trump ramps up pressure on Zelenskyy
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba takes part in an online meeting focused on Ukraine, with leaders from the "coalition of the willing," a group of nations that have pledged support for Kyiv against Russian aggression, late Sunday.
Winning warship bid gives Japan confidence boost as Tokyo eyes more exports
Australia’s decision to select Japan's upgraded Mogami-class warship, seen in this computer-generated image, has been “well received across Japanese industry," a Defense Ministry official said.
In Paris, chefs Chizuko Kimura and Kei Kobayashi make their mark
Chef Kei Kobayashi is France's only Japanese chef with three Michelin stars.
Top MLB prospect Rintaro Sasaki is committed to doing it 'the hard way'
Rintaro Sasaki hits a home run during a game against Duke at Stanford's Sunken Diamond on March 16.
In preserving Japanese hospitality, ‘details are everything’
Beniya Mukayu, a traditional "ryokan" inn located in Ishikawa Prefecture, considers itself at "the heart of onsen towns, local residents, farmers, fishermen, sake brewers and artisans" — all of which need new, sustainable methods of serving visitors to survive into the future.
A seaside hotel built on competitive Japanese cycling
In a region more associated with art, Keirin Hotel 10 takes a decidedly more athletic approach to attracting tourists.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers
By Tomoko Otake

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