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August 19, 2025
 

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SDF

A single Type-88 missile is tested off the coast at the Ground Self-Defense Force's Shizunai anti-aircraft firing range in Shinhidaka, Hokkaido, on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2025
Japan conducts first domestic surface-to-ship missile test
Japan called its first surface-to-ship missile test within its territory necessary training given the current "severe security environment."
Members of the Coastal Surveillance Unit participate in a ceremony commemorating the first anniversary of the Self-Defense Forces' Yonaguni Garrison in Okinawa Prefecture in April 2017.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2025
Okinawa locals wary as SDF presence grows amid China threat
The SDF buildup has spurred concerns across the political spectrum in Okinawa, and many residents remain deeply worried over its growing presence.
An Air Self-Defense Force C2 transport aircraft takes off for Djibouti on Saturday.
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2025
SDF aircraft depart for Djibouti to evacuate Japanese nationals
Two Air Self-Defense Force transport aircraft left Japan for Djibouti to prepare to evacuate Japanese nationals from Israel and Iran.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth review an honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo on March 30.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 21, 2025
Japan scraps ‘two-plus-two’ meeting with U.S. over defense spending demand, report says
The talks’ cancellation reportedly came after the U.S. asked Japan to hike its defense budget to 3.5% of gross domestic product.
A helicopter takes off from China's Shandong aircraft carrier in waters south of Okinawa Prefecture in April 2023.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2025
Chinese aircraft carriers conducted over 1,000 sorties during Pacific training
Japan says the takeoffs and landings highlight the Chinese Navy’s growing ability to operate in distant seas and airspace.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Defense Minister Gen Nakatani attend the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on May 31.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2025
Pentagon says Japan must meet ‘global standard’ and spend 5% of GDP on defense
Both allies had been mum on whether the U.S. would press Japan specifically to hit the 5% target amid political sensitivities over the issue.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2025
SDF planes fly to Djibouti to aid return of Japan nationals from Israel and Iran
There are currently around 1,000 Japanese people in Israel and 280 in Iran, according to the Foreign Ministry.
South Korea's F-15K fighters were involved in a joint aerial exercise with Japanese and U.S. fighters off South Korea's Jeju island Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2025
Japan, U.S. and South Korea conduct joint aerial drill
It was the first three-way joint training since the administration of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung was inaugurated on June 4.
A J-15 fighter jet from the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong makes an unusual approach to a Maritime Self-Defense Force P-3C patrol aircraft that was conducting surveillance above the Pacific Ocean on June 8.
JAPAN
Jun 18, 2025
In rare move, Japan releases map showing Chinese aircraft carrier activities
The decision to release the map comes as concerns grow over Beijing’s apparent efforts to alter the status quo in the region.
Chinese aircraft carrier, the Liaoning. It crossed what is known as the second island chain, which links the Ogasawara Islands and the U.S. territory of Guam, on June 7.
JAPAN
Jun 16, 2025
Japan suspects Chinese aircraft carriers conducted drills against U.S.
The two flattops may have conducted exercises for countering U.S. forces, with one playing the role of a U.S. aircraft carrier and the other practicing intercepting it.
A Chinese J-15 fighter jet flies just to the side of a Maritime Self-Defense Force P-3C surveillance plane over the high seas in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday.
JAPAN
Jun 12, 2025
Chinese fighter jets in close encounters with MSDF patrol planes over Pacific
Chinese fighters made “abnormal approaches” to MSDF patrol aircraft over the Pacific Ocean in recent days that risked collisions, the Defense Ministry said.
Visitors look at replicas of the Chinese aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong at the People's Liberation Navy Naval Museum on the 75th founding anniversary of the navy in Qingdao, China, in April last year.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2025
Two Chinese aircraft carriers conduct simultaneous drills in Pacific for first time
The moves highlight the Chinese Navy’s growing ability to punch through the “second island chain,” officials say.
The Kadena U.S. Air Force Base in Okinawa Prefecture. An emergency call was made at around 11:15 a.m. reporting that a small-scale explosion occurred at a storage depot for unexploded shells.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2025
Explosion at U.S. air base in Okinawa injures four
Four Ground Self-Defense Force members were injured in the incident, but none of them are in critical condition.
New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins speaks during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on May 31.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 9, 2025
New Zealand looking at new ways to grow security ties with Japan, defense chief says
The move is part of a reset in New Zealand’s foreign and defense policy as Wellington grows concerned over international security tensions.
A model of an unmanned ship with artificial intelligence being developed by the Defense Ministry is displayed at a defense equipment show in Chiba in May.
JAPAN
Jun 8, 2025
Objectivity seen as key to screening AI weapons
The United Nations is discussing how to regulate lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS), which use AI to identify and select targets without human involvement.
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles delivers an address during the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 3, 2025
Australian defense chief doubles down on trilateral ties but rules out Asia pact
A key factor behind the trilateralization push has been the speed at which Japan-Australia ties have been expanding.
The joint venture in the United Kingdom will be responsible for overseeing the design, manufacturing and delivery of the aircraft.
JAPAN
Jun 3, 2025
EU approves fighter jet joint venture between Japan, U.K. and Italy
The joint venture in Britain will be responsible for overseeing the design, manufacturing and delivery of the aircraft.
Members of the Japan Self-Defense Forces prepare to load boxes of medical relief supplies onto a helicopter in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in September last year.
JAPAN / FOCUS
May 31, 2025
SDF ramps up campus outreach amid recruitment slump
Officials say the initiative is an effective way to foster a stronger connection between the public and the SDF.
A concept model of the Global Combat Air Program's fighter jet during an exhibition at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on May 21
JAPAN
May 30, 2025
Japan frets over fighter rollout target and weighs stopgap options, sources say
The joint Global Combat Air Program is falling behind schedule due to a lack of urgency from Britain and Italy, one of the sources said.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks with members of the Maritime Self-Defense Force in Kyoto Prefecture on Sunday.
JAPAN
May 26, 2025
Ishiba inspects MSDF vessels in apparent bid to highlight shipbuilding prowess
Japan has offered cooperation in shipbuilding as a bargaining chip in its tariff negotiations with the United States.
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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Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

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