Tag - sdf

 
 

SDF

JAPAN
Oct 20, 2018
Ground Self-Defense Force to conduct first joint drills with Indian Army in late October
The Ground Self-Defense Force will conduct joint anti-terrorism drills with the Indian Army starting later this month, the Japanese Defense Ministry's Ground Staff Office has said.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 20, 2018
Japanese and Chinese defense chiefs meet for first time in three years, agree to start full-fledged exchanges
Takeshi Iwaya and his Chinese counterpart, Wei Fenghe, agree to start full-fledged exchange programs to foster closer relations between their countries' defense authorities and troops.
JAPAN
Oct 13, 2018
Number of SDF scrambles to warn Chinese planes hits second-highest mark for April-September period
Self-Defense Forces aircraft were scrambled to warn Chinese planes that neared Japanese airspace 345 times from April to September — the second highest figure ever recorded during the period — the Defense Ministry has announced.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 3, 2018
Abe versus Japan's 'invisible hand'
Will public opinion thwart Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's effort to amend the Constitution?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 3, 2018
Japan's biggest warship visits Sri Lanka amid rise in Chinese military clout
Japan's largest warship, the Kaga helicopter carrier, sailed into Sri Lanka's Colombo harbor this weekend, marking Tokyo's highest profile salvo in a diplomatic battle with China for influence along the region's vital commercial sea lanes.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 26, 2018
Shrinking applicant pool: Japan's Self Defense Forces struggling to recruit amid population crisis
As a Self-Defense Forces recruiter sat patiently at a booth outside a supermarket in Tokyo one recent weekend, she welcomed a rare visitor, high school student Kazuaki Matsumura.
JAPAN
Sep 25, 2018
Japan's defense officials to use AI for record management
The Defense Ministry plans to use artificial intelligence for the management of public records, drawing lessons from the mishandling of daily Self-Defense Forces activity logs, according to officials.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 24, 2018
Is constitutional reform the key to securing the Indo-Pacific?
How interrelated are the issues of Japan's constitutional reform debate and ongoing questions about preserving Asia's status quo?
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 21, 2018
Why Japan's first submarine visit to Vietnam matters
While the move may appear routine, its significance is unmistakable.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 15, 2018
SDF to conduct first joint military exercises in Japan with British Army
The Defense Ministry's Ground Staff Office has said the Self-Defense Forces will conduct their first joint exercises in Japan with the British Army, aiming to improve tactical capabilities and strengthen bilateral ties.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 1, 2018
Japanese helicopter destroyer trains with U.S. aircraft carrier in disputed South China Sea
In the latest sign of Japan's increased activity in the disputed South China Sea, the Maritime Self-Defense Force's largest vessel, the helicopter carrier Kaga, linked up Friday for bilateral exercises with the U.S. Navy's Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier strike group, both countries' navies said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 1, 2018
Defense Ministry might ease ban on submarine duty for female SDF officers
The Defense Ministry is considering assigning female Self-Defense Forces officers to posts in submarines by lifting restrictions on such assignments, ministry sources said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2018
Australian air force and ASDF to hold first joint drills in Japan
The Air Self-Defense Force and Royal Australian Air Force in September will hold joint exercises in Japan for the first time, as the Chinese military continues to punch further into the Western Pacific.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 31, 2018
Japan's Defense Ministry eyes record defense budget amid North Korean and Chinese threats
The budget proposal released Friday calls for defense spending to rise 2.1 percent to u00a55.3 trillion for the year starting April 1.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 30, 2018
Abe touts fast change to Constitution in LDP election pamphlet
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is pledging to move quickly toward changing the Constitution, according to an internal campaign pamphlet seen by Bloomberg News, ensuring the divisive proposal is a key part of his bid for a historic third consecutive term as ruling party leader.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 22, 2018
Japan to send helicopter destroyer for rare long-term joint exercises in South China Sea and Indian Ocean
The Maritime Self-Defense Force will link up with five Asian navies and the U.S. during a dispatch involving three vessels that is certain to stoke anger in Beijing.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 19, 2018
The GSDF is taking to the waves, but should it?
The Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade is set up to conduct landing operations to retake Japanese territory.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 12, 2018
Japanese defense chief may visit the Netherlands and Italy next month
Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera is considering visiting the Netherlands and Italy in early September, a senior Defense Ministry official said Saturday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 28, 2018
ASDF trains with B-52 heavy bombers in rare joint drill amid thaw with North Korea
The U.S. Air Force and Air Self-Defense Force conducted a joint exercise featuring American heavy bombers on Friday, in one of the first publicized bilateral military drills since U.S. President Donald Trump's landmark summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 12.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 7, 2018
Northrop Grumman angles for role in Japanese stealth fighter program, sources say
Northrop Grumman Corp. is eyeing a Japanese jet fighter project that could pit it against Lockheed Martin Corp. three sources said, almost three decades after it lost a similar competition to build an advanced stealth jet for the U.S. Air Force.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji