Commentary / Japan Aug 19, 2018
The GSDF is taking to the waves, but should it?
by Mina Pollmann
The Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade is set up to conduct landing operations to retake Japanese territory.
NEWSWORTHY
National / 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. Onodera hopes to hold talks with his counterparts in the two countries to seek their support for efforts to realize North Korea's abandonment of ...
National Aug 9, 2018
Saga Gov. Yoshinori Yamaguchi showed Wednesday a positive attitude to allowing the Defense Ministry to deploy Osprey tilt-rotor transport aircraft to his prefecture. A study by the prefectural government found no inconsistency in the ministry's explanation of the safety of the aircraft, Yamaguchi told a ...
National Aug 8, 2018
The Defense Ministry plans to expand the age range at which it will accept Self-Defense Forces members and cadets from the current 18-26 to as high as 32 by October at the earliest — its first such hike in 28 years, officials said Tuesday. The ...
National Jul 28, 2018
ASDF trains with B-52 heavy bombers in rare joint drill amid thaw with North Korea
by Jesse Johnson
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. The ...
National / Politics Jul 14, 2018
Japan, France sign agreement to share defense supplies, deepening military ties
Japan and France have inked a bilateral agreement to share defense and other supplies to deepen security cooperation. Under the acquisition and cross-servicing agreement, the fourth of its kind for Japan, the Self-Defense Forces and the French armed forces can provide items such as food, ...
National Jul 7, 2018
Northrop Grumman angles for role in Japanese stealth fighter program, sources say
by Tim Kelly and Nobuhiro Kubo
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. "Northrop is interested," said ...
National / Politics Jul 2, 2018
Japan eases alert level for North Korean ballistic missile launches
Japan has lowered its alert level for North Korean ballistic missile launches amid diminishing tensions following the historic summit between the U.S. and North Korean leaders last month, government sources said Monday. As a result, the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Aegis vessels, which are equipped with ...
National Jul 1, 2018
Japan to buy advanced U.S. radar for missile-defense system
by Tim Kelly and Nobuhiro Kubo
Tokyo’s upgrade could help ease trade friction with Washington and provide cutting-edge protection against the arsenals of North Korea and China.
Commentary / Japan Jun 12, 2018
Is the Cruz Report the end of peacekeeping for Japan?
by Emma Hutchinson and Adam Day
A report's call for more proactive and pre-emptive actions by peacekeepers collides with legal limitations on the SDF's use of force.
Asia Pacific Jun 3, 2018
Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said he reached an agreement Sunday with his U.S. and South Korean counterparts to work in tandem to urge North Korea to take concrete steps toward denuclearization, less than 10 days before a planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump ...
National Jun 3, 2018
Japan, U.S. and Australia agree on maritime security cooperation at Singapore summit
Japan, the United States and Australia on Saturday agreed that the international community needs to work together to deal with any attempt to change the status quo in the South China Sea unilaterally. The agreement, which apparently had in mind Beijing's operations in the South ...