Japan rejecting foreign suitors in favor of homegrown design for new stealth jet, sources say
Japan wants to develop a stealth fighter domestically, rejecting designs from Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co. in the United States and Britain's BAE Systems PLC, three sources with knowledge of the program said. That would put Japan's leading defense contractor, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, in ...
Mitsubishi Electric to export radar to Philippines in first defense package deal since ban lifted
Mitsubishi Electric Corp. won an order to deliver air radar systems to the Philippines for about ¥10 billion ($90 million), in the first defense product export from Japan, excluding parts, since its long-held arms trade ban was eased in 2014, a government source said ...
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday again expressed his eagerness to add a clause on the existence of the Self-Defense Forces to the Constitution. "We must create an environment in which SDF personnel can perform their duties with high morale and a sense of mission," ...
Japan gets seventh Aegis destroyer, with improved SM-3 interceptor
The Maritime Self-Defense Force on Thursday put into commission its newest Aegis-equipped destroyer, the first of its vessels to be equipped with an improved antiballistic missile jointly developed by the United States and Japan. The Maya, capable of countering short- to intermediate-range threats with the ...
Japan will soon have its first female paratrooper, a 31-year-old woman who finished formal training on Wednesday and is set to join the Ground Self-Defense Force's 1st Airborne Brigade. Sgt. Reina Hashiba took part in a ceremony at Camp Narashino in Chiba Prefecture along with ...
Armed conflict response fears linger as MSDF's Middle East mission starts
With the Maritime Self-Defense Force having fully started its information-gathering mission in the Middle East as part of the effort to ensure sea lane safety there, concerns over what its contingent can effectively do to that end—given its operational limits—continue to grip the government. Although ...
SDF toughens penalties for power harassment and bullying as recruitment lags in Japan
The Self-Defense Forces will introduce on Sunday stricter punishment standards for power harassment and bullying. Behind the moves are concerns that an increase in power harassment and bullying could tarnish the image of the SDF, affecting efforts to recruit new members as a result. The number ...
Japan and Australia look to hammer out status of forces pact in June
With Tokyo seeking to build regional defense cooperation as China increasingly flexes its muscles, joint military drills with countries like Australia will become more frequent.
SDF on Diamond Princess get more protection after 'chaos' claim in video
The Defense Ministry has bolstered protective measures for its medical staff on the Diamond Princess, applying a stricter protocol for using gear on the infected cruise ship, Defense Minister Taro Kono said Friday. About 50 staffers from the Self-Defense Forces are working on the vessel ...
Japan and the U.S. should co-develop an anti-ship cruise missile system
In the face of growing Chinese maritime capabilities, the U.S. and Japan cannot simply sit idle.
Former ASDF colonel indicted over defense leak involving E-2D early warning plane
Tokyo prosecutors indicted on Friday a former Air Self-Defense Force officer for allegedly leaking confidential information on a U.S.-made military aircraft to unauthorized individuals. According to the indictment, former ASDF Col. So Kanno, 58, showed two people including a trading house employee data on the ...
MSDF to not take part in any exercise of force by the U.S. in Middle East: Abe
A Maritime Self-Defense Force unit currently deployed in the Middle East will not take part in any exercise of force by the U.S. military there, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday. While the MSDF unit will provide information to the U.S. military around once in ...
