Defense Ministry says Russian bombers violated Japanese airspace, prompting ASDF scramble
The Defense Ministry said on Thursday that Russian bombers had violated southern Japanese airspace, prompting Air Self-Defense Force fighters to scramble and escort the planes out of the area. Two Tu-95 bombers entered Japanese airspace near Minamidaito Island in Okinawa Prefecture for about three minutes ...
No injuries or fire reported after Ground Self-Defense Force helicopter crashes at west Tokyo base
Both crew members escaped unharmed from a multipurpose military helicopter that made a crash landing at its camp in Tachikawa, western Tokyo, on Friday, the Ground Self-Defense Force said. The UH-1J helicopter was being flown in an emergency landing training exercise when it came down ...
Japan's Izumo helicopter carrier, destroyer visit Vietnam's strategic Cam Ranh port
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Izumo helicopter carrier and a destroyer arrived at Vietnam's strategic Cam Ranh International Port on Friday in a move seen as highlighting growing the two countries ties amid Chinese moves in the disputed South China Sea. The MSDF ships' visit to ...
Japan's largest warship joins U.S. carrier for military exercises in disputed South China Sea
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Izumo helicopter carrier has joined the United States' sole forward-deployed aircraft carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan, in joint military exercises in the disputed South China Sea, the MSDF and U.S. 7th Fleet said in separate statements Wednesday. The drills, which included ...
Remains of Japan ASDF pilot found, two months after F-35A fighter crash off Aomori
Remains of the pilot of an Air Self-Defense Force F-35A stealth jet fighter that went missing off Aomori Prefecture on April 9 have been retrieved from the ocean, Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said Friday. The remains were found Wednesday and identified as those of Maj. ...
Japan ends search for F-35A and plans resumption of flights soon
The government has stopped searching for an Air Self-Defense Force F-35A that crashed into the Pacific Ocean some two months ago, Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said Tuesday. The remaining 12 F-35As, deployed at Misawa Air Base in Aomori Prefecture, have been grounded since the accident, ...
Japan the new 'leader of the liberal order in Asia,' top Australian think tank says
Japan has become "the quintessential smart power" and the new "leader of the liberal order in Asia," according to a new index of power in the region published Wednesday by a leading Australian think tank. The release of the Lowy Institute's Asia Power Index 2019 ...
In symbolic first, Abe and Trump jointly address military personnel aboard Japan's Kaga carrier
Peppered with pomp and decorum, Trump’s four-day visit to Japan ended with a gesture highlighting the long-standing military ties between the two countries.
Japan's ruling bloc to delay submission of bill to revise referendum law
The ruling bloc has decided not to submit a bill to revise the country's referendum law to the ongoing ordinary Diet session, informed sources have said. The Liberal Democratic Party-led camp apparently hopes to avoid confrontations with opposition forces ahead of the House of Councilors ...
Mayor in Yamaguchi Prefecture asks Tokyo to scrap Aegis Ashore deployment
Norihiko Hanada, mayor of Abu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, has petitioned the central government to scrap its plan to deploy the Aegis Ashore land-based missile defense system within the prefecture. The Defense Ministry plans to deploy Aegis Ashore units at the Ground Self-Defense Force's Mutsumi training area ...
Japan's plan to remodel Izumo-class carriers: Needed upgrade or mere show of force?
Rarely have Maritime Self-Defense Force ships garnered this much attention. On April 30, the Izumo helicopter carrier — one of Japan's two largest and arguably most controversial naval vessels — set off for a three-month deployment and this month it conducted two quadrilateral naval exercises ...
Japan's MSDF kicks off second quadrilateral naval exercise in less than two weeks
The Maritime Self-Defense Force has kicked off its second quadrilateral naval exercise in less than two weeks, with warships — including Japan's largest flat-topped helicopter carrier Izumo — joining vessels from the Australian, French and U.S. navies in waters west of the Indonesian island ...
