Tokyo keen to play down impact of Seoul's military information-sharing agreement exit
Japan's response to Saturday's North Korean missile launches seems to reflect its eagerness to play down the impact of South Korea's decision to exit their military information-sharing agreement, known as GSOMIA. Unlike in past cases of North Korea's firing of projectiles, Tokyo was quicker to ...
Defense chief Takeshi Iwaya to meet new U.S. counterpart Mark Esper in Japan on Wednesday
Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said Friday he will hold his first face-to-face talks with U.S. counterpart Mark Esper next week in Japan. Iwaya told a news conference that during the meeting next Wednesday he wants to discuss ways to strengthen defense cooperation with the new ...
Japan lodges protest against North Korea over launch of ballistic missiles
Japan lodged a protest against North Korea on Monday over the launch last week of what Tokyo has identified as short-range ballistic missiles, a government official said. The protest was made through diplomatic channels in Beijing, as the test-firing Thursday morning violated U.N. Security Council ...
Japan calls for renewal of defense information pact with South Korea
Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya called on Tuesday for a renewal of a bilateral agreement for sharing defense secrets with South Korea. The General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) is renewed automatically every year unless either country informs the other of their intention to scrap ...
Japan will provide U.S. forces with information obtained from planned Aegis Ashore ground-based missile defense systems when necessary, Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said at a news conference Tuesday. The comment suggests there is a possibility that the Aegis Ashore systems would serve as a radar ...
Defense chief apologizes to Yamaguchi governor for faulty Aegis survey
Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya apologized Wednesday to Yamaguchi Gov. Tsugumasa Muraoka over a mistake in a geographical survey conducted by the ministry that was used to select the prefecture as a candidate site for a U.S.-developed missile defense system. "We'll conduct the survey again and ...
Japan Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya apologizes over errors in Aegis deployment survey
The apology comes a week after the governor of Akita Prefecture criticized the ministry’s erroneous survey in connection with the deployment of the land-based Aegis Ashore missile defense system.
Japan takes step to accelerate landfill work at planned Henoko base site
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki on Wednesday urged the central government to immediately stop landfill work as part of land reclamation at a planned U.S. base site in the Henoko coastal area of Okinawa Prefecture, after it took a step to accelerate the work the ...
Pilot's 'spatial disorientation' was likely cause of F-35A crash, Japan defense minister says
According to a ministry report, there were no signs the pilot tried to eject and he is believed to have lost his bearings just before the crash.
Japan's policy on North Korea is under growing scrutiny, particularly since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed willingness to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "without conditions." Since Pyongyang fired projectiles that appeared to be short-range ballistic missiles on May 4 and ...
Japan, U.S. and South Korean defense chiefs pledge to work toward North Korean denuclearization
Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya and his counterparts from the U.S. and South Korea pledge to work together to realize the denuclearization of North Korea.
