On Tuesday 17 November Australia’s Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, traveled to Japan to meet Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to finalize a military agreement which had been in the works for… Continue reading "Japan and Australia Conclude Negotiations on Increased Military Cooperation Agreement"
The Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s plans to upgrade its F-15J fleet faces the possibility of significant delays, following the discovery that setup costs for the upgrade work are significantly higher… Continue reading "Skyrocketing Setup Costs Likely To Delay Japan’s Super Interceptor Upgrades"
With tensions rising across the Taiwan Straight and in spite of the Covid-19 pandemic, the biennial Keen Sword 21 Exercise has just commenced on 26th October and is set to… Continue reading "US and Japan Kick Off Exercise Keen Sword 21"
While embarked on an overseas trip to Indonesia and Vietnam, that is expected to run between 18th and 21st October, the newly appointed Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his… Continue reading "Japan and Vietnam Reach Agreement on Arms Exports to Vietnam"
The second and final ship of Japan’s Maya-class Missile Defense Destroyers has begun its sea trials after which it will be officially commissioned into the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force.… Continue reading "New Japanese Missile Defense Destroyer JS Haguro (DDG-180) Begins Sea Trials"
Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono announced today the suspension of plans to deploy two Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense systems, owing to costs and technical issues. The Minister abruptly announced… Continue reading "Japan Suspends Aegis Ashore Plans"
Japan will be developing its next-generation fighter jet, the Mitsubishi F-3, in conjunction with American companies. The F-3 is set to replace the currently serving Mitsubishi F-2 starting in the… Continue reading "Japan to Develop 6th Generation Fighter With US Help"
Japan has joined the growing number of countries investing in hypersonic missile systems. The Japanese defense ministry plans to develop hypersonic missiles and new warheads and deploy the first systems in… Continue reading "Japan Pursues Hypersonic Missiles for Remote Island Defense"
On 9 March, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s 501st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron flew its final training sortie in their RF-4E and RF-4EJ Phantom IIs. The sortie was flown from the… Continue reading "Farewell Japanese Photo Phantoms"
The Japanese government has begun preparation work for the construction of a military airfield and its supporting facilities on Mageshima. Kyodo reports that the Japanese government currently plans for construction… Continue reading "Japan Announces Development Plans for Mageshima"