Australia’s purchase of up to 11 Japanese-built Mogami-class frigates marks a milestone in Japan’s defense exports and deepens strategic ties. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/08/06/japan/japans-frigate-sale-to-australia/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #australia #australiajapanrelations #defense#mogami #sdf #msdf #defenseministry
Australia selecting a Japanese warship for its next frigate class could be a watershed moment for Japan’s defense industry as Tokyo aims for greater military cooperation and industrial tie-ups with allies and partners. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/08/06/japan/australia-japan-ship-deal-defense-industry/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #defense #australiajapanrelations #australia #sdf #defenseministry#mogami #mitsubishiheavyindustries
Australia will purchase 11 Japanese-made frigates in what will be Tokyo’s biggest-ever postwar defense contract, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles announced Tuesday, in a major win for Japan’s defense industry. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/08/05/japan/japan-australia-mogami-contract/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #australia #australiajapanrelations #defense#mogami #sdf #msdf #defenseministry
An annual Japanese Self-Defense Forces review ceremony will no longer be held in principle due to mounting SDF duties in an increasingly severe security environment, according to the Defense Ministry. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/31/japan/sdf-annual-review-ceremony-discontinue/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sdf #defenseministry
The Defense Ministry has punished 93 members of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, including its chief of staff, for improperly receiving goods from four domestic shipbuilding companies. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/31/japan/msdf-members-punished-over-scandal/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #msdf #defenseministry
Since March, a small room at a U.S. base in Tokyo has been at the heart of a historic transformation set to reshape how the U.S.-Japan alliance coordinates military operations, responds to emergencies and projects power. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/31/japan/us-military-japan-upgrade/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #usmilitary #us #usjapanrelations #sdf #defense #defenseministry #china #taiwan
Japan is still considering deployment locations for its longer-range standoff missiles, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said Tuesday, with the weapons planned to be stationed by the end of next March. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/29/japan/politics/japan-long-range-missiles/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #defense #defenseministry #missiles #gennakatani #sdf #china #northkorea
Japan has unveiled its first guidelines aimed at bolstering its defenses in outer space, a move that comes as China and Russia have been developing “killer satellites” intended to destroy or damage rivals’ space assets. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/29/japan/politics/japan-space-defense-guidelines/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #sdf #defenseministry #china #russia #space #defense #gennakatani
A South Korean military aircraft low on fuel was believed to have entered Japan's defense identification zone without prior notice to land at a U.S. base in Okinawa, prompting Tokyo to scramble fighter jets this month. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/26/japan/south-korea-military-plane-japan-adiz/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #southkorea #southkoreajapanrelations #defense #defenseministry #sdf
Self-Defense Forces fighter jets scrambled 157 times for possible airspace incursions in the April-June period, the Defense Ministry said Thursday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/25/japan/fighter-jets-scramble/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sdf #defense #defenseministry #china #russia
A U.S. Osprey military aircraft made an emergency landing in Iwate Prefecture in the latest in a string of mishaps and accidents involving the controversial tilt-rotor plane. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/24/japan/osprey-landing-iwate/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #us #osprey #iwate #defenseministry #airports
The Pentagon's No. 3 official has lauded Japan’s latest defense white paper — but that praise was couched in language suggesting the Trump administration will continue to push Tokyo to hike defense spending even further. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/16/japan/politics/us-china-japan-defense-white-paper/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #chinajapanrelations #china #pla #defense #defenseministry #sdf #defenseministry #usjapanrelations #us #elbridgecolby #donaldtrump #budgets
The government has appointed Gen. Hiroaki Uchikura as the next chief of staff of the Defense Ministry's Joint Staff — a key post that will work closely with the Self-Defense Force’s new Joint Operations Command. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/15/japan/society/japan-sdf-chief-of-staff/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #defense #defenseministry #china #sdf
The international community has entered “a new era of crisis” amid China’s growing military assertiveness and U.S. President Donald Trump’s Indo-Pacific policies, Japan’s new annual defense report says. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/15/japan/politics/japan-defense-white-paper-2025/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #defense #defenseministry #sdf #china #taiwan #pla #us #usmilitary #budgets #donaldtrump #usjapanrelations
The Pentagon is urging Japan to make clear the role it would play in the event of a U.S.-China conflict over Taiwan, a report has said, with the U.S. Defense Department’s No. 3 official appearing to confirm the push. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/13/japan/us-japan-taiwan-contingency/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #taiwanjapanrelations #usjapanrelations #china #pla #taiwan #sdf #defense #donaldtrump #elbridgecolby #defenseministry #indopacific
Chinese fighter jets twice risked collisions with Air Self-Defense Force surveillance aircraft, Tokyo said, coming within 30 meters of the planes over the East China Sea on Wednesday and Thursday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/10/japan/china-japan-aircraft-encounter/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #chinajapanrelations #china #defense #defenseministry #sdf #asdf #pla #senkakus #disputedislands #eastchinasea
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's P-1 aircraft, the first domestic patrol aircraft, is underused mainly due to engine corrosion and problems with electronic devices, a probe has found. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/06/28/japan/japan-patrol-aircraft-underused/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #defense #defenseministry #sdf #china #msdf #pla
Japan is boosting its Self-Defense Forces' presence in Okinawa Prefecture amid China's increasing military activities, sparking concerns among locals and across the political spectrum. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/06/25/japan/sdf-war-okinawa/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #okinawa #sdf #wwii #china #taiwan #defenseministry #defense