The Defense Ministry has decided to suspend Kawasaki Heavy Industries from bidding on its projects for 2½ months until March 11, citing data falsifications on submarine engines. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/27/japan/kawasaki-heavy-defense-ministry-suspension/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sdf #msdf #defense #defenseministry #corruption #submarines #kawasakiheavy
Japan’s Cabinet has approved a defense budget request exceeding ¥9 trillion for the first time ever, including some ¥100 billion to build a drone “shield” to help defend the country’s southwestern periphery. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/26/japan/japan-defense-spending-record-high/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #defense #budgets #defenseministry #sdf #sanaetakaichi #shinjirokoizumi
The United States has informed Japan of its hope to additionally use heavy weapons, such as antitank missiles and rocket launchers, in training at Ground Self-Defense Force firing ranges. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/24/japan/us-heavy-weapons-use-gsdf/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #us #usjapanrelations #okinawa #gsdf #defense #rockets #missiles #defenseministry #hokkaido #miyagi #yamanashi #shizuoka #oita
The government has adopted a new cybersecurity strategy, stipulating a new system enabling the police, the Defense Ministry and the SDF to work together in neutralizing critical attacks. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/23/japan/crime-legal/new-cybersecurity-strategy-police-sdf/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #japanesepolice #sdf #china #russia #northkorea #defense #defenseministry #cybersecurity #ai
The government has decided to move up a planned overhaul of the pay structure for Self-Defense Forces personnel, to a year earlier than scheduled, as it seeks to address chronic staffing shortages. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/23/japan/society/japan-sdf-pay-scale-overhaul/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #sdf #defenseministry #wages
For Japan’s top uniformed military officer, reinforcing the country’s defense capabilities to counter complex and diverse threats most think only exist in Hollywood movies has become one of his top priorities. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/18/japan/sdf-joint-staff-uchikura-interview/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #defense #defenseministry #hiroakiuchikura #missiles #china #drones #pla #usmilitary #usjapanrelations
Japan has long had some of the world’s strictest restrictions on arms exports. But things are set to change radically — as early as next spring — amid an increasingly fraught regional security environment. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/17/japan/politics/japan-arms-exports-analysis/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #nipponishin #sdf #defense #diet #defenseministry #nationalsecuritycouncil #trade #china #gcap #usmilitary #us #sanaetakaichi
China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier flotilla appeared to be on its way home, Japan said Friday, after the ships were spotted entering the East China Sea following military exercises in the Pacific. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/13/japan/china-japan-aircraft-carrier-return/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #china #pla #chinajapanrelations #aircraftcarriers #defense #defenseministry #sdf
Comments made a month ago by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that triggered a diplomatic spat with China over Taiwan appear to have been unscripted, based on documents obtained by a lawmaker. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/12/japan/politics/takaichi-taiwan-unscripted/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #chinajapanrelations #china #taiwan #sanaetakaichi #defense #defenseministry
China’s increasingly aggressive military actions toward Japan, highlighted by a recent radar lock-on incident, reflect a growing pattern of pressure that Tokyo and its allies must counter with steady vigilance. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/editorials/2025/12/12/chinas-continue-to-test-japans-defenses/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #editorials #chinajapanrelations #china #defense #pla #shinjirokoizumi #defenseministry #donaldtrump #us #taiwan #sanaetakaichi
The U.S. has for the first time criticized the Chinese military’s use of radar on Japanese fighter jets last week, as Tokyo refuted Beijing’s claims it had given sufficient advance notice of military drills near Japan. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/10/japan/politics/china-radar-lock-on-japan/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #chinajapanrelations #china #defense #pla #shinjirokoizumi #defenseministry #donaldtrump #us #taiwan #sanaetakaichi
Japan scrambled fighter jets late Tuesday after Chinese and Russian military aircraft conducted joint patrols near the country, just days after Chinese jets locked their radar on Japanese aircraft amid rising tensions. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/10/japan/china-russia-joint-air-patrol/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #china #pla #russia #sdf #defense #defenseministry
A hotline between Japanese and Chinese defense authorities does not appear to be working after an incident in which Chinese military aircraft directed radar at Japanese Self-Defense Forces jets. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/09/japan/politics/japan-china-hotline-function/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #china #chinajapanrelations #defense #sdf #defenseministry
Tokyo has slapped down Beijing’s allegations that Self-Defense Forces aircraft had “harassed” Chinese military warplanes over the weekend, a day after Japan said the Chinese fighters had locked their radar onto SDF jets. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/08/japan/politics/china-japan-radar-lock-on-protest/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #chinajapanrelations #sdf #defense #defenseministry #minorukihara #sanaetakaichi #china #pla
The defense chiefs of Australia and Japan have announced a new “strategic defense” framework as they look to deepen cooperation amid shared concerns about Chinese military activities in the region. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/07/japan/japan-australia-defense-ministers/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #australiajapanrelations #australia #defense #shinjirokoizumi #defenseministry
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi is planning to visit the United States next month to hold talks with his U.S. counterpart, Pete Hegseth, government officials have said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/06/japan/politics/koizumi-us-visit-january/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #shinjirokoizumi #defense #defenseministry #budgets #us #usjapanrelations #petehegseth
The Japanese government plans to establish a national intelligence bureau as early as July 2026, sources said Friday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/05/japan/politics/intelligence-bureau-planned/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #diet #ldp #espionage #publicsecurityintelligenceagency #defenseministry #foreignministry #cabinet
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi is actively using social media and other means to disseminate information on the military movements of countries around Japan and how the Japanese Self-Defense Forces are responding. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/11/23/japan/politics/defense-chief-koizumi-one-month/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #shinjirokoizumi #defense #defenseministry #sdf
China’s commissioning of its most advanced aircraft carrier yet raises the costs for Tokyo and delivers a warning to the Japan-U.S. alliance that it can maintain a continuous presence in the Western Pacific. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/11/11/japan/china-new-aircraft-carrier-japan/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #china #defense #pla #chinajapanrelations #sdf #defenseministry #taiwan #usmilitary
Nuclear-armed North Korea fired off an unidentified ballistic missile on Friday, the Defense Ministry in Tokyo said, with the missile apparently landing outside Japan's exclusive economic zone. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/11/07/japan/north-korea-missile-november-7/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #northkorea #southkorea #defense #defenseministry #missiles #nuclearweapons #sanaetakaichi