NHK highlighted the disclosure by Defense Minister Kihara today that two Ukrainian military members were admitted to an SDF hospital in Tokyo last week as part of Japan’s efforts to support Kyiv’s efforts to push back against Russia’s aggression. They reportedly sustained serious injuries in an explosion caused by Russian forces, resulting in the amputation of their legs. They will….Read more

The U.S. Army is seeking to deepen defense cooperation with Japan as it undertakes once-in-a-generation reforms that shift focus from counterterrorism in the Middle East to the threat posed by China.

Japan aims to shorten the time it takes for defense equipment to go from the drawing board to the battlefield with a new approach lets small batches of gear be put to use before mass production.

Yomiuri gave top play to the finding from multiple GOJ sources that Japan, the UK, and Italy are making final arrangements to launch a new agency for the development of a next-generation fighter jet around the fall of 2024. The paper said the new agency will be headquartered in the UK and headed by a Japanese. A formal agreement is expected to….Read more

On Sept. 22, the Ministry of Defense (MOD) announced that it will raise the retirement age for Self-Defense Forces (SDF) personnel by one year for each rank in October onward.   The plan applies to eleven ranks of officers whose mandatory retirement age is 57 or younger. The retirement age will be raised from 55 to 56 for each of….Read more

By Mori Akari   BETSUKAI – On Sept. 20, Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force and the U.S. Army disclosed to the media a live-fire drill held at the GSDF Yausubetsu maneuver area as part of their joint “Orient Shield 23” exercise. The GSDF and the U.S. Army demonstrated the firing of a multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) and a HIMARS (high….Read more

Japan’s Defense Ministry will speed up its probe into an allegation that retired Self-Defense Force high mobility vehicles have been used overseas instead of being scrapped.   When the SDF disposes of old tanks and vehicles, it asks contractors to dismantle them so they will not be disguised as SDF vehicles.   The ministry launched the investigation in April after….Read more

KEN MORIYASU, Nikkei Asia diplomatic correspondent   TOKYO — France and Japan have begun a three-week military drill in the Pacific, the first such exercise between their respective ground forces on French soil, aimed at deepening coordination among the like-minded partners.   “Brunet-Takamori 2023” started on Sept. 10 in French New Caledonia, with France’s New Caledonian Armed Forces and Japan’s….Read more

Kyodo took up the disclosure by multiple sources that the Defense Ministry is planning to build additional ammunition depots at nine GSDF installations in Okinawa, Hokkaido, Miyazaki, and Kagoshima in FY2024 with the goal of reinforcing Japan’s capabilities to wage prolonged warfare. According to the article, the ministry is aiming to increase the number of such facilities by about 130….Read more