Japan Intercepts Chinese Spy Plane in East China Sea

The Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) scrambled fighter jets to intercept a People’s Liberation Army Navy Air Force (PLANAF) Shaanxi Y-9JB (GX-8) electronic warfare and surveillance aircraft traversing the Sea of Japan and East China Sea on July 27, the Japanese Ministry of Defense (MOD) said in a statement.

Will Japan and the UK Collaborate on Sixth-Generation Tempest Future Fighter Aircraft?

Japan and the United Kingdom (UK) may collaborate in some capacity on the latter’s Tempest Future Fighter Aircraft project, which aims to field a sixth-generation stealth fighter for the Royal Air Force (RAF) by 2035. A full-sized mockup of the Tempest fighter jet was first publicly revealed at the 2018 Farnborough International Airshow in mid-July.

Japan's SDF Missile Unit Holds Drill With US

Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force is taking part in the US-led Rim of the Pacific Exercise, or RIMPAC, off Hawaii along with navies of other countries. RIMPAC is held every 2 years. The surface-to-ship missile unit of the Ground Self-Defense Force held a drill with the US Army for the first time.

Anime Recruitment for the Japanese Self Defense Forces

Okayama Prefecture’s JSDF branch was the first, apparently, to try this strategy, introducing three cute anime girl characters on posters, recruitment flyers and calendars. The campaign apparently defied all expectations, leading to “skyrocketing” new enrollments and calendars flying off store shelves.

Japan's Self-Defense Forces recruitment from John H. LaDue jr on Vimeo.

Incorporating Unmanned Aerial Systems Into The Japan Air Self-Defense Force

This paper seeks to provide military policy makers and planners with constructive suggestions for the acquisition of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) given the regional strategic environment in East Asia and Japanese military culture. The strategic environment around Japan in particular has grown more complicated with the rapid expansion of military activity in the sea and airspace surrounding Japan, including incursions into Japanese territory.

Japan’s Self-Defense Forces to Jointly Operate the Global Hawk Drone

The government plans to have all three branches of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces jointly operate the RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned reconnaissance aircraft set to be introduced from fiscal 2021, in a bid to monitor security situations, including military moves by China and North Korea, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned. 

"Strength and Readiness"- Japan Maritime Self Defense Force Promotional Video

Japan: The Price of Normalcy

In the early 1990s, the Japanese military adopted a cute mascot by the name of Prince Pickles. He’s a little guy with a big head and big eyes who lives in a tranquil country bordering on some pretty dangerous territory. In three action-packed comic books aimed at young people, Prince Pickles overcomes his naïve belief that a land at peace needs no army. He enlists in his own country’s forces to defend against the predations of the neighboring Evil Empire. He endures intensive training. He helps with disaster relief. He goes on peacekeeping missions. And of course, after these mini-heroic efforts, Prince Pickles gets the girl, his comrade-in-arms Miss Parsley.

Weapons of the JGSDF

The transformation of the JGSDF has revolved around the ability to quickly move units around the country to respond to any threat, especially in the southwestern islands. That requires brigades that are mobile and readily deployable. Japan has an extensive defense industry and it is able to cater to most of the JGSDF’s needs in terms of small arms. Some weapons are designed and manufactured locally, whereas others are foreign designs that Japan has chosen to produce under license. The following article outline the main small arms used by regular infantry units of the JGSDF.

The Empire of Japan 2.0?

Inside ​Japan's Controversial Military Expansion

2018 Japan Military Strength

Current military capabilities and available firepower for the nation of Japan.