The Guardian – Yonaguni is a tourist hotspot – but its location just 100km from Taiwan means residents must wrestle with the creeping militarisation of their home.

USNI News – The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force will dispatch both its Izumo-class big decks on their largest deployment to date.

Naval News – The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) has announced that it has completed the first of a two-stage modification for its helicopter carrier JS Kaga to operate the Lockheed Martin F-35B fighter aircraft.

USNI News – The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force last week formally activated the 3rd Regiment of its Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, a key element of Japan’s plan to defend its southwest region and the outlying islands there. Last month Japan also stood up a JGSDF electronic warfare unit on Yonaguni Island and a surface-to surface-missile unit on Okinawa – the first time this type of unit has deployed on Okinawa.

Naval News – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will start delivering the Mk 41 vertical launching system for a planned fleet of 12 Mogami-class multirole frigate for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force in fiscal year 2024.

Naval News – The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has commissioned the third of its Taigei-class diesel-electric attack submarines, which feature better underwater endurance than its older boats.

Wavell Room – Japan has a naval deployment in the Indian Ocean. This is a milestone for deeper Naval cooperation.

USNI News – For almost two years, Chief of the Maritime Staff Adm. Ryo Sakai has led the JMSDF, as the Japanese government pursues a historic increase to defense spending, coinciding with ongoing aggression from China and Russia in the East China Sea. Sakai sat down with USNI News for a wide-ranging interview at his office in Tokyo this summer to discuss topics ranging from collaborating with the U.S. sea services to how the Japan Self-Defense Force is preparing to integrate the fighter-capable destroyers into its fleet.

Naval News – The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has begun sea trials of its helicopter carrier JS Kaga after undergoing major modifications of the vessel to operate the F-35B fighter jets,

Asia Times – Taigei class sub features vertical launch systems to counter possible Chinese preemptive attack and reenforce Ryukyu Island chain chokepoint

(Thanks to Alain)

Naval News – The Japanese Ministry of Defense on December 19 announced it has secured $2.59 billion for fiscal year 2024 from the Ministry of Finance to build two Aegis System Equipped Vessels, which are alternatives to Japan’s now-scrapped plan for a land-based Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense system.

Defense News – Japan, South Korea and the U.S. should mirror the AUKUS framework between Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.S. to create a multinational guided-missile destroyer construction program.

USNI News – One of Japan’s largest warships is heading to the East Coast next year to conduct a series of F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter trials next year

Naval News – Japan will acquire a total of 12 new FFMs in five years from 2024 to 2028 at a very high pace, which reflects the increasingly severe security environment surrounding Japan.

Naval News – Japan’s Ministry of Defense has announced the future equipment on which it will invest in research and development work over the next few years. The information came out in the recently published defense budget request. This article introduces some of them, especially those related to the naval domain.

Naval News – As the first batch of Japanese F-35Bs should arrive in country next year, Japan is also planning on setting up new key units and facilities in preparation for their arrival and to support its future carrier operations.

Naval News – On September 5, 2023, a V-22, the most advanced transport aircraft of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force landed for the first time on the helicopter destroyer JS Ise of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

War Zone – Japan moves away from procuring dedicated missile defense ships, opting for a multi-role, cruiser-like design that focuses on that mission.

Naval News – The Japanese Ministry of Defense (MoD) on August 31 requested $52.9 billion (7.7 trillion yen) for fiscal year 2024, its largest ever defense budget request. Plans include the construction of two ASEVs and two new FFMs.

Naval News – Japan’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced the selection of two contractors for the design and production of a new FFM variant to be delivered to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

1945 – Japan’s Ministry of Defense uses annual white papers to survey the country’s strategic surroundings and explain how it means to manage them. Its latest such survey shows Tokyo upping its game vis-à-vis China in a major way. 

Japanese Ministry of Defense – Latest White Paper from the Japanese MOD.

Naval News – In its latest defense white paper, the Japanese Ministry of Defense has unveiled a new image of the Aegis system equipped vessel (ASEV), which appears similar to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s existing Aegis-equipped destroyers in terms of the shape of the ship and the configuration of the main armament.

War on the Rocks – Japanese leaders have already begun internalizing key lessons from Ukraine. As shown in a triad of strategic documents released last December, Tokyo is ramping up spending on munition stocks, maintenance, and base hardening and readiness, as well as making new investments across all domains. But despite this, Japanese officials are silent on whether they are preparing for a short conflict or a long one. This matters because, as the Ukrainian war demonstrates, a protracted struggle could require different plans from the ones Japan is possibly making.

War Zone – Japan has kicked off a project to field a new coastal, anti-ship cruise missile as part of the country’s Defense Buildup Program. The “new SSM [surface-to-ship missile]” represents one of many new missile projects, including hypersonic missiles, recently announced by Japan’s Ministry of Defense specifically for “island defense.” It’s likely the new missile will be used on Japan’s southern islands, including around the Senkakus, to deter Chinese military aggression against what is known as the First Island Chain.