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Yomiuri Shimbun
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan Deploys 1st F-35B Stealth Fighters
SHINTOMI, Miyazaki (Jiji Press) — Japan's Defense Ministry on Thursday deployed three state-of-the-art F-35B stealth fighters to the Air Self-Defense Force's Nyutabaru base in the southwestern town of Shintomi, Miyazaki Prefecture. This marked the first F-35B deployment at an SDF base. The ministry will deploy five more F-35Bs by the end of fiscal 2025. It plans to expand the F-35B fleet to 42 in the future. Some of these aircraft are expected to operate with the Maritime SDF's Izumo and Kaga destroyers, which are being modified to serve as de facto aircraft carriers. This operation is expected to bolster the defense of Japan's southwestern remote islands amid China's growing maritime assertiveness. However, some criticize that it would run counter to Japan's defense-only policy. The ministry initially planned to introduce the F-35B, which can perform short takeoffs and vertical landings and has high stealth capabilities, during fiscal 2024, which ended in March. However, deliveries from the United States were delayed due to the development of software for the aircraft. On Thursday, three F-35B fighters arrived at the Nyutabaru base around 1:30 p.m. and performed vertical landings. Four fighters were initially planned to arrive on the day, but one fighter's deployment was postponed due to a mechanical problem. The ministry had said that the F-35B's noisy vertical landing training would be conducted only in emergencies, but in February, it announced that the training would be conducted, including at night, provoking a backlash from local communities. The announcement was made due to a delay in the construction of an ASDF base in Mageshima in Kagoshima Prefecture, south of Miyazaki, where the ministry plans to conduct the training. Speaking to reporters after inspecting the arrival of the F-35B fighters, Shintomi Mayor Soshi Kojima expressed concern about the aircraft's noise. 'We want to discuss countermeasures in detail,' Kojima said.
Asahi Shimbun
5 days ago
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Japan deploys its first F-35B fighter jets to bolster defenses in the south
Air Self-Defense Force's F-35B stealth fighter jet makes a vertical landing on the Nyutabaru Air Base in Miyazaki Prefecture on Aug. 7. (The Asahi Shimbun) Japan's first three F-35B stealth fighter jets arrived Thursday at an air base in the south of the country, its latest move to fortify defenses as tensions in the region grow. The new arrivals are three of the four F-35Bs scheduled for deployment at the Nyutabaru Air Base in Miyazaki Prefecture. The fourth jet is set to arrive at a later date, the Air Self-Defense Force said. The jets, which have short take-off and vertical landing functions, are to operate from two Japanese helicopter carriers, the Izumo and the Kaga, that were modified to accommodate the F-35B. The Defense Ministry has said four more F-35Bs will be delivered to Nyutabaru by the end of March 2026. Japan considers China as a regional threat and has accelerated its military buildup on remote islands in the southwest. Separately on Thursday, a F-2A single-seater fighter jet crashed in the Pacific off Japan's eastern coast during a training flight, but the pilot was rescued alive after he ejected himself in an emergency, according to the ASDF. It said that training flights for the aircraft have been suspended for safety checks. Japan is currently constructing a runway on a new air base on the island of Mageshima, 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of the Nyutabaru base, for F-35B flight exercises. However, the drills will have to be conducted at Nyutabaru until around 2030 due to construction delays, triggering protests from local residents concerned about aircraft noise. Japan plans to deploy a total of 42 Lockheed Martin F-35Bs and 105 of the conventional take-off and landing, or CTOL, F-35As, making the country the biggest F-35 user outside of the United States.
Japan Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
Japan deploys its first F-35B fighter jets to bolster defenses in the south
By MARI YAMAGUCHI Japan's first three F-35B stealth fighter jets arrived Thursday at an air base in the south of the country, its latest move to fortify defenses as tensions in the region grow. The new arrivals are three of the four F-35Bs scheduled for deployment at the Nyutabaru Air Base in the Miyazaki prefecture. The fourth jet is set to arrive at a later date, the Air Self-Defense Force said. The jets, which have short take-off and vertical landing functions, are to operate from two Japanese helicopter carriers, the Izumo and the Kaga, that were modified to accommodate the F-35B. The Defense Ministry has said four more F-35Bs will be delivered to Nyutabaru by the end of March 2026. Japan considers China as a regional threat and has accelerated its military buildup on remote islands in the southwest. Separately on Thursday, a F-2A single-seater fighter jet crashed in the Pacific off Japan's eastern coast during a training flight, but the pilot was rescued alive after he ejected himself in an emergency, according to the ASDF. It said that training flights for the aircraft have been suspended for safety checks. Japan is currently constructing a runway on a new air base on the island of Mageshima, 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of the Nyutabaru base, for F-35B flight exercises. However, the drills will have to be conducted at Nyutabaru until around 2030 due to construction delays, triggering protests from local residents concerned about aircraft noise. Japan plans to deploy a total of 42 Lockheed Martin F-35Bs and 105 of the conventional take-off and landing, or CTOL, F-35As, making the country the biggest F-35 user outside of the United States. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
US Ally Near China Receives Major Boost to F-35 Fleet
The first three F-35 stealth fighter jets designed for operations from Japanese aircraft carriers arrived in the Northeast Asian country on Thursday as part of Tokyo's ongoing efforts to bolster the defense of its remote southwestern islands amid China's growing military threat. Newsweek has contacted the Chinese defense and foreign ministries for comment via email. Japan, a key ally in the United States' strategy to contain the Chinese military, is converting two helicopter carriers-JS Izumo and JS Kaga-into aircraft carriers. Both ships are slated to operate the F-35B jets, the short takeoff and vertical landing variant of the F-35 family. Only a limited number of airfields on Japan's southwestern islands can support conventional fighter operations. Because of their close proximity to Taiwan, these outlying islands would be vulnerable to Chinese strikes if used to support U.S. military operations in a Taiwan conflict. In addition to the 42 F-35B aircraft it has ordered, Japan has procured a total of 105 F-35A jets for its air force, which are designed to operate from conventional runways. This makes the U.S. ally the second-largest operator of the Lockheed Martin-built jets in the world. The Japanese F-35B jets landed at Nyutabaru Air Base, located on the eastern coast of Kyushu, Japan's southernmost main island. Citing the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, the Associated Press reported that a fourth jet was expected to arrive at the base at a later date. X user @itackey2, a local photographer, posted a series of photographs on the platform that showed each of the jets landing using a different method-vertical, short and conventional. The photos demonstrate the aircraft's unique capability to operate from various types of runways on ships and on land. Japan's Defense Ministry previously said eight F-35B jets were scheduled for delivery during fiscal year 2025, which runs from April 1 to March 31. According to Lockheed Martin, the jets are scheduled to be deployed aboard the Izumo in 2027 and the Kaga in 2028. Meanwhile, the Kaga is participating in a multinational naval war game in the western Pacific alongside two other warships capable of operating F-35B jets-the U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS America and the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. Separately on Thursday, a Japanese F-2A single-seat fighter jet crashed into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Ibaraki prefecture-located on Honshu, the largest main island of Japan-after taking off from Hyakuri Air Base for a training flight, Kyodo News reported. The pilot, who reported an anomaly during the flight, ejected from the aircraft and was rescued. Following the crash, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force grounded all 90 jets of the type, except for those needed for urgent duties, such as responding to airspace violations. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force wrote on X on Thursday: "[Japan Air Self-Defense Force] will continue further refining and strengthening Japan's air capability through the deployment of F-35B." Lockheed Martin wrote on its website: "The F-35 Lightning II is designed and built to counter the most advanced threats-making it a perfect fit for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF)." It remains to be seen whether the U.S. and Japan will accelerate the delivery of the F-35B jets as China continues to expand its military reach and presence across the western Pacific. Related Articles US Marines Deploy Own 'Narco-Boats' Near ChinaHiroshima Mayor Issues Nuclear Bomb Warning to WestFireworks Accident Sets Barge on Fire: VideoUS Allies Stage Quadruple Carrier Drills in Waters Near China 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Nikkei Asia
6 days ago
- Nikkei Asia
Japan deploys 1st F-35B stealth fighters to bolster island defenses
Defense Vertical-landing jets to operate from modified helicopter carriers Izumo and Kaga Three F-35B stealth fighter jets arrive at Nyutabaru Air Base in Japan's Miyazaki prefecture on Aug. 7. (Photo by Konosuke Urata) SHINNOSUKE NAGATOMI TOKYO -- Japan deployed the first of its U.S.-made F-35B fighters to an air base on Thursday, with the jets assigned to strengthen defenses of outlying southwest islands.
