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Kyodo News
27-07-2025
- Politics
- Kyodo News
SDF request led to nuclear threat scenario in Japan-U.S. exercise
TOKYO - The Japanese Self-Defense Forces strongly urged the U.S. military during a joint command post exercise last year to mirror any nuclear threat made by China with one of its own, government sources said Sunday. The United States ultimately complied with the request in the simulation exercise that envisioned a potential invasion of Taiwan by Beijing, raising concerns that Japan's push to invoke nuclear deterrence could exacerbate tensions between the United States and China. The request, the first of its kind in a Japan-U.S. joint exercise, was based on Japan's policy of reliance on the U.S. nuclear umbrella for protection, suggesting that both Japanese government and SDF officials see Chinese nuclear saber-rattling as a real possibility in the event of a Taiwan contingency. The Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Japan and the United States named China as a hypothetical enemy for the first time in the computer simulation exercise "Keen Edge" in February last year. During the exercise, the U.S. Navy set up temporary bases in the Nansei island chain in the Kagoshima and Okinawa prefectures in the initial stages of a Taiwan contingency, with the SDF providing logistical support. Later in the drill, the scenario assumed that China hinted at the use of nuclear weapons against the United States and Japan, but the U.S. side initially did not take any measures due to concerns over escalating the situation further, according to the sources. Adm. John Aquilino, commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, ultimately acquiesced to repeated requests by Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida, chief of the SDF Joint Staff, for "the United States to counter with nuclear threats to defend Japan." Neither Beijing nor Washington used nuclear arms in the simulation. The two countries announced last December their first guidelines on "extended deterrence," often described as the U.S.'s commitment to using its full range of nuclear and conventional capabilities to defend Japan amid China's growing military activities and North Korea's missile and nuclear development.
24-07-2025
- Politics
Japan Fighter Jets Scramble 157 Times in April-June
News from Japan Jul 24, 2025 21:25 (JST) Tokyo, July 24 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Self-Defense Forces fighter jets scrambled 157 times for possible airspace incursions in April-June, the Defense Ministry said Thursday. The scrambles were mostly in response to Chinese and Russian aircraft. The number of scrambles against Russian aircraft was the second lowest since fiscal 2013, but the ministry still considers the figure high. The number of scrambles against Chinese aircraft rose by 17 from a year before to 122, accounting for some 78 pct of the total, according to the ministry. There were 32 scrambles against Russian aircraft, down by 20. In May, a Chinese helicopter intruded into Japanese airspace after taking off from a coast guard ship that entered Japanese waters off the Senkaku Islands in the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa. The Japanese-administered islands in the East China Sea are claimed by China. Over 1,300 takeoffs and landings by fighter jets and others on Chinese aircraft carriers advancing to the Pacific Ocean from the East China Sea were confirmed. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
10-07-2025
- Business
Japan, New Zealand to Begin ACSA Talks
News from Japan Politics Jul 10, 2025 19:26 (JST) Kuala Lumpur, July 10 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and his New Zealand counterpart, Winston Peters, met in Malaysia on Thursday and agreed to start negotiations for the conclusion of an acquisition and cross-servicing agreement, or ACSA, between their countries. The ACSA, if concluded, would allow the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the New Zealand military to exchange fuel and ammunition. The two foreign ministers also discussed the situation in the Indo-Pacific region, including Pacific island countries where China has been trying to expand its influence, and agreed to strengthen ties among allies and like-minded nations. They confirmed that their countries will further expand cooperation in the economic field, including under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
The Mainichi
09-06-2025
- General
- The Mainichi
Blast occurs at US Kadena Air Base, injuring 4 Japan SDF members
NAHA, Japan (Kyodo) -- An explosion occurred Monday at the U.S. military's Kadena Air Base in the southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa, slightly injuring four Japanese Self-Defense Forces members who were working at a depot, local officials and the Defense Ministry said. The ministry said the blast occurred while the SDF personnel were preparing to carry out bomb disposal operations. According to the local officials, no evacuation order has been issued for nearby residents. Okinawa is home to the bulk of U.S. military facilities in Japan.
Japan Today
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
Japan, India agree on deeper defense ties, eye new dialogue body
Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, left, shakes hand with his Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani, in New Delhi, India, on Monday. The defense ministers of Japan and India have agreed to deepen cooperation between their forces, including starting discussions toward establishing a senior officer-level dialogue body, as China continues to expand its military presence in the Indo-Pacific region. Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh also affirmed that the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the Indian military will increase their joint exercises, Nakatani told reporters after their talks in New Delhi. The envisaged dialogue body will be in charge of coordinating the overall collaborative work between their forces, according to Japanese government officials. At the outset of the meeting, which was open to the media, Nakatani said stronger ties between the two countries have become "more important" with the situation surrounding them becoming "growingly complicated and uncertain" at a time U.S. President Donald Trump's commitment to the Indo-Pacific region remains unclear. Singh told Nakatani that he hopes to continue bilateral defense equipment and technology collaboration with Japan. Japan has been stepping up security ties with India by increasing joint drills in recent years and reinforcing defense capabilities in the space and cyber domains. Japan and India have also been discussing a plan to transfer Unicorn communication antennas similar to those installed on a new Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer. The meeting came after Tokyo approached New Delhi about participating in the Global Combat Air Program, an initiative involving Japan, Britain and Italy to jointly develop a next-generation fighter jet by 2035, according to government sources. Japan and India are members of the Quad grouping of Indo-Pacific democracies that also includes the United States and Australia. The framework is widely seen as a counterweight to China. Nakatani is on a four-day trip from Saturday that has also taken him to Sri Lanka. © KYODO
