Japanese Aegis Destroyer JS Kongo (DDG-173) launches a SM-3 in 2007. U.S. Navy Photo
Officials in Japan are weighing arming their fleet of guided-missile destroyers with Tomahawk cruise missiles, according to a report in the Japanese press. Read More
Sailors aboard Japanese destroyer JS KONGO (DDG-173) watch pierside line handlers as the ship moors pierside Naval Station Pearl Harbor on Oct. 15, 2007. US Navy Photo
President Donald Trump’s message to Tokyo to pick up more of the burden in the defense alliance “should be a trigger for us” to examine “our own thoughts of security,” a founder of the Japan Innovation Party told an audience at a Washington, D.C., think tank Monday. Read More
An artist’s concept of the planned Japanese 27DD guided missile destroyer. Image via Navy Recognition
Raytheon’s Standard Missile 6 has been cleared by the Pentagon for international sales and a trio of potential Pacific nations are likely the first customers. Read More
A soldier with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) during the Rim of the Pacific 2014 Exercise. US Navy Photo
Japanese and U.S. forces are set to stage amphibious exercises off of Guam and Tinian as part of a series of bilateral drills that kicked off this week. Read More
Chinese sailors aboard the People’s Liberation Army Navy destroyer Xi’an pose on the flight deck in route to RIMPAC 2016 after crossing the International Dateline. Xinhua Photo
The Chinese naval delegation to the Rim of the Pacific exercises barred at least some Japanese sailors from touring their ships and only reluctantly invited members of the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force to a reception aboard a People’s Liberation Army Navy warship, USNI News has learned. Read More
Japan increasingly finds itself amid an unsettling security environment. The growing capabilities of the Chinese and Russian militaries coincide with intensified air and naval activity against the backdrop of unresolved territorial disputes. On the Korean Peninsula, the erratic regime of Kim Jong-un alarms its neighbors with provocative rhetoric and missile tests. And in Bangladesh and Indonesia, violent Islamic extremism extends its reach with ISIS-supported attacks. Read More
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) transits alongside Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Izumo-class helicopter destroyer JS Izumo (DDH 183) and JMSDF Akizuki-class destroyer JS Teruzuki (DD 116) on Oct. 18, 2015. US Navy Photo
When looking to the future of U.S. and Japanese security “the importance of the periphery to China cannot be overstated,” a former U.S. chief of naval operations said. Read More
Adm. Tomohisa Takei, chief of staff of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, on Feb. 18, 2016. US Naval Institute Photo
SAN DIEGO — The head of Japan’s naval force said the U.S. defense industry and military services can take bigger roles in helping his forces communicate and operate more jointly in Asia-Pacific and safeguard his nation’s security and regional interests. Read More
The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS McCampbell (DDG 85), not pictured, takes lead in a formation of ships from the U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) as part of the annual bilateral Guam Exercise (GUAMEX) on Jan. 21, 2016. US Navy photo.
The U.S. and Japanese navies kicked off the annual Guam Exercise (GUAMEX), which will include an anti-air warfare exercise, anti-submarine warfare exercise, and anti-surface warfare exercise. Read More
Mitsubishi F-15J. Photo by Toshi Aoki via Wikipedia
The cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has approved a record $42.1 billion 2016 defense budget largely seen as a response to China’s rapidly expanding military, particularly the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Read More
