Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo on Aug. 18, 2017. DoD Photo
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who led Japan into a more active role in regional and global security over his eight years in power, was assassinated Friday at a campaign event in the western city of Nara near Kyoto. He was 67. Read More
Australian P-8A. RAAF Photo
Beijing is denying that People’s Liberation Army forces harassed Australian and Canadian patrol aircraft in the Western Pacific, claiming that in both cases the aircraft endangered China’s security. Read More
JS Izumo (DDH-183) docking at the Port Klang Cruise Terminal, Malaysia during its 2019 Indo-Pacific Deployment. Dzirhan Mahadzir Photo
Four Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force warships will leave later this month for a four-month deployment throughout the Indo-Pacific region, Japan’s Ministry of Defense recently announced. Read More
H I Sutton Illustration for USNI News Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies Used with Permission
China has been honing its ship-killing skills for potential future conflicts on new targets in a remote desert, according to new satellite photos reviewed by USNI News. New analysis shows the People’s Liberation Army is testing the ability to hit ships in port with long-range ballistic missiles. Read More
A Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Soldier assigned to the 1st Airborne Brigade proceeds to a meeting point after completing a static line jump from a U. S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules assigned to the 36th Airlift Squadron at JGSDF Narashino Training Area, Japan, April 19, 2022. US Air Force Photo
Japan must develop counterstrike capabilities in coordination with the United States to deter the “more serious imminent threat” from North Korea and the newly accelerated threats from China and Russia in the Northern Pacific, two Japanese lawmakers said Tuesday. Read More
Soldiers from the 1st Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) conduct individual and small-unit maneuver exercises during Iron Fist at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, February 6, 2019. US Marine Corps Photo
Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presented its national security strategy proposals Wednesday to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, calling to increase in Japan’s defense budget to 2 percent or more of GDP along with the development of “counterattack” capabilities able to strike at not only at missile launch sites but also the command and control capabilities of the opposing nation which would serve as both a pre-emptive measure and deterrence capability for Japan. Read More
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) on April 12, 2022 in the Sea of Japan. US Navy Photo
The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force ships are drilling in the Sea of Japan, U.S. 7th Fleet announced. Read More
JS Maya(DDG-179) in Port of Kobe, Japan on Nov. 23, 2020. JMSDF Photo
Last month, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force commissioned JS Kumano, the first of its new Mogami-class multi-role frigates. The warship was built at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries facility in Tamano and is the first of a planned class of 22 ships that are destined to replace the fleet’s aging Abukuma-class destroyer escorts and Asagiri-class light destroyers. Read More
Chinese sailors at the People’s Liberation Army Navy base in Djibouti in 2019. Xinhua Photo
This post has been updated to correct where Russian mercenaries have been operating in Africa.
China’s ambitions in Africa are long-term and range from power plants and port investment to new military bases, but Russia, through its use of mercenaries like the Wagner Group, is propping up autocratic regimes and strives for immediate influence across the continent from Libya to Central Africa, the Pentagon’s top commander for the continent said Tuesday. Read More
The following is the March 8, 2021, Congressional Research Service Report, China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress. Read More
