Fighter aircraft from the Japan Air Self Defense Force and the U.S. Navy intercepted a Russian strategic bomber that entered Japanese airspace Feb. 9. [more]
Japan's lower house of parliament passed a controversial bill Jan. 11 allowing its armed forces to resume refueling operations in the Indian Ocean in support of U.S. and coalition anti-terrorism operations in Afghanistan. [more]
Japanese Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba's statements on Thursday about defense deployments in response to an attack by Godzilla or Mothra hint at an important underlying issue: the evolution of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. [more]
A nearly yearlong investigation into mishandled classified specifications of the Aegis combat system inside the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) led to the Dec. 13 arrest of a JMSDF lieutenant commander. [more]
The Japanese Maritime Self Defense Forces will participate in a live-fire test of a U.S. Navy ballistic missile interceptor Dec. 17 -- a move that will mark a significant advance for ballistic missile defense in East Asia. [more]
Internal debates over whether Japan's troops should continue expanding their activities dominate domestic headlines, but the country's move away from its pacifist constitution is a done deal. [more]
