My latest for Jane's Defence Weekly

My latest for Jane's Defence Weekly about Japan's new defense posture that could reverse its exclusively defense-oriented policy of the post-war period.

Japan to equip JASDF fighter aircraft with stand-off cruise missiles

Kosuke Takahashi - Jane's Defence Weekly
08 December 2017

Japanese Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera announced on 8 December that Tokyo plans to equip Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) fighter aircraft with long-range cruise missiles amid heightened tensions in the region over North Korea’s development and testing of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

Onodera said in a press conference that Japan would acquire the missiles under the budget for fiscal year 2018 (FY 2018) to enhance the country’s defence capabilities in view of an “increasingly severe security environment”, adding that Tokyo will still rely on the United States to strike enemy bases.

Onodera pointed out that Tokyo was looking to equip JASDF fighter aircraft with three types of air-launched missiles that can be fired at a stand-off range.

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(119 of 573 words)

My latest piece for Jane's Defence Weekly

Four JASDF personnel missing following UH-60J helo crash off coast of Shizuoka Prefecture

Kosuke Takahashi - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
18 October 2017

Four Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) personnel are missing, presumed dead, after their UH-60J search-and-rescue helicopter crashed off the coast of Japan's Shizuoka Prefecture on 17 October.Four JASDF personnel are missing, presumed dead, after their UH-60J helicopter (similar to this one) crashed off the coast of Japan's Shizuoka Prefecture on 17 October. (JASDF)
Four JASDF personnel are missing, presumed dead, after their UH-60J helicopter (similar to this one) crashed off the coast of Japan's Shizuoka Prefecture on 17 October. (JASDF)

The UH-60J vanished from radar screens some 30 km south of the JASDF’s Hamamatsu Air Base at about 18.00 h local time while conducting nighttime search-and-rescue drills, according to the Ministry of Defense (MoD) in Tokyo.

Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said many parts of the aircraft have been found floating on the sea, indicating that the platform crashed in that area.

Before the incident the JASDF operated 37 UH-60J helicopters, which were built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries under licence from Sikorsky, and 26 U-125A (Hawker 800) aircraft for search-and-rescue activities, according to the MoD.

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(145 of 240 words)

My latest story for Jane's Defence Weekly

Japan scrambled fighter aircraft 561 times in first half of FY 2017

Kosuke Takahashi - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
16 October 2017

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) scrambled its fighter aircraft a total of 561 times in the first half of fiscal year 2017 (FY 2017) in response to foreign military aircraft approaching the country's airspace: a decrease of 5.6% compared with last year’s record-setting figure.

The Ministry of Defense (MoD) in Tokyo said in a statement on 13 October that while there were 33 fewer scrambles than during the first half of the previous FY, the latest figures represent the second-highest total ever recorded in a half year.

The latest announcement by Tokyo comes amid heightened tensions between Japan and some neighbouring countries such as China and Russia over territorial disputes.

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(111 of 420 words)