USNI News – The Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) will procure the next generation of Japanese anti-landing craft missiles next year as Tokyo prioritizes coastal defense systems to defend its southwestern islands.

The War Zone – Yonaguni Island recently hosted U.S. Marines and now Japan is looking to deploy air defenses there, which could expand to other kinetic capabilities.

The Diplomat – National preparedness for a cross-strait emergency has been far behind what is necessary.

CIMSEC – Recurring PLA operations and increased bilateral training with Russian military forces constitute a challenge backed by military threats close to Japan’s territorial waters.

Breaking Defense – China’s unprecedented deployment of two aircraft carrier groups this summer provided Japanese surveillance aircraft with a wealth of information about the ships, a Japanese official told Breaking Defense, though the People’s Liberation Army — Navy (PLAN) made sure it wasn’t too easy to gather.

Japanese Ministry of Defense – This year’s defense white paper from the Japanese MOD.

The War Zone – As well as a new sub-launched cruise missile, Japan will be getting upgraded versions of its Type 12 anti-ship missile for its surface combatants.

USNI News – Japan’s largest minelayer practiced defending a chain of strategic islands near Taiwan last week in what Tokyo described as a demonstration of “determination not to allow unilateral changes to the status quo by force.”

Naval News – The Japanese Ministry of Defense has revised the hull classification symbols for Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) vessels effective October 2024. The change adds two new symbols, “CG” and “CVM,” which will be applied to upcoming ship types.

Defence Blog – Japan’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) has announced the successful completion of offshore firing trials using an electromagnetic railgun.

(Thanks to Alain)

Global Times – Japan is using a large coast guard drone, the SeaGuardian, to monitor the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea, according to Kyodo News on Tuesday. A Chinese military expert said that if Japan’s military drones intrude into the airspace of China’s Diaoyu Islands, such new illegal activities will further complicate the situation, and China will take corresponding countermeasures.

Navy Lookout – HMS Prince of Wales has concluded a landmark series of joint operations with the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force in the Philippine Sea, the first time a UK jet has landed on a Japanese warship. The exercise, part of Operation HIGHMAST, brought together four powerful multinational task groups.

Naval News – On August 7, Japan deployed its first three F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters at the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s Nyutabaru Air Base in Miyazaki prefecture on Kyushu, Japan’s southernmost main island, according to the JASDF.

Breaking Defense – The US ally currently has the largest number of F-35s on order outside of the United States, with plans for 157 jets split into 105 F-35A Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL) aircraft and 42 F-35Bs.

USNI News – Officials in Tokyo released their Defense of Japan 2025 white paper this week with findings the international community is facing its greatest risk of conflict since World War II. The paper pointed to Russia, China and North Korea as primary regional security threats. The report also found U.S. U.S.-China strategic competition has been escalating and that the military balance between China and Taiwan has been rapidly tilting in China’s favor.

Naval News – Since the 2010s, Japan has been compelled to respond to China’s maritime expansion and military buildup. A particularly critical issue has been how to defend Japan’s remote islands and key island chains in the East China Sea, commonly known as the Nansei Islands. To address this challenge, the Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade (ARDB), a specialized force for initial defense operations, was established in March 2018.

The War Zone – The turreted prototype installed on a testbed surface combatant is the latest step forward in Japan’s work on railguns, something the U.S. Navy shelved years ago.

Naval News -The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) released an image of its state-of-the-art railgun currently undergoing testing aboard the test ship JS Asuka.

Naval News – The new offshore patrol vessels (OPV) will be built at a very high pace: The first and second vessels are scheduled to be launched in November this year.

USNI News – Japan formally activated on Sunday a new joint maritime transport unit geared towards improving troop deployment capabilities in Japan’s southwest islands.

Modern War Institute – Amid the strategic competition and simmering tensions in the Indo-Pacific region between the United States and China, Japan has worked to boost its military capability on Yonaguni Island, the westernmost island of Okinawa. This is a sensible move given the island’s strategic importance and proximity to both Taiwan and China. The Japan Self-Defense Forces established a military base and radar station in 2016 with approximately 160 troops to monitor airspace and waterways. Plans are also in place to deploy a missile unit to the island.

Naval News – On March 24, the Japanese Ministry of Defense established a new Self-Defense Forces Maritime Transport Group, a joint unit of the Ground and Maritime Self-Defense Forces, at the JMSDF Kure Base. The initial number of members at the unit is about 100, according the Ground Staff Office in Tokyo.

Japan Forward – A ceremony was held on March 6 to mark the handover of the submarine Raigei to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. Raigei will be deployed to the JMSDF Kure Base in Hiroshima Prefecture for surveillance and patrol missions.

(Thanks to Alain)

Naval News – Japan has selected the MQ-9B SeaGuardian remotely piloted aircraft system to equip the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). Naval News reached out to the JMSDF to find out more about this procurement.

Breaking Defense – Against the backdrop of Chinese aggression in the region, the US, Japan and Australia this weekend agreed to closer military ties, including, for the first time, regular deployments of Japanese marines to the Lucky Country.