Japanese Ground Self Defense Force Archives

Japan Warns World Facing its Greatest Post-WWII Period of Crisis

28 July 2023

JS Suzutsuki conducted a bilateral exercise with the French Navy Charles de Gaulle CSG in the vicinity of Western Arabian Sea. JMSDF Photo

Japanese defense officials warned the international community is facing its greatest post-war trial and has entered a new era of crisis. At the same time, Tokyo identified China, Russia and North Korea as the countries that pose a threat to Japan, according to the “Defense of Japan 2023” white paper.

The release follows the latest revisions to the national...

https://news.usni.org/2023/07/28/japan-warns-world-facing-its-greatest-post-wwii-period-of-crisis

2022 Defense of Japan Report

24 August 2022

The following is the Japanese Ministry of Defense 2022 White Paper Defense of Japan released this week.

From the report

The international community is currently facing its greatest trial since WWII. It is not an exaggeration to say that we have entered a new period of crisis in the twenty-first century. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has shocked the world, with the loss of countless innocent civilians’ lives giving rise to deep indignation and grief. Such unilateral changes to the status quo...

https://news.usni.org/2022/08/24/2022-defense-of-japan-report

Marine ACVs Team with Japanese AAVs at Sea in Iron Fist Exercise

19 January 2022

A Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) soldier with 2nd Amphibious Rapid Deployment Regiment checks communication gear on an assault amphibious vehicle during exercise Iron Fist 2022 at White Beach, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Jan. 13, 2022. US Marine Corps Photo

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Smooth seas and an ebbing tide greeted Japanese and Marine Corps amphibious vehicle crews that zipped in and out of the Pacific last week, marking the first week of the annual exercise Iron...

https://news.usni.org/2022/01/18/marine-acvs-team-with-japanese-aavs-at-sea-in-iron-fist-exercise

2021 Defense of Japan Report

15 July 2021

The following is the Japanese Ministry of Defense 2021 White Paper Defense of Japan released this week.

From the report

In the year 2020, not only did the entire world face unprecedented difficulties due to COVID-19, but various security challenges and destabilizing factors became more tangible and acute, and the international order based on universal values, which has underpinned the peace and prosperity of the international community, has been greatly tested.

Looking at the situation around...

https://news.usni.org/2021/07/15/2021-defense-of-japan-report

Report to Congress on Japan-U.S. Relations

9 April 2021

The following is the April 6, 2021 Congressional Research Service report, Japan-U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress.

From the report

Japan is a significant partner of the United States in a number of foreign policy areas, including addressing regional security concerns, which range from hedging against Chinese military modernization to countering threats from North Korea. The U.S.-Japan military alliance, formed in 1952, grants the U.S. military the right to base U.S. troops—currently around...

https://news.usni.org/2021/04/09/report-to-congress-on-japan-u-s-relations

Report to Congress on Japan-U.S. Relations

9 April 2021

The following is the April 6, 2021 Congressional Research Service report, Japan-U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress.

From the report

https://news.usni.org/2021/04/09/report-to-congress-on-japan-u-s-relations

Panel: Japan’s Next Prime Minister Will Continue to Grow Self-Defense Force, Military Ties with U.S.

2 September 2020

Shinzo Abe on April 7, 2020. Japanese Government Photo

Japan’s next prime minister is expected to follow Shinzo Abe’s path in tightening Tokyo’s military ties with the United States and expanding the nation’s definition of “self-defense” to counter China’s and North Korea’s threats, four Indo-Pacific security experts said Tuesday.

Michael Green, Japan chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in an online forum “all [of the likely candidates to succeed Abe] are...

https://news.usni.org/2020/09/02/panel-japans-next-prime-minister-will-continue-to-grow-self-defense-force-military-ties-with-u-s

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Expanding as Tokyo Takes New Approach to Maritime Security

29 May 2019

President Donald J. Trump joined by the Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe arrive aboard the JS Kaga Tuesday, May 28, 2019, in Yokosuka, Japan. White House Photo

When President Donald Trump visited Japan this month, he was taken on board JS Kaga, one of a pair of new Izumo-class helicopter carriers built for the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) set to be retrofitted to fly the F-35B Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter. The carriers represent a new approach to maritime security that is...

https://news.usni.org/2019/05/29/japan-maritime-self-defense-force-expanding-as-tokyo-takes-new-approach-to-maritime-security