Latest news with #JapanDefense
NHK
09-07-2025
- NHK
Japan begins Osprey deployment in southwestern prefecture
Japan's Defense Ministry has begun deploying Osprey transport aircraft to the Ground Self-Defense Force's new camp in Saga Prefecture, southwestern Japan. The ministry plans to transfer all 17 Ospreys that are temporarily stationed at Camp Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo, to the new facility built west of Kyushu Saga International Airport. The first Osprey aircraft arrived at Camp Saga on Wednesday morning after making a stopover at another camp in Kumamoto Prefecture. The ministry said the remaining 16 Ospreys will be transferred to the new camp one by one through mid-August. Another Osprey left Camp Kisarazu on Wednesday morning and headed to the camp in Kumamoto Prefecture for a stopover. The Osprey aircraft has been involved in a series of major accidents since US forces began operating it in 2007. In 2023, a US military Osprey crashed off the southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima, killing all eight personnel on board. Ministry officials said that they will place top priority on safety as deployment moves forward. The Defense Ministry said the deployment of the Ospreys to Saga Prefecture is intended to boost defenses in Japan's southwestern region amid increasingly assertive maritime activities by Chinese forces.
Al Arabiya
09-07-2025
- Al Arabiya
Japan Starts Deploying Osprey Fleet at a New Base to Beef Up Southwestern Defense
The Japanese army on Wednesday began deploying its fleet of V-22 Ospreys on a newly opened permanent base in southwestern Japan–the country's latest move to beef up its defense amid growing tension in the region. The first of the fleet of 17 Ospreys safely arrived at its new home base of Camp Saga, Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force said Wednesday. The move is part of Japan's accelerating military buildup, especially in the southwest in recent years, as a deterrence to China's increasingly assertive maritime actions in the area. The tilt-rotor aircraft have been temporarily based at Camp Kisarazu near Tokyo since 2020 during construction of the base and other necessary facilities. The rest of the fleet is scheduled to complete its relocation in mid-August, the JGSDF officials said. With the full permanent deployment at Camp Saga, Japan plans to operate the Ospreys more closely with the country's amphibious rapid deployment brigade at Ainoura in the nearby naval town of Sasebo as part of the ongoing plan to reinforce the defense of southwestern remote islands, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters Tuesday. 'The security environment surrounding Japan has been increasingly severe, and it is our pressing task to strengthen our island defense capabilities,' he said. Camp Saga ground forces also work with 50 helicopters based at another nearby camp, Metabaru, as well as with air force and navy personnel based in the area. The use of the V-22 remains controversial in Japan, especially in southern Japan, due to a series of accidents involving the aircraft. In November 2023, a US Air Force Osprey crashed off Japan's southern coast, killing eight people. In October 2024, a Japanese army V-22 Osprey tilted and hit the ground while attempting to take off during a joint exercise with the US military, and an investigation has found human error was the cause.
Washington Post
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Japan starts deploying Osprey fleet at a new base to beef up southwestern defense
HIROSHIMA, Japan — The Japanese army on Wednesday began deploying its fleet of V-22 Ospreys on a newly-opened, permanent base in southwestern Japan, the country's latest move to beef up its defense amid growing tension in the region. The first of the fleet of 17 Ospreys safely arrived at its new home base of Camp Saga, Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force said Wednesday.
South China Morning Post
09-07-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Japan opens Osprey base on Kyushu to defend remote islands as China boosts military presence
The Ground Self-Defence Force on Wednesday opened a new camp in southwestern Japan to host its fleet of Osprey transport aircraft, part of efforts to strengthen defences of remote islands due to fears over China's increasing military ambitions. Advertisement The first V-22 Osprey is expected to arrive later in the day at the new Camp Saga, in the prefecture of the same name on the main island of Kyushu, transferring from Camp Kisarazu in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo. The GSDF's tilt-rotor aircraft have been temporarily based there since July 2020. Operations at the new camp, staffed by about 420 personnel, begin as safety concerns linger following a series of Osprey accidents in Japan and abroad, including a fatal crash two years ago. Ospreys can take off and land like helicopters but cruise like aeroplanes. The primary mission of the V-22 unit is to transport personnel and equipment for the GSDF's Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade in the event of an emergency. Dubbed the Japanese Marines, the brigade is based in Sasebo, Nagasaki prefecture, near Saga, and specialises in defending remote islands. Advertisement The relocation of the Ospreys reflects Tokyo's recent focus on bolstering deterrence and response capabilities in the southwestern Nansei island chain, a strategically vital area due to its proximity to the potential geopolitical flashpoint of Taiwan.
CNA
25-06-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Japan conducts first domestic surface-to-ship missile test
TOKYO: Japan on Wednesday (Jun 25) called its first surface-to-ship missile test within its territory necessary training given the current "severe security environment", as it boosts military capacity to counter China. The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) fired a single "Type-88" missile towards Pacific coastal waters from a training ground in the northern island of Hokkaido on Tuesday. The Japanese military usually conducts its surface-to-ship missile drills at bases in the United States, but those training sessions are costly with the number of personnel who can participate often limited. "Domestic live-fire exercises like this one provide training opportunities for more troops," top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told a regular press conference Wednesday. Such drills are "extremely important for us to maintain and improve the capability to defend islands and other areas, given the current severe security environment", he said. He stressed that the exercise was not aimed at any specific nation, but Japan has previously called neighbouring China its greatest security challenge as Beijing builds up military capacity in the region.
