Latest news with #JapaneseGroundSelf-DefenseForce
AllAfrica
27-06-2025
- Business
- AllAfrica
Japan's new hypersonic missile aims at China's navy, NoKo nukes
Japan has unveiled a mobile hypersonic missile system designed to outmaneuver China's layered carrier defenses and threaten North Korea's survivable nuclear arsenal, marking a decisive shift from a purely defensive posture to a counterstrike capability. This month, Asian Military Review reported that at Fuji Firepower 2025, the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) unveiled the ground-launched Hyper Velocity Guided Projectile (HVGP), a mobile hypersonic strike missile system developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries under contract from Japan's Advanced Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA). The HVGP program, launched in 2018, marked its first successful test firing in early 2024 at a US range. Its operational deployment has been advanced to 2026. The Block 1 HVGP, mounted on an 8×8 tactical truck with two containerized, solid-fuel boost-glide missiles, has a range of 500–900 km and reaches Mach 5. Upgraded variants, Block 2A and 2B, are planned for 2027 and 2030, with their ranges extended to 2,000 kilometers and 3,000 kilometers, respectively. The HVGP employs satellite and inertial navigation, with a naval-targeting variant using RF imaging derived from Doppler shift and a land-attack version deploying explosively formed projectiles. Both are designed for high-speed maneuvering post-boost. Planned deployments in Kyushu and Hokkaido underscore its strategic intent to counter regional threats. Concurrently, Japan is also developing the scramjet-powered Hypersonic Cruise Missile (HCV) to extend strike capabilities further. These systems are at the core of Japan's revised defense strategy, which aims to safeguard its territorial integrity amid increasing regional security pressures. Previously, Asia Times reported that Japan announced four hypersonic missile tests conducted in California between August 2024 and January 2025. These systems are envisioned for strategic interdiction, counterforce, and even counter-leadership operations. In line with developing strategic interdiction capabilities, Japan has recently conducted the first domestic test firing of its short-range Type 88 anti-ship missile and plans to develop the long-range Type 12. However, James Conway and Jerry McAbee mention in a March 2024 RealClearDefense article that by 2030, subsonic cruise missiles and supersonic ballistic missiles may become obsolete against the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Japan's current arsenal of subsonic cruise and ballistic missiles faces significant limitations: subsonic cruise missiles allow a longer intercept window despite their maneuverability, while ballistic missiles, though fast, follow predictable arcs that are easier to track. These constraints justify Japan's shift toward maneuverable hypersonic systems, such as the HVGP. Underscoring this point, Daniel Rice's December 2024 report for the China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) highlights that the PLAN carrier strategy is built around a three-layer defense system, enabling increasingly autonomous and far-reaching blue-water operations. Rice explains that the carrier battlegroup's defenses are arranged in concentric zones: the 'Outer Defense Zone' (185–400 kilometers), maintained by submarines and J-15 fighters for long-range strikes and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR); the 'Middle Defense Zone' (45–185 kilometers), secured by destroyers and frigates equipped with radar, vertical launch systems (VLS), and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities; and the 'Inner Defense Zone' (100 meters–45 kilometers), protected by close-in weapons and point-defense systems. Aside from strategic interdiction, Japan's hypersonic weapons may be poised to play a critical role in its counterstrike capabilities against North Korea's nuclear arsenal. In a March 2024 article for the United States Studies Center (USSC), Masashi Murano notes that Japan's counterstrike capability focuses on long-range, conventional counterforce strikes against military assets, such as missile bases, rather than leadership or cities. To that end, Murano mentions that Japan is acquiring Tomahawk cruise missiles, improved Type 12 missiles, and hypersonic missiles. However, Murano cautions that Japan still faces deficiencies in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities to hit time-sensitive targets such as transporter erector launchers (TEL), its counterstrike doctrine is still a work in progress, and the risks of escalation remain major issues it should tackle in building its counterstrike capabilities. In addition, North Korea has taken several measures to harden its nuclear arsenal against a pre-emptive counterforce strike. Hans Kristensen and other writers mention in a July 2024 article for the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists that North Korea is actively pursuing solid-fuel rocket intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), sea-based platforms such as nuclear ballistic missile submarines (SSBN), and tactical nuclear weapons, which together enhance survivability by making its arsenal more mobile, concealable, and less reliant on vulnerable fixed launch sites. Kristensen and others note that North Korea's deeply buried enrichment sites, continued fissile production, and development of tactical warheads all point to a doctrine that embraces redundancy and dispersion, hallmarks of a survivable deterrent. Given that sanctions and threats of military action have failed to dissuade the North Korean regime from continuing its nuclear program and stopping its belligerent behavior, some strategists argue that targeting the regime itself might compel behavioral change. In an April 2023 NK News commentary, Bruce Bennett notes that the Kim regime's prioritization of military buildup over basic human needs, along with exhortations to the North Korean public to sacrifice for the country's defense, reflects deep anxiety over regime survival and control. Bennett observes that deployments like MQ-9 Reaper drones in Japan, air-launched cruise missiles (ALCM) from B-52s flying over the Korean Peninsula, and Japan's new hypersonic systems may concern the Kim regime over its survival. Yet, as Lauren Sukin points out in a February 2024 article for the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), North Korea's nuclear policy calls for automatic nuclear retaliation should its command and control system, including Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, be attacked. Sukin adds that the US, and by extension, its allies, forcing regime change on North Korea could end, at best, in an even more anti-US regime than that headed by Kim Jong Un. At worst, she says such attempts could result in regional instability or North Korea using chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons. Japan's rollout of hypersonic strike weapons marks a significant moment in Northeast Asian security. While they offer a powerful conventional deterrent against China's carrier strike groups and North Korea's dispersed nuclear forces, they also heighten the risk of arms racing, strategic miscalculation, and regional instability.
Japan Forward
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Japan Forward
Senkaku Islands at the Brink: Is China's Landing Next?
Tensions around the Senkaku Islands are flaring up again. On May 3, a small Japanese civilian aircraft approached the Senkaku Islands in Ishigaki City, Okinawa. In a move intended to show aggression, Chinese Coast Guard vessel Haijing 2303, which had been operating in the contiguous zone, encroached on Japanese territorial waters. Moments later, it launched its onboard helicopter, breaching Japanese airspace. The civilian aircraft turned back after receiving instructions from the Japan Coast Guard. But the Chinese helicopter pressed on inside Japanese airspace, ignoring repeated warnings. While this was the third time Chinese aircraft violated Japanese airspace near the Senkakus, it stood apart. "The May 3 violation was a clear assertion of China's claimed sovereignty," said Kiyofumi Iwata, former Chief of Staff of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force. In an interview with JAPAN Forward, Iwata discussed Beijing's growing territorial ambitions as well as Tokyo's tepid response. He currently serves as an advisor to Mitsubishi Electric's Defense Systems Division. In response to the presence of a Japanese civilian aircraft, China attempted to intercept it, framing the move as an exercise in proclaiming its sovereignty. Until now, China had unilaterally violated Japanese airspace without any clearly stated purpose. This time, however, Beijing presented its actions as a response to what it argued was a Japanese incursion. By portraying the move as reactive, they are attempting to establish a precedent for their territorial claim. After repeated incursions into Japanese territorial waters and airspace, the next logical step would be a [attempted] landing and absorption. Wouldn't you agree? The China Coast Guard is already preparing for such operations. They have been steadily upgrading their equipment and capabilities, including ship deployments, helicopter operations, and specialized training for personnel tasked with disembarking and carrying out missions on the ground. On the legal front, Xi Jinping amended regulations in 2024 that authorize the detention of foreign vessels and individuals that enter what China claims as its territorial waters. Meanwhile, their coast guard continues to conduct drills that resemble naval military exercises. A Chinese helicopter violating Japanese airspace on May 3, 2025. (Photo provided by the 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters, Naha, Okinawa) Under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's leadership, preparations advanced steadily, including the deployment of a task force in Okinawa to address potential contingencies around the Senkakus. Japan's coast guard has also stepped up its vigilance. For instance, around 11 AM on May 3, just before the Chinese helicopter violated Japanese airspace, satellite images from Maxar showed a Japanese coast guard patrol boat stationed within two kilometers of the southern tip of Uotsuri Island. These vessels are anchored there daily, closely monitoring for any unusual or suspicious activity. Assuming a small contingent of Chinese forces attempts to land on the Senkakus, Japan is ready to handle them with arrests and other countermeasures. That said, China employs what's known as a "maritime militia ( minpei )." These are fishing vessels that operate routinely as civilian boats but come under China's military command during crises. If 100 to 200 of these vessels were to converge around the Senkakus, perhaps under the pretext of rescuing Chinese fishermen, Japan would find itself outnumbered. The Chinese violation of Japan's airspace and territorial waters occurred on May 3. Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya's press conference was held fully 10 days later, on May 13, and his tone was notably restrained. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has not even addressed the incident once. Given that our sovereignty was clearly challenged, such a muted response is incomprehensible. Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya at the Prime Minister's Office (©Sankei by Ataru Haruna) If Chinese forces or maritime militias were to land on the Senkakus, a decisive response would be mandatory. Failure to act would spark massive public outrage, which has remained relatively subdued until now. All United States presidents since Barack Obama have affirmed that the Senkakus fall under the protection of Article Five of our bilateral security pact. But this affirmation only acknowledges Japan's administrative control over the islands. Washington hasn't explicitly acknowledged our territorial sovereignty. To that end, if China were to gain effective control, the islands might no longer fall under the security treaty commitments. Especially under Donald Trump's tenure, it's highly questionable that Washington would risk military confrontation with Beijing over what they presumably see as some faraway islands. When a bilateral or multilateral weapons pact is signed, it is tantamount to a defense marriage. You're essentially locked in for the duration of the contract. Japan has long depended heavily on American weapons and defense systems within the framework of these agreements. PM Ishiba (front row, second from left) visits DSEI Japan, a trade fair for defense equipment and weapons, on May 22. (©Sankei) Of course, we still rely heavily on the US. But we are increasingly developing and exporting our own weapons and equipment. The next-generation GCAP fighter jet, for example, is being developed jointly with the United Kingdom and Italy. Unlike past projects, such as the F-2 fighter jet, which faced Washington's objections, there has been no official pushback this time. Mitsubishi Electric, where I'm currently affiliated, manufactures radar systems that we export to the Philippines. This makes us the first Japanese company to transfer such apparatus abroad. We secured this achievement by winning a competitive bidding process against other countries. In 2023, the law on Enhancing Defense Production and Technology Bases was enacted. Under this law, the Japanese government offers financial support when selling defense equipment, including funding for minor design modifications to meet the specific needs of buyers. I expect our weapons and equipment sales to extend across Southeast Asia and Australia. Under normal circumstances, Taiwan would also be a key market. Our political constraints — rooted in appeasing Beijing — make that virtually impossible. Author: Kenji Yoshida
Miami Herald
09-06-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
Four Japanese soldiers injured in a facility explosion
June 9 (UPI) -- Four Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force Members were slightly injured in an explosion while handling an unexploded bomb at a depot near the Kadena Air Base, Okinawa on Monday, local and Defense Ministry Officials said. The explosion happened in the northern section of the site as the four members of the 101st explosive ordnance disposal unit were removing rust to help locate unexploded bombs, the Yomitan Fire Department said in a news release. Officials said the explosion occurred around 11:20 a.m. They suffered non-life-threatening injuries. One man in his 40s had injuries to his left hand, while three had reported hearing issues and other minor injuries. One soldier had suffered scratches on his right arm and left cheek. According to local authorities, no evacuation order has been issued and there is not a risk of further explosions or fire. The depot was set up for the storage area of the GSDF to engage in disposing unexploded bombs. "It is crucial to take measures as many unexploded bombs are believed to be still buried in Okinawa. We will conduct disposal steadily," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference. Between April 2023 and March 2024, crews have taken care of nearly 22 tons of WWII artillery on Okinawa, according to the Okinawa General Bureau Website. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Four Japanese soldiers injured in a facility explosion
June 9 (UPI) -- Four Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force Members were slightly injured in an explosion while handling an unexploded bomb at a depot near the Kadena Air Base, Okinawa on Monday, local and Defense Ministry Officials said. The explosion happened in the northern section of the site as the four members of the 101st explosive ordnance disposal unit were removing rust to help locate unexploded bombs, the Yomitan Fire Department said in a news release. Officials said the explosion occurred around 11:20 a.m. They suffered non-life-threatening injuries. One man in his 40s had injuries to his left hand, while three had reported hearing issues and other minor injuries. One soldier had suffered scratches on his right arm and left cheek. According to local authorities, no evacuation order has been issued and there is not a risk of further explosions or fire. The depot was set up for the storage area of the GSDF to engage in disposing unexploded bombs. "It is crucial to take measures as many unexploded bombs are believed to be still buried in Okinawa. We will conduct disposal steadily," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference. Between April 2023 and March 2024, crews have taken care of nearly 22 tons of WWII artillery on Okinawa, according to the Okinawa General Bureau Website.
Time of India
09-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Japan expands missile capabilities amid China tensions, Trump administration uncertainty
Japan displays missile power near China and US bases On Okinawa's hilltops, Japan's new missile regiment is making its presence known. The Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force's Seventh Regiment has deployed mobile anti-ship missiles in full view of both regional adversaries and American allies. This strategic visibility is part of a broader military buildup aimed at countering China's naval expansion near Japanese waters. The regiment, established a year ago, is one of two new missile units stationed along Japan's southwestern islands. Their Type-12 ship-killing missiles, mounted on mobile trucks, are positioned to both deter aggression and signal Japan's growing capabilities. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Are you from India? The Prices of Solar Panels Might Surprise You Search | Solar Panels Also read: Chinese brinkmanship challenges Japan and US in East China Sea, Liaoning aircraft carrier sends its fighters near disputed islands Colonel Yohei Ito, commander of the Seventh Regiment, said the armament is intended to act as a deterrent. While directed at Beijing's increasingly assertive navy, the display also serves as a message to the United States, particularly amid uncertainty surrounding the foreign policy direction of President Donald Trump. Live Events Japan aims to bolster US alliance through military modernization Japan's government views its defense buildup as essential to strengthening the US-Japan alliance . Tokyo is negotiating a tariff-lifting agreement with Washington while emphasizing its role as a reliable security partner. During recent talks in Washington, Japanese trade envoy Ryosei Akazawa held discussions with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The strategy includes acquiring US-made systems such as the F-35B stealth fighter and Tomahawk cruise missiles. These weapons mark a significant shift, giving Japan the capacity to strike targets beyond its borders for the first time since World War II. Japan is also investing in its domestic defense industry, showcasing new technologies such as hypersonic missiles and drone-interception lasers at recent defense expos. Nobukatsu Kanehara, a former deputy head of Japan's national security policy, said enhancing Japan's conventional military power is a key method to ensure continued American support. Also read: Hegseth says US will stand by Indo-Pacific allies against 'imminent' threat of China Japan seeks greater integration with US command structure To further integrate with the US military, Japan plans to establish a new 'war-fighting headquarters' in Tokyo. During a spring visit, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth endorsed the idea, highlighting the benefits of side-by-side command coordination between American and Japanese forces. Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani stressed that the country faces its most challenging security environment since World War II. This includes threats from China and North Korea, both of which continue to expand their missile and nuclear capabilities. Japanese policymakers are urging the United States to reaffirm its extended deterrence, including the possible visible deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in the region. Koichi Isobe, a retired lieutenant general, noted that nuclear deterrence remains central to Japan's defense posture. Japan broadens security partnerships beyond the United States While Tokyo continues to prioritize its alliance with the US, it is also diversifying security ties. Japan is developing a next-generation fighter aircraft in collaboration with Britain and Italy. In the Indo-Pacific, Japan has deepened cooperation with Australia, offering advanced frigates and participating in joint military exercises in the Philippines. These moves reflect Japan's effort to hedge against possible shifts in US foreign policy, particularly under isolationist or unpredictable leadership. Experts warn that a strategic deal between the US and China could alter the power balance in Asia, potentially sidelining Japan. Also read: China warns USA over Taiwan: Is Beijing looking for Russia-like invasion? Satoru Mori, a professor at Keio University in an interview with The New York Times emphasized the importance of convincing American leaders that Japan is a vital strategic ally. Although Japan has long abstained from nuclear weapons, it holds significant quantities of plutonium from its civilian energy program, which could support a nuclear deterrent if security guarantees erode. For now, Japan's approach remains focused on reinforcing its military capabilities and deepening cooperation with the United States.
