Latest news with #MaritimeSelfDefenseForce
Japan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Over 90 MSDF members punished over scandal involving shipbuilders
The Defense Ministry says it has punished 93 members of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, including its chief of staff, Adm. Akira Saito, for improperly receiving goods from four domestic shipbuilding companies. Saito will lose 10% of his salary for a month to take responsibility for the scandal, while the remaining 92 personnel were reprimanded or given warnings. "We deeply apologize for causing a scandal that has greatly undermined expectations and trust," Saito said at a news conference on Wednesday. "We will create an atmosphere in which members can say wrong things are wrong." Vice Defense Minister Kazuo Masuda was also strongly reprimanded for not properly overseeing the MSDF chief of staff. The Maritime Self-Defense Force's chief of staff, Adm. Akira Saito, speaks at a news conference at the Defense Ministry on Wednesday in Tokyo. | JIJI The Defense Ministry said that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Japan Marine United and Sasebo Heavy Industries had fraudulently provided items — mainly related to submarine operations, such as monitors and chairs — to the MSDF upon request. To fund the provision, the MSDF created fake submarine repair orders for the shipbuilders. When asked by MSDF members for personal equipment, the three shipbuilders refused, the ministry said. Kawasaki Heavy Industries provided 13 MSDF members with game consoles, golf equipment, wristwatches and other personnel items, worth ¥1.4 million ($9,400) in total, funded by slush funds created through fictitious submarine repair transactions with the MSDF, according to the ministry. The 13 members include three supervisors who determine whether submarine repairs are needed. The three supervisors have grave responsibility for the scandal as they have the authority to oversee suppliers, the ministry said. The ministry plans to take separate punitive action against the 13 personnel. One of the 13 has told ministry investigators that a senior member told him to request personal items with shipbuilders, according to the ministry. The bogus transactions with Kawasaki Heavy began around 1985. Some ¥1.7 billion's worth of such transactions was found over the six years through fiscal 2023. Since the fraud was instigated by the MSDF, the ministry will not exclude the four companies from doing business with it.
NHK
10-07-2025
- Politics
- NHK
Chinese military plane again flies close to Japanese SDF aircraft
Japan's Defense Ministry says a Chinese fighter-bomber flew as close as 30 meters to a Japanese Self-Defense Force plane over the East China Sea on two straight days. The ministry said on Thursday that the incidents took place on Wednesday and Thursday. It said there was no damage to the Air Self-Defense Force intelligence-gathering aircraft or its crew. But ministry officials say such unusually close approaches could trigger an accidental collision. They say they expressed serious concerns to China and strongly urged it to prevent a recurrence. Similar incidents took place also on June 7 and 8. On both days, a Chinese fighter jet flew extremely close to a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force patrol plane over the Pacific Ocean. The Japanese government voiced serious concerns over these incidents as well and demanded measures be taken to prevent future incidents.
Japan Times
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
British F-35B fighters could soon land on a Japanese carrier
British F-35B carrier-borne fighter aircraft could potentially be landing and taking off from one of Japan's de facto aircraft carriers soon, as members of a U.K. carrier strike group are set to reach Japanese waters in August, the final leg of a monthslong Indo-Pacific deployment. The Japan Times understands that part of the joint activities could include having F-35Bs from the Royal Navy's Prince of Wales aircraft carrier touch down on and take off from the deck of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Kaga carrier as the partner navies seek to boost interoperability. If confirmed, the drills, which could include information exchanges on F-35B operations, would come as the MSDF is set to begin receiving the first of 42 F-35Bs being procured from the United States, most of which it aims to deploy from its two recently refitted Izumo-class carriers. Accompanying the Prince of Wales to Japan will be two other members of the multinational Carrier Strike Group 25, the British destroyer Dauntless and the Norwegian frigate Roald Amundsen. Other members of the strike group will head to South Korea. The three warships are expected to make port calls in Japan between late August and early September, with the carrier set to berth at the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, and in Tokyo. The Japanese capital will also briefly host the Norwergian warship, which will dock at the MSDF's base at Yokosuka with the Dauntless. The strike group's Japan leg, which follows a stop in Singapore, is scheduled to be its final destination during Operation Highmast — the name of this year's deployment — before the group reassembles and makes its way back home to Britain to end the Royal Navy's second carrier deployment to the region since 2021. The route has already taken the strike group from Portsmouth in England to the Mediterranean, across the Red Sea via the Suez Canal and through the Indian Ocean to Southeast Asia to conduct exercises and port visits with partners such as the U.S., India, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. A sailor runs back to her post after a flag-raising ceremony on the flight deck of Japan's Kaga, one of its de facto aircraft carriers. | REUTERS Over the coming days, strike group elements will also take part in this year's iteration of the multinational Talisman Sabre exercise in Australia and Papua New Guinea from July 13 to Aug. 4, highlighting that the eight-month deployment is not only aimed at showing presence and making port calls. Just like with the Queen Elizabeth carrier-led deployment four years ago, this year's mission will also test the Royal Navy's logistical capabilities as well as its ability to operate alongside regional partners. This is key as the navy seeks to understand how to better operate and exchange capabilities with non-NATO partners while discussing how best to handle potential regional contingencies ranging from disaster relief operations and gray-zone activities to countering hostile cyberactivities and engaging in high-end warfighting. But the British deployments are also meant to send a dual strategic message — one of deterrence to potential adversaries and another of reassurance to allies and partners that Britain remains laser-focused on maintaining stability in the Indo-Pacific. While the country's recently released Strategic Defence Review sets out a 'NATO First' defense approach, it also stresses that this does not mean 'NATO only.' This comes after the U.K. Ambassador to Tokyo told The Japan Times last year that London will remain laser-focused on the Indo-Pacific as the region remains critical for British economic and security interests. Of particular importance are ties with Japan, which views Britain as its closest European defense and security partner. In recent years, the scope and frequency of joint military activities with the Self-Defense Forces has grown, including port calls and exercises such as the Vigilant Isles drills. The two countries are also working together in a number of joint defense-industrial projects, including the development alongside Italy of a next-generation fighter aircraft by 2035. Many of the military maneuvers are now being facilitated by a visiting-forces pact that entered into force in October 2023. Known as a Reciprocal Access Agreement, the deal underpins bilateral cooperation, enabling British and Japanese forces to operate and exercise together more easily. Britain was the first European country to sign such a pact with Japan, with France expected to be next.
NHK
27-06-2025
- Business
- NHK
Japan's audit board: Many P-1 patrol planes unusable due to failures
Japan's Board of Audit has found that many of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's domestically-developed P-1 patrol aircraft, which cost a massive amount of taxpayers' money, remain unusable. P-1 patrol planes are used to search for suspicious submarines and vessels. They were developed and manufactured in Japan as a successor to the US-developed P-3C aircraft. A total of 35 P-1 planes were deployed from fiscal year 1991 through 2023, at a cost of more than 1.77 trillion yen, or about 12.2 billion dollars. The board said many of the aircraft are not in a condition where they are ready for their missions and where all the devices are functioning without any problems. Due to security reasons, the board did not give any details such as how many of the aircraft are unusable. But it said some of the aircraft cannot load certain types of weapons due to design flaws and that they require replacement parts. The board also said a certain ratio of aircraft engines are always left unusable after they become corroded by salt in the air during flight. The board told the Defense Ministry, the Maritime Staff Office and the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency to improve the situation. The Defense Ministry said it will take the argument to heart and work to make usable as many aircraft as possible. It said, however, that alternative aircraft are readily available so the situation has not undermined Japan's defense.
NHK
13-06-2025
- Politics
- NHK
Beijing blames Japan over close encounters with Chinese jets
Japan has expressed serious concerns over a series of extremely close aerial encounters with the Chinese military. But officials in Beijing are now pointing the finger right back. Japan's Defense Ministry says Maritime Self-Defense Force patrol planes were shadowed by Chinese fighter jets on June 7 and 8. The incidents took place over the Pacific Ocean around Japan. The ministry says the Chinese aircraft came as close as about 45 meters. But Chinese defense ministry spokesperson Jiang Bin said in a video posted to social media on Friday that Beijing has sent a stern notice to Japan. Jiang accused Japanese vessels and aircrafts of intentionally creating safety risks by frequently approaching and obstructing China's military activities. He urged Japan to stop what he called "dangerous provocative actions". Japan has conveyed serious concerns to China and called for steps to prevent a recurrence. The Japanese government says it cannot accept China's attempts to shift the blame. The Japanese Embassy in Beijing told NHK that it has received notice of China's position, but refrained from commenting further.
