Retired US Marine Colonel Grant Newsham takes on key questions about Japan's national defense: How far has it come, what needs improving, and why?
Allowing China to control key infrastructure is equivalent to conceding outposts for an "unarmed invasion" when relations get strained.
The two groups in Sudan have been in conflict over the transfer of power to a civilian government. Meanwhile, 16 million Sudanese need humanitarian aid.
Ten SDF peacekeepers who died in the helicopter accident were conducting terrain reconnaissance from the air related to the defense of Japan.
The South Korea "solution" continues to leave the impression abroad that Japan had somehow acted unjustly and it doesn't set the historical record straight.
Tokyo must clarify whether the rules for shooting down spy balloons also apply to manned aircraft, which have the potential to inflict more devastating damage.
The agreements included aid to the Philippines, facilitating military training exchanges, and enhancing trilateral security cooperation with the United States.
India-Japan defense cooperation has achieved significant progress through the recent rise in joint military exercises involving air, sea, and land forces.
There is first a question of whether the government and SDF possesses the capabilities and appetite to deal with a spy balloon or drone over Japan.
To avert what could be the biggest postwar crisis for Japan's security environment, the country needs a robust security strategy, including collective defense.
While affirmation of the Japan-US alliance is welcome, more tasks remain as China, North Korea and Russia work relentlessly to bolster their nuclear forces.
The Reciprocal Access Agreement signed by the two prime ministers is the most important defense pact between Japan and the UK since 1902.