After the Cold War, China's military rise became more pronounced. In response, the Self-Defense Forces advanced the "Southwest Shift" and an amphibious brigade.
The Self-Defense Forces have come far. Their next decade will be defined by ongoing minesweeping and the rising burden of scrambles against Chinese threats.
On the second anniversary of his assassination, Shinzo Abe and his vision continue to inspire Japan as it navigates through a dangerous and unstable world.
It is an erroneous belief that the export of lethal defense equipment runs counter to Japan's ideals as a peace-loving nation.
Okinawa Prefecture is on the frontline of our nation's defense. It must stop obstructing efforts to defend the lives and property of Okinawa people and Japan.
With this Supreme Court ruling, Tamaki should promptly fulfill his legal duty to approve the government's design change for the Okinawa Henoko air base site.
The White Paper recognizes that "Japan has entered a new era of crisis, facing its most severe and complex security environment since WWII."
"We have to show China a fighting posture," says General Kunio Orita. "Even from a budgetary standpoint, it's much cheaper to prevent a war by being...
Japan seeks to be defense-ready in case attacked by another country. It's bizarre for Governor Tamaki to say this preparedness causes Okinawa residents anxiety.
Whether the helicopter crash was accidental or brought about by malice, the Self-Defense Force needs to determine the cause to prevent a future occurrence.
The importance of Okinawa is about deterrence. Demonstrate you're a serious military with lots of partners and an enemy is less likely to try his luck...
There is nothing wrong with Japan becoming a military power if by that term we mean a "true defensive power that won't tolerate aggression by other...