Japan (catch all)

[AdamG]

The Defense Ministry plans to expand the scope of the capacity-building assistance by Japan’s Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) to other nations’ militaries, to include South Asia, it was learned on March 24.

These programs, which have so far centered on the Southeast Asian region, are envisioned to serve as leverage to push forward the initiative for a free and open Indo-Pacific region, as advocated by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the sources said.

Assistance to Sri Lanka is anticipated in the first phase of the scheme. Japanese defense officials have begun consultations with their Sri Lankan counterparts regarding specific assistance measures, including maritime security, according to well-informed sources.

The Defense Ministry embarked on programs for capacity-building assistance in fiscal year 2012. So far, the programs have been implemented in 14 countries and one organization, mostly in Southeast and Central Asia. They have mainly been in the fields of disaster relief, humanitarian assistance, and facilities maintenance and development.

https://japan-forward.com/japan-expa...de-south-asia/

[AdamG]

Heads up, HARPOON scenario writers.

Tokyo will launch its first aircraft carriers since the end of World War II to accommodate a growing number of stealth fighters, long-range missiles and other equipment adding to the Japan Self-Defence Forces (JSDF). The guidelines approved at a meeting of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet call for refitting the Izumo helicopter carrier into a ship that can deploy expensive, US-made F-35B stealth fighters capable of short take-offs and vertical landings. The work would be done over five years and the ship would carry 10 stealth fighters, while the refitting of a second helicopter carrier into a second aircraft carrier would follow.

Japan plans to buy 147 F-35s, including 42 F-35Bs, over the next decade. These stem from the same class of fighters procured by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), labelled the "most lethal acquisition in the Air Force's history". The new planes will include 18 short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) B variants of the F-35 that planners want to deploy on Japanese islands along the edge of the East China Sea.

The navy's two large helicopter carriers, the Izumo and Kaga, will be modified for F-35B operations, the paper said. The 248-metre-long Izumo-class ships are as big as any of Japan's aircraft carriers in World War II. They will need reinforced decks to withstand the heat blast from F-35 engines and could be fitted with ramps to aid short take-offs, two defence ministry officials said.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-...-wwii/10632254