The Air Force is considering a plan to permanently replace its aging fleet of F-15 Eagle fighters on Okinawa with a smaller number of more advanced aircraft, a Japanese news magazine reported recently.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense by 2026 plans to base Type 12 surface-to-ship missiles at three Japan Self-Defense Force bases in the Ryukyu Island chain.
Development of a high-speed missile to reach the Senkaku Islands and parts of China and North Korea may require Japan to amend its pacifist constitution.
Japan’s leader vowed this week to assume the mantle of slain former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to bring home Japanese citizens abducted decades ago by North Korea.