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May 22, 2026
 

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GSDF

A medical vehicle enters the Ground Self-Defense Force's Hijudai maneuver area in Kusu, Oita Prefecture, on Tuesday after three GSDF members died and one other was seriously injured in an explosion involving a tank during training.
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2026
Three GSDF members die after tank explosion during training in Oita Prefecture
The incident occurred at the Ground Self-Defense Force's tank unit at the Hijudai maneuver area in Kusu, Oita Prefecture.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi (left) helps hold up a nameplate for one of the two new drone-focused offices established within the Ground Self-Defense Force on Monday in Tokyo, in this image posted to X by the GSDF.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 14, 2026
Taking lessons from Ukraine and Middle East, GSDF establishes new drone offices
A promotion office will oversee research and development of unmanned assets, while a systems office will focus on their procurement and maintenance.
A vehicle carrying Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department investigators enters the Ground Self-Defense Force base in Ebino City, Miyazaki Prefecture, on Sunday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 29, 2026
Tokyo police search SDF base over Chinese Embassy trespassing
SDF member Kodai Murata was arrested Thursday after entering the premises of the Chinese Embassy alone and seeking to meet the Chinese ambassador.
A Japanese police officer stands guard in front of the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 28, 2026
China demands more than just regret from Japan after embassy break-in
The Japanese ?side has not discussed the ?details of the incident, Lin Jian, spokesperson at the foreign ministry, told a regular news conference.
The Iran war, like the Russia?Ukraine war, shows how low?cost unmanned weapons can overwhelm expensive defense systems.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 27, 2026
What Tokyo can learn from Kyiv¡¯s war experience
The Iran war, like the Russia?Ukraine war, shows low?cost unmanned weapons can overwhelm expensive defense systems.
A police officer stands guard outside the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo's Minato Ward on Tuesday night, hours after an active-duty Ground Self-Defense Force officer was arrested for breaking into the compound.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 25, 2026
Japan calls GSDF officer¡¯s break-in at Chinese Embassy ¡®deeply regrettable¡¯
The suspect, who had hidden a blade on the grounds, said he had wanted to speak to the ambassador, and would have killed himself if he refused to listen.
A Ukrainian Vampire bomber drone displayed in Kyiv in February
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2026
Japan considers mass drone use for coastal defense
The SHIELD defense system will involve more than 10 types of drones, including those for attacking enemy ships, collecting information and protecting radar sites.
A vehicle that appears to be carrying equipment for sophisticated long-range missiles enters the Ground Self-Defense Force's Camp Kengun in the city of Kumamoto early Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2026
Long-range missile equipment sent to GSDF camp in city of Kumamoto
The Defense Ministry has announced that the upgraded Type-12 surface-to-ship guided missile system will be deployed at the city of Kumamoto's Camp Kengun this month.
Claims by China that Japan is returning to militarism are misleading because legal and institutional constraints make such a shift unlikely and current defense reforms reflect practical responses to changing regional threats.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 20, 2026
Debunking the myth of Japanese militarism
It is necessary to be clear on this point: Japan in 2026 is not the Japan of 1936.
Members of the Ground Self-Defense Force disembark from a V-22 Osprey aircraft during an annual live-fire exercise at East Fuji Maneuver Area in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, in May 2022.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2026
GSDF cancels Osprey dispatch to drill with U.S. in Okinawa
The cancellation is believed to reflect consideration for local residents' concerns.
A Ground Self-Defense Force's Type 19 155 mm self-propelled howitzer takes part in an annual training session near Mount Fuji at Higashifuji training field in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, in August 2019.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2026
Japan¡¯s push for long-range weapons draws interest from foreign firms
There is a growing need for a long-range weapon that can be used flexibly as Tokyo looks to boost its overall counterattack capabilities.
Rina Gonoi speaks during a news conference in Tokyo after reaching a settlement in a lawsuit concerning sexual assault within the Ground Self-Defense Forces, on Monday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 27, 2026
Government settles case over sex assault of ex-SDF member
The state will pay ?1.6 million, or more than $10,000, to Rina Gonoi, but no compensation payment or apology was offered by her former colleague, her lawyer Aiko Ota said.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi experiences a drill to jump from a tower about 11 meters high at the Ground Self-Defense Force's Narashino Training Area in Chiba Prefecture on Sunday.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2026
Record 15 nations join GSDF¡¯s new year jump drill
The GSDF's 1st Airborne Brigade were joined for the first time by contingents from Belgium, Thailand and Turkey.
A parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Self-Defense Forces in Tokyo in November 2024.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 9, 2026
Japanese government ordered to pay damages over SDF officer¡¯s suicide
In the lawsuit filed with the Sapporo District Court, the mother of the 19-year-old GSDF member was awarded ?1.1 million in damages.
The United States has informed Japan that it hopes to expand Marine Corps live-fire training at five Ground Self-Defense Force firing ranges to include the use of heavy weapons such as antitank missiles and rocket launchers.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2025
U.S. hoping to use heavy weapons in training at five GSDF sites
An official from the Defense Ministry said that it plans to allow the use of such weapons after obtaining the understanding of regional communities.
Two V-22 Ospreys operated by the U.S. Marine Corps at a naval base in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, on Friday.
WORLD
Dec 13, 2025
V-22 Osprey accidents soared in last two years, watchdog says
The most sweeping audit to date of the $56 billion program found that the Osprey has the second most so-called catastrophic risks of any U.S. Navy aircraft.
Akita Gov. Kenta Suzuki speaks at a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 11, 2025
SDF played large role in bear control efforts, Akita governor says
While the troops were not involved in culling the bears, they helped transport traps and provided much-needed manpower to the aging prefecture.
Soldiers stand guard at a gate of the Yonaguni military base in October 2021. The Self-Defense Forces plan to deploy Chu-SAM missiles to strengthen the air defenses around the island, which lies just 110 kilometers from Taiwan.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 28, 2025
Koizumi¡¯s significant (and insignificant) Yonaguni visit
The timing of Koizumi's visit amid the ongoing China-Japan tension made this stop there much more interesting than it otherwise would have been.
Yoichiro Otsu, the suspect arrested in connection with the stabbing of a woman in Akasaka, Tokyo, enters the Akasaka Police Station on Saturday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 22, 2025
GSDF officer arrested over stabbing of woman in Tokyo¡¯s Akasaka area
The suspect, Lt. Col. Yoichiro Otsu, who belongs to the GSDF's Camp Asaka in Tokyo's Nerima Ward, has denied the allegations against him.
Officials set up traps to capture bears in the city of Kazuno, Akita Prefecture, on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2025
GSDF deployed to Akita Prefecture amid rise in bear attacks
Troops will assist in the setting up of traps in the prefecture, though they are not permitted to help cull the bears themselves.
Foreign business owners face frantic scramble to leave Japan amid tighter visa rules
Taro Tsurugashima presents a petition with 53,000 signatures calling for a revision to the stricter business manager visa eligibility requirements, on May 13 in Tokyo.
Visitors to Japan down 5.5% in April
Japan Tourism Agency chief Shigeki Murata has emphasized that the government will work on implementing "strategic promotions to attract visitors from more countries and regions."
Female death row inmate sues Japan government over 24/7 surveillance
Tokyo Detention House guidelines dictate that CCTV surveillance can be used when detainees are at risk of suicide or self-harm, or when there is concern they may try to escape.
Hall linked to Buddhist saint Kukai burns down on Miyajima
The Reikado hall on the island of Miyajima in Hiroshima Prefecture in 2023
BOJ should raise policy rate at appropriate pace, says board member Junko Koeda
Former economics professor and Bank of Japan board member Junko Koeda is the second among members who voted in favor of holding settings steady at bank's last policy meeting to have since signaled the likelihood of rate hikes to come. But she has also hinted at caution, saying it¡¯s important to assess the impact stemming from the Middle East conflict.
Hirokazu Kore-eda says human imagination still matters in the age of AI
A couple (played by Haruka Ayase, right, and the mononymous Daigo) struggling to come to terms with the death of their son welcome a humanoid (Rimu Kuwaki, center) modeled after their child in ¡°Sheep in the Box.¡±
Female death row inmate sues Japan government over 24/7 surveillance
Tokyo Detention House guidelines dictate that CCTV surveillance can be used when detainees are at risk of suicide or self-harm, or when there is concern they may try to escape.
Installation delays and price hikes hit air conditioners just before summer
Naphtha shortages and a shrinking labor force mean those buying a new air conditioning unit may pay more than last year and then be forced to wait up to a month to have it installed.
¡®There was no village¡¯: Japan¡¯s troubling pattern of family murder-suicides
Akiko Hashiguchi is one of the few people in Japan to publicly share her personal experience with muri shinj¨± under her own name. She has since been involved in parents¡¯ support work and advocacy around developmental disorders.
Before city pop went global, there was Anri
Anri says younger overseas listeners first surprised her during a 2023 performance in Los Angeles, where most of the audience was in their 20s. Nearly five decades after her debut, songs such as ¡°Last Summer Whisper¡± and ¡°I Can¡¯t Stop the Loneliness¡± continue finding new fans.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Anri says younger overseas listeners first surprised her during a 2023 performance in Los Angeles, where most of the audience was in their 20s. Nearly five decades after her debut, songs such as ¡°Last Summer Whisper¡± and ¡°I Can¡¯t Stop the Loneliness¡± continue finding new fans.
Before city pop went global, there was Anri
By Patrick St. Michel

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