Japan Air Self Defense Force

This is the first time that aircraft from the three European countries’ air forces will be deployed to Japan at the same time.

The European nation forms an increasingly important part of Japan's goal of consolidating its security cooperation with like-minded Western nations.

The drill continues a trend of Japan's expanding security links with European powers, while France looks to the Indo-Pacific.

The western Pacific, including Okinawa and Taiwan, is increasingly becoming a new frontier for electronic warfare.

Japan scrambled fighter aircraft 778 times in FY2022, nearly three-quarters of those coming against Chinese planes. 

Tokyo needs to enhance multilateral cooperation with the U.S. and other Western countries in space security, says General Kataoka Haruhiko, a former chief of staff of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

Japan may choose BAE Systems, not Lockheed Martin, to support Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in developing next-generation fighter aircraft.

It was the second highest number of scrambles in a single year, representing the worsening security environment surrounding Japan.

China’s military buildup, coupled with existing problems associated with imports from the U.S., may make such a move a necessity.

This marks a six percent increase compared with the same period in fiscal year 2018.

Lockheed Martin suspended assembly of the F-35A aircraft at a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries facility in Japan out of concern over the spread of the coronavirus.

Japan has seen a rise in the number of Chinese military aircraft approaching Japanese airspace over the last nine months.