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Japan, U.S. to compile interim report on defense guidelines in October
Japan and the United States plan to wait until early October to finish drawing up an interim report on the planned revision to bilateral defense cooperation guidelines, as they need to spend more time on its wording, a government source said in Tokyo.
The Japanese government is apparently concerned that the report, depending on how it is worded, will take center stage in the Diet’s extraordinary session this fall, while the United States is trying to tread carefully not to provoke China, the source said Friday.
The report is now expected to be compiled when senior Japanese and American officials at the director general level gather in Washington in early October to discuss the new guidelines, which are expected to be finalized by the end of the year, according to the source.
The two countries had planned to arrange a meeting in late September of their foreign and defense ministers under the so-called two-plus-two consultative framework, and to release the report, as the 69th session of the U.N. General Assembly will be held around the same time.
The focus of the first revision in 17 years is on how much of an expanded role the Self-Defense Forces will take under the bilateral alliance, especially in logistical support.
Tokyo’s decision in July to enable the use of the right to collective self-defense, or going to the aid of allies under armed attack even when Japan is not directly threatened, will also be reflected in the updated guidelines.
Japan, U.S. to compile interim report on defense guidelines in October | The Japan Times
Japan and the United States plan to wait until early October to finish drawing up an interim report on the planned revision to bilateral defense cooperation guidelines, as they need to spend more time on its wording, a government source said in Tokyo.
The Japanese government is apparently concerned that the report, depending on how it is worded, will take center stage in the Diet’s extraordinary session this fall, while the United States is trying to tread carefully not to provoke China, the source said Friday.
The report is now expected to be compiled when senior Japanese and American officials at the director general level gather in Washington in early October to discuss the new guidelines, which are expected to be finalized by the end of the year, according to the source.
The two countries had planned to arrange a meeting in late September of their foreign and defense ministers under the so-called two-plus-two consultative framework, and to release the report, as the 69th session of the U.N. General Assembly will be held around the same time.
The focus of the first revision in 17 years is on how much of an expanded role the Self-Defense Forces will take under the bilateral alliance, especially in logistical support.
Tokyo’s decision in July to enable the use of the right to collective self-defense, or going to the aid of allies under armed attack even when Japan is not directly threatened, will also be reflected in the updated guidelines.
Japan, U.S. to compile interim report on defense guidelines in October | The Japan Times
Japan, U.S. Eye Offensive Military Weapons For Tokyo
By Nobuhiro Kubo
TOKYO, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Japan and the United States are exploring the possibility of Tokyo acquiring offensive weapons that would allow Japan to project power far beyond its borders, Japanese officials said, a move that would likely infuriate China.
While Japan's intensifying rivalry with China dominates the headlines, Tokyo's focus would be the ability to take out North Korean missile bases, said three Japanese officials involved in the process.
They said Tokyo was holding the informal, previously undisclosed talks with Washington about capabilities that would mark an enhancement of military might for a country that has not fired a shot in anger since its defeat in World War Two.
The talks on what Japan regards as a "strike capability" are preliminary and do not cover specific hardware at this stage, the Japanese officials told Reuters.
Defense experts say an offensive capability would require a change in Japan's purely defensive military doctrine, which could open the door to billions of dollars worth of offensive missile systems and other hardware. These could take various forms, such as submarine-fired cruise missiles similar to the U.S. Tomahawk.
U.S. officials said there were no formal discussions on the matter but did not rule out the possibility that informal contacts on the issue had taken place. One U.S. official said Japan had approached American officials informally last year about the matter.
Japan's military is already robust but is constrained by a pacifist Constitution. The Self Defense Forces have dozens of naval surface ships, 16 submarines and three helicopter carriers, with more vessels under construction. Japan is also buying 42 advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets.
Reshaping the military into a more assertive force is a core policy of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He has reversed a decade of military spending cuts, ended a ban on Japanese troops fighting abroad and eased curbs on arms exports.
NORTH KOREAN MISSILES
North Korea lies less than 600 km (370 miles) from Japan at the closest point.
Pyongyang, which regularly fires short-range rockets into the sea separating the Koreas from Japan, has improved its ballistic missile capabilities and conducted three nuclear weapons tests, its most recent in February 2013.
In April, North Korea said that in the event of war on the Korean Peninsula, Japan would be "consumed in nuclear flames".
Part of Japan's motivation for upgrading its capabilities is a nagging suspicion that the United States, with some 28,000 troops in South Korea as well as 38,000 in Japan, might hesitate to attack the North in a crisis, Japanese experts said.
U.S. forces might hold off in some situations, such as if South Korea wanted to prevent an escalation, said Narushige Michishita, a national security adviser to the Japanese government from 2004-2006.
"We might want to maintain some kind of limited strike capability in order to be able to initiate a strike, so that we can tell the Americans, 'unless you do the job for us, we will have to do it on our own,'" said Michishita, a security expert at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo.
Reflecting Japan's concerns, Abe told parliament in May 2013 that it was vital "not to give the mistaken impression that the American sword would not be used" in an emergency.
"At this moment is it really acceptable for Japan to have to plead with the U.S. to attack a missile threatening to attack Japan?" Abe said.
Under current security guidelines, in the event of a ballistic missile attack, "U.S. forces will provide Japan with necessary intelligence and consider, as necessary, the use of forces providing additional strike power".
SHROUDED IN EUPHEMISM
The informal discussions on offensive capabilities cover all options, from Japan continuing to rely completely on Washington to getting the full panoply of weaponry itself.
Japan would like to reach a conclusion in about five years, and then start acquiring hardware, one Japanese official said.
Tokyo had wanted the discussions included in the review of the Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation Guidelines that are expected to cover areas such as logistical support and cybersecurity. Those talks, which formally kicked off last October, are the first in 17 years.
But the United States was keen to keep discussions on offensive capabilities separate to avoid riling China and South Korea, another Japanese official said. Beijing and Seoul each have territorial disputes with Tokyo and accuse Abe of failing to atone for Japan's wartime aggression.
Reflecting the sensitivities of the issue even in Japan, any talk of an upgraded offensive capability is shrouded in euphemism.
Itsunori Onodera, who stepped down last week as defense minister in a broad cabinet reshuffle, a year ago described it as "the capability to attack enemies' military bases and strategic bases for the sake of self-defense".
Japan, U.S. Eye Offensive Military Weapons For Tokyo
By Nobuhiro Kubo
TOKYO, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Japan and the United States are exploring the possibility of Tokyo acquiring offensive weapons that would allow Japan to project power far beyond its borders, Japanese officials said, a move that would likely infuriate China.
While Japan's intensifying rivalry with China dominates the headlines, Tokyo's focus would be the ability to take out North Korean missile bases, said three Japanese officials involved in the process.
They said Tokyo was holding the informal, previously undisclosed talks with Washington about capabilities that would mark an enhancement of military might for a country that has not fired a shot in anger since its defeat in World War Two.
The talks on what Japan regards as a "strike capability" are preliminary and do not cover specific hardware at this stage, the Japanese officials told Reuters.
Defense experts say an offensive capability would require a change in Japan's purely defensive military doctrine, which could open the door to billions of dollars worth of offensive missile systems and other hardware. These could take various forms, such as submarine-fired cruise missiles similar to the U.S. Tomahawk.
U.S. officials said there were no formal discussions on the matter but did not rule out the possibility that informal contacts on the issue had taken place. One U.S. official said Japan had approached American officials informally last year about the matter.
Japan's military is already robust but is constrained by a pacifist Constitution. The Self Defense Forces have dozens of naval surface ships, 16 submarines and three helicopter carriers, with more vessels under construction. Japan is also buying 42 advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets.
Reshaping the military into a more assertive force is a core policy of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He has reversed a decade of military spending cuts, ended a ban on Japanese troops fighting abroad and eased curbs on arms exports.
NORTH KOREAN MISSILES
North Korea lies less than 600 km (370 miles) from Japan at the closest point.
Pyongyang, which regularly fires short-range rockets into the sea separating the Koreas from Japan, has improved its ballistic missile capabilities and conducted three nuclear weapons tests, its most recent in February 2013.
In April, North Korea said that in the event of war on the Korean Peninsula, Japan would be "consumed in nuclear flames".
Part of Japan's motivation for upgrading its capabilities is a nagging suspicion that the United States, with some 28,000 troops in South Korea as well as 38,000 in Japan, might hesitate to attack the North in a crisis, Japanese experts said.
U.S. forces might hold off in some situations, such as if South Korea wanted to prevent an escalation, said Narushige Michishita, a national security adviser to the Japanese government from 2004-2006.
"We might want to maintain some kind of limited strike capability in order to be able to initiate a strike, so that we can tell the Americans, 'unless you do the job for us, we will have to do it on our own,'" said Michishita, a security expert at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo.
Reflecting Japan's concerns, Abe told parliament in May 2013 that it was vital "not to give the mistaken impression that the American sword would not be used" in an emergency.
"At this moment is it really acceptable for Japan to have to plead with the U.S. to attack a missile threatening to attack Japan?" Abe said.
Under current security guidelines, in the event of a ballistic missile attack, "U.S. forces will provide Japan with necessary intelligence and consider, as necessary, the use of forces providing additional strike power".
SHROUDED IN EUPHEMISM
The informal discussions on offensive capabilities cover all options, from Japan continuing to rely completely on Washington to getting the full panoply of weaponry itself.
Japan would like to reach a conclusion in about five years, and then start acquiring hardware, one Japanese official said.
Tokyo had wanted the discussions included in the review of the Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation Guidelines that are expected to cover areas such as logistical support and cybersecurity. Those talks, which formally kicked off last October, are the first in 17 years.
But the United States was keen to keep discussions on offensive capabilities separate to avoid riling China and South Korea, another Japanese official said. Beijing and Seoul each have territorial disputes with Tokyo and accuse Abe of failing to atone for Japan's wartime aggression.
Reflecting the sensitivities of the issue even in Japan, any talk of an upgraded offensive capability is shrouded in euphemism.
Itsunori Onodera, who stepped down last week as defense minister in a broad cabinet reshuffle, a year ago described it as "the capability to attack enemies' military bases and strategic bases for the sake of self-defense".
Japan, U.S. Eye Offensive Military Weapons For Tokyo
Tomahawks battalion partners with Japan Ground Self-Defense Force for Rising Thunder 14
YAKIMA TRAINING CENTER, Wash. - Following opening ceremonies on Sept. 2, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force troops trained alongside Soldiers of 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment during 2014 Rising Thunder exercises. The annual training partners Japanese military personnel with units from Joint Base Lewis-McChord and 7th Infantry Division, I Corps.
On day two of functional training, 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment conducted 12 ranges, including sniper training, field artillery, and support-by-fire exercises.
The annual training is an opportunity for a selected JGSDF unit to come to the U.S. to conduct exercises, and for the U.S. Army to further develop the partnership with the JGSDF.
DVIDS - News - Tomahawks battalion partners with Japan Ground Self-Defense Force for Rising Thunder 14
YAKIMA TRAINING CENTER, Wash. - Following opening ceremonies on Sept. 2, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force troops trained alongside Soldiers of 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment during 2014 Rising Thunder exercises. The annual training partners Japanese military personnel with units from Joint Base Lewis-McChord and 7th Infantry Division, I Corps.
On day two of functional training, 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment conducted 12 ranges, including sniper training, field artillery, and support-by-fire exercises.
The annual training is an opportunity for a selected JGSDF unit to come to the U.S. to conduct exercises, and for the U.S. Army to further develop the partnership with the JGSDF.
DVIDS - News - Tomahawks battalion partners with Japan Ground Self-Defense Force for Rising Thunder 14
JMSDF submarine squadron to make port call in Solomon Islands
The Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) training will arrive in Honiara, Friday.
The squadron is being led by Rear Admiral Yuasa Hideki and is part of their annual training program this year.
The squadron comprises of 716 Personnel and three vessels, TV-Kashima, TV-Setoyuki and DD-Asagiri.
The vessels left Japan on 22nd May 2014 and has visited 15 ports in 13 countries.
Solomon Islands is the eighth country out of the 13 countries.
The purposes of the program are to train newly commissioned JMSDF officers and to promote friendship between the people of those countries visited and Japan.
During the brief stop over here, Rear Admiral Yuasa Hideki will make courtesy calls to the Honiara City Mayors Office and the Prime Minister’s Office respectively.
Also during the day, the squadron will make site visits to both the U.S Memorial and the Japanese Memorial to lay wreath and pay respect to those who perished during the war here in Solomon Islands.
The visit will be concluded with a reception co-hosted by the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force and the Embassy of Japan in Solomon Islands.
At the reception remarks will be made by His Excellency Uto, Parliamentary Vice Minister for the Foreign Affairs of Japan, Rear Admiral Yuasa Hideki, Commander of the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force Squadron,Mr. Kenichi Kimiya, Ambassador of Japan to Solomon Islands,and Hon. Manasseh Maelanga, care taker Deputy Prime Minister of Solomon Islands.
The Squadron will depart for the next leg of its program at around 09:00am on Saturday.
Japan maritime self defence force visits here - Solomon Star
The Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) training will arrive in Honiara, Friday.
The squadron is being led by Rear Admiral Yuasa Hideki and is part of their annual training program this year.
The squadron comprises of 716 Personnel and three vessels, TV-Kashima, TV-Setoyuki and DD-Asagiri.
The vessels left Japan on 22nd May 2014 and has visited 15 ports in 13 countries.
Solomon Islands is the eighth country out of the 13 countries.
The purposes of the program are to train newly commissioned JMSDF officers and to promote friendship between the people of those countries visited and Japan.
During the brief stop over here, Rear Admiral Yuasa Hideki will make courtesy calls to the Honiara City Mayors Office and the Prime Minister’s Office respectively.
Also during the day, the squadron will make site visits to both the U.S Memorial and the Japanese Memorial to lay wreath and pay respect to those who perished during the war here in Solomon Islands.
The visit will be concluded with a reception co-hosted by the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force and the Embassy of Japan in Solomon Islands.
At the reception remarks will be made by His Excellency Uto, Parliamentary Vice Minister for the Foreign Affairs of Japan, Rear Admiral Yuasa Hideki, Commander of the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force Squadron,Mr. Kenichi Kimiya, Ambassador of Japan to Solomon Islands,and Hon. Manasseh Maelanga, care taker Deputy Prime Minister of Solomon Islands.
The Squadron will depart for the next leg of its program at around 09:00am on Saturday.
Japan maritime self defence force visits here - Solomon Star
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Command and control
The ship is equipped with OYQ-6/7 combat direction system. The system can transmit tactical data via Link-11. The Asagiri class is also fitted with a terminal for the MOF system, an operational C4I system that uses the Superbird SHF-SATCOM. The direction control system uses OYQ-5 digital communication system to transfer data between ship and onboard helicopter.
Asagiri missiles
Asagiri class destroyers are armed with two quad Harpoon SSM launchers carrying eight RGM-84C Harpoon surface-to-surface missiles. The Mk29 Sea Sparrow octuple launcher onboard can fire 18 short-range Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missiles.
Naval guns
The main gun fitted forward is an Otobreda 76mm, which has a range of 30,000m and can fire up to 120 rounds per minute. Two 20mm Mk15 Phalanx close-in weapon systems provide point defence against incoming anti-ship missiles and low-flying aircraft.
Anti-submarine warfare
The class is reasonably equipped for anti-submarine operations. Equipment for this role includes an Mk16 anti-submarine rocket octuple launcher and two HOS-302A triple 324mm torpedo tubes for Type 68 anti-submarine warfare torpedoes.
Sensors and radars
The sensor suite includes a towed tactical passive sonar array, Mitsubishi OQS-4A bow-mounted medium frequency sonar, OPS 20 navigational radar and OPS-28 surface search radar with the track-while-scan capability.
The first four vessels of the Asagiri class (DD151-154) are equipped with the OPS-14 air search radar; the remainder (DD155-158) with the OPS-24 air search 3D radar.
Aircraft
The hangar was enlarged to accommodate two helicopters, but the class was operationally configured to carry a single SH-60J(K) anti-submarine helicopter.
Countermeasures
"The Asagiri class is fitted with two Mk36 six-barrelled super-rapid blooming offboard chaff launchers."
The Asagiri class is fitted with two Mk36 six-barrelled super-rapid blooming offboard chaff launchers, which fire chaff or infrared decoys to deceive incoming anti-ship missiles. Other electronic warfare includes the NOLR-6C ESM, the OLT-3 jammer and a SLQ-25 Nixie acoustic torpedo decoy system.
Propulsion
The Asagiri class is powered by a combined gas turbine and gas turbine propulsion system consisting of four Kawasaki-Rolls-Royce Spey SM1A gas turbines. The four gas turbines drive two controllable pitch propellers to generate 543,000shp of power. This propulsion system provides a maximum speed of 30kt.
The ship is equipped with OYQ-6/7 combat direction system. The system can transmit tactical data via Link-11. The Asagiri class is also fitted with a terminal for the MOF system, an operational C4I system that uses the Superbird SHF-SATCOM. The direction control system uses OYQ-5 digital communication system to transfer data between ship and onboard helicopter.
Asagiri missiles
Asagiri class destroyers are armed with two quad Harpoon SSM launchers carrying eight RGM-84C Harpoon surface-to-surface missiles. The Mk29 Sea Sparrow octuple launcher onboard can fire 18 short-range Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missiles.
Naval guns
The main gun fitted forward is an Otobreda 76mm, which has a range of 30,000m and can fire up to 120 rounds per minute. Two 20mm Mk15 Phalanx close-in weapon systems provide point defence against incoming anti-ship missiles and low-flying aircraft.
Anti-submarine warfare
The class is reasonably equipped for anti-submarine operations. Equipment for this role includes an Mk16 anti-submarine rocket octuple launcher and two HOS-302A triple 324mm torpedo tubes for Type 68 anti-submarine warfare torpedoes.
Sensors and radars
The sensor suite includes a towed tactical passive sonar array, Mitsubishi OQS-4A bow-mounted medium frequency sonar, OPS 20 navigational radar and OPS-28 surface search radar with the track-while-scan capability.
The first four vessels of the Asagiri class (DD151-154) are equipped with the OPS-14 air search radar; the remainder (DD155-158) with the OPS-24 air search 3D radar.
Aircraft
The hangar was enlarged to accommodate two helicopters, but the class was operationally configured to carry a single SH-60J(K) anti-submarine helicopter.
Countermeasures
"The Asagiri class is fitted with two Mk36 six-barrelled super-rapid blooming offboard chaff launchers."
The Asagiri class is fitted with two Mk36 six-barrelled super-rapid blooming offboard chaff launchers, which fire chaff or infrared decoys to deceive incoming anti-ship missiles. Other electronic warfare includes the NOLR-6C ESM, the OLT-3 jammer and a SLQ-25 Nixie acoustic torpedo decoy system.
Propulsion
The Asagiri class is powered by a combined gas turbine and gas turbine propulsion system consisting of four Kawasaki-Rolls-Royce Spey SM1A gas turbines. The four gas turbines drive two controllable pitch propellers to generate 543,000shp of power. This propulsion system provides a maximum speed of 30kt.
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The Japanese military command plans to resume contacts with the Russian Armed Forces suspended after Tokyo joined anti-Russian sanctions over Ukraine.
The Japanese Navy would like to hold search and rescue exercises with the Russian Pacific Fleet as planned in late September near Vladivostok, the Nikkei newspaper said on Monday.
Along with the joint manoeuvres, the Japanese Navy command plans to hold consultations with Russian colleagues to confirm the unchanged policy to continue bilateral ties in defence.
Japan and Russia have held search and rescue exercises since 1998. Last December, the 14th such exercises took place near the Japanese port of Maizuru. During the joint training, Japan’s missile destroyer Shirane, the missile boat Hayabusa and support vessels and the Russian large anti-submarine ship Admiral Vinogradov, a tanker and a tugboat conducted search and rescue operations, manoeuvred and examined a “suspicious” vessel.
Military and political ties between Moscow and Tokyo actively developed in recent time. Russian Defence and Foreign Ministers Sergei Shoigu and Sergei Lavrov met with their Japanese counterparts Itsunori Onodera and Fumio Kishida in the Japanese capital on November 2, 2013, to discuss defence cooperation. That time the sides declared they planned to enlarge the scope and forms of joint military exercises.
The Japanese Navy would like to hold search and rescue exercises with the Russian Pacific Fleet as planned in late September near Vladivostok, the Nikkei newspaper said on Monday.
Along with the joint manoeuvres, the Japanese Navy command plans to hold consultations with Russian colleagues to confirm the unchanged policy to continue bilateral ties in defence.
Japan and Russia have held search and rescue exercises since 1998. Last December, the 14th such exercises took place near the Japanese port of Maizuru. During the joint training, Japan’s missile destroyer Shirane, the missile boat Hayabusa and support vessels and the Russian large anti-submarine ship Admiral Vinogradov, a tanker and a tugboat conducted search and rescue operations, manoeuvred and examined a “suspicious” vessel.
Military and political ties between Moscow and Tokyo actively developed in recent time. Russian Defence and Foreign Ministers Sergei Shoigu and Sergei Lavrov met with their Japanese counterparts Itsunori Onodera and Fumio Kishida in the Japanese capital on November 2, 2013, to discuss defence cooperation. That time the sides declared they planned to enlarge the scope and forms of joint military exercises.
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