Japan Ministry of Defense

A US Marine stands beside an NMESIS anti-ship missile launcher on a wet road under low cloud at Bellows, Hawaii

Keen Sword Opens Near Taiwan as Yonaguni Is Told to Clear Roads

Japan and the United States opened Keen Sword on Monday, with US Marine launchers due on Yonaguni, 110 km from Taiwan, and residents asked to stay off the roads. TASS and Defense

October 18, 2026

Conflicts, Military and War·News

Korean People's Army personnel salute statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il on Mansu Hill in Pyongyang as North Korea fires ballistic missiles

Seoul Calls It a Show of Force. Pyongyang Calls It a Routine Upgrade.

North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles on Monday, four days after South Korea's first hypersonic test. Seoul's military called it a show of force, while Pyongyang's state media called it a routine

October 12, 2026

Conflicts, Military and War·News

Protesters hold a US Military Out sign outside the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo after a US Marine was arrested over the killing of a woman in Okinawa

Okinawa Hotel Killing Puts a US Marine in Custody and Washington on Notice

A 39-year-old woman was found strangled in a Naha hotel, and a 20-year-old US Marine is now in Japanese custody on suspicion of robbery and murder. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has protested

October 5, 2026

Conflicts, Military and War·Government and Politics·News

Japan Self-Defense Forces personnel during a drill as Japan approves record defense budget targeting 2 percent of GDP

The US Asked Japan to Spend More on Defense. Its Bond Market Said No.

Japan's 30-year bond yields hit a three-decade high after Bloomberg reported Tokyo was weighing a 3.5% GDP defense target under US pressure. The move would make Japan the world's third-largest military spender,

September 21, 2026

Business·Economy·Government and Politics·News

Japan Self-Defense Force military assets amid record FY2027 defense budget request August 2026

Japan Bids a Record $55 Billion for Anti-Radar Missiles, Drones and AI Command in FY2027

Japan filed its largest postwar defense budget request on August 31 — 8.89 trillion yen ($55.6B) — with the first-ever anti-radiation missile request embedded inside it. The FY2027 figure is expected to

September 5, 2026

Conflicts, Military and War·Government and Politics·News