US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday that negotiations with North Korea were going too slowly after Pyongyang fired two more short-range projectiles. Pompeo downplayed Thursday’s launches themselves, saying they were consistent with previous moves, but called for more effort in nuclear negotiations. “The progress has been far too slow,” Pompeo told radio station […]

Washington approved the $3.3 billion sale of anti-ballistic missiles to Japan Tuesday, following close behind a series of new ballistic missile tests by North Korea that could threaten the US ally. Japan will buy up to 73 of the Raytheon-made SM-3 Block IIA missiles, which are designed to be fired by the ship-board Aegis system […]

CORAL SEA: Seventeen ships from the United States, Australia, Canada and Japan sailed together in formation for a massive photo exercise July 10, to signify the beginning of naval maneuvers as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2019. This year’s Talisman Sabre is focused on defending the rights, freedoms, and uses of the sea, air, space […]

DefenceTalkOkinawa (Japan): Residents of Japan’s Okinawa go to the polls Sunday in a closely watched referendum on the controversial relocation of a US military base to a remote part of the island. The vote is seen as highly symbolic but is also non-binding, raising questions about what effect it will have, even if opponents of […]https://www.defencetalk.com/japans-okinawa-to-vote-on-controversial-us-base-move-72124/

DefenceTalkThe U.S. military on Tuesday successfully conducted a test of a new ballistic-missile interceptor system, which is being co-developed with Japan. The launch marks the second successful test in less than two months for the SM-3 Block IIA missile and its associated technologies, which had previously experienced failures. According to the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-conducts-latest-successful-test-of-us-japan-interceptor-71987/

DefenceTalkTOKYO: Japan is considering buying up to 100 F-35 stealth fighters from the US for more than US$8.8 billion as it seeks to counter China’s growing military presence in the region, a newspaper reported Tuesday (Nov 27). The reported purchase comes as President Donald Trump pushes Japan to buy more military equipment and other US […]https://www.defencetalk.com/japan-mulling-purchase-of-100-f-35-us-stealth-fighters-71954/

DefenceTalkThe amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) became the first U.S. Navy ship in the 7th Fleet to conduct amphibious operations with the newly established Japan Ground Self Defense Force (JGSDF) Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade (ARDB) troops and their equipment Oct. 2. JGSDF assault amphibious vehicles were recovered by Ashland Sailors and embarked […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-japan-advance-new-amphibious-capability-71888/

DefenceTalkNorth Korea still poses a “serious and imminent threat”, Japan said Tuesday in its first annual defence review since an outbreak of diplomacy on the Korean peninsula. Japan’s 2018 defence white paper also took aim at China’s rise as a military power, saying Beijing was sparking “strong security concerns in the region and international community, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/north-korea-still-serious-and-imminent-threat-japan-71822/

DefenceTalkAirmen and F-35A aircraft from the active duty 388th Fighter Wing and Reserve 419th Fighter Wing returned here May 4-5 following a six-month deployment to Kadena Air Base, Japan. Families gathered on the flightline to welcome the pilots, maintainers, and support personnel who had been working at Kadena and the surrounding region since October 2017. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/airmen-f-35-jets-return-from-japan-deployment-71679/

DefenceTalkA test of a US missile interceptor failed in Hawaii on Wednesday (Jan 31), a defence official said, marking the second such unsuccessful attempt in less than a year. The test using the Aegis Ashore system occurred at the Pacific Missile Range Facility on the island of Kauai, Missile Defence Agency spokesman Mark Wright said […]https://www.defencetalk.com/test-of-us-japanese-missile-interceptor-fails-again-71389/