Japan Defense Focus

No, 23(October 2011)

Table of Contents

• Departure and appointment of the Ministry’s top three politicians
• SDF’s activities in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake

• Meeting between then Defense Minister Kitazawa and UN Secretary-General
• Vice-Ministerial level meeting between the Japanese and Chinese defense ministries

• Establishment of facility for counter-piracy mission in Djibouti
• Anti-piracy operations extended for one year
• Anti-piracy operations off the Coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden
• Transfer of command of UNDOF transport unit in the Golan Heights
• Transfer of command of the unit dispatched to MINUSTAH (United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti)
• Dispatch of SDF personnel to excavate and recover abandoned chemical weapons in China
• ASDF and Royal Australian Air Force conduct joint training
• Release of the defense White Paper, “Defense of Japan 2011”
• Interim report by the Study Group on Defense Production and Technological Bases
• Report from the Committee for Promotion of the Structural Reform of Defense Capability
• Fuji Firepower Review 2011
• The New “NIDS” : The Way Forward

No, 22 (August 2011)

Table of Contents

• The SDF’s Activities in the Great East Japan Earthquake
• Minister of Defense Expresses His Appreciation for the Support Provided by Each Country

• First Japan–U.S. Security Consultative Committee (SCC) “2+2” Ministerial Meeting in Four Years
• Attendance at the Asia Security Summit by Defense Minister Kitazawa and Bilateral Talks Among the Respective Defense Ministers

• Activities of female SDF personnel in international peace cooperation activities in Timor-Leste
• Anti-piracy measures off the Coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden
• Maritime Self-Defense Force Training Squadron
• Entrance Ceremony for New Class- I and II Recruits for FY2011
• Introduction of New Equipment
• Circular Flying Object

No, 21 (March 2011)

Table of Contents

• Japan–Korea Defense Ministerial Meeting
• Japan–US Defense Ministerial Meeting

• Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Defense Hirota attends regional security summit “Manama Dialogue”
• Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Defense Matsumoto visits four Southeast Asian countries and Nepal
• Administrative Vice-Minister of Defense Nakae visits Thailand and Singapore
• Visit from Minister of Defense of Indonesia

• International peace cooperation activities in Haiti
• Anti-piracy operations off the Coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden
• International disaster relief activities for New Zealand earthquake victims
• New fighter IPT holds first meeting
• Drop Drill of 1st Airborne Brigade, Ground Self-Defense Force

• National Defense Program Guidelines
• Cabinet Decision on Mid-Term Defense Program

No, 20 (January 2011)

Table of Contents

• A New Year’s Address from Minister of Defense Toshimi Kitazawa
• Courtesy Call on Prime Minister Dung, Vietnam
• Reception on board JMSDF Hashidate commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Japan–U.S. Security Treaty

• Japan–US Defense Ministerial Meeting
• Japan–China Defense Ministerial Talk
• Japan–Singapore Defense Ministerial Meeting
• Japan–Australia Defense Ministerial Meeting
• Japan–Thailand Defense Ministerial Meeting
• Japan–Indonesia Defense Ministerial Meeting
• Japan–Vietnam Defense Ministerial Meeting
• Parliamentary Senior Vice-Minister of Defense Attends ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus
• Parliamentary Senior Vice-Minister’s Courtesy Call on Secretary of National Defense of the Philippines
• Parliamentary Senior Vice-Minister’s Courtesy Call on Minister of National Defense of Cambodia
• Japan–New Zealand Defense Ministerial Meeting
• Japan–Mongolia Defense Ministerial Meeting
• Parliamentary Senior Vice-Minister of Defense visits Guam

• International Peace Cooperation Activities in Haiti
• End of International Disaster Relief activities in Pakistan
• Anti-piracy measures off the Coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden continued
• SM-3 test launch conducted

• The MOD/SDF Senior Officials Meeting held
• 15th Tokyo Defense Forum
• Troop Review
• SDF Marching Festival

• Publication of 2010 Defense White Paper in English

No, 19 (November 2010)

Table of Contents

• Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa made a speech at the 9th IISS "Shangri-La Dialogue"
• Secretary-General of the United Nations visits to the Ministry of Defense

• Japan–Republic of Korea–United States Defense Leaders Hold a Trilateral Meeting
• Japan–Korea Defense Ministerial Meeting (with ROK Minister of National Defense, Kim Tae-Young)
• Japan–Singapore Defense Ministerial Meeting (with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Teo Chee Hean)
• Japan–UK Defense Ministerial Meeting (with UK Secretary of State for Defence, the Right Honourable Liam Fox MP)

• Border Road Repairs in Haiti completed
• International Disaster Relief Activities for the Flood Damage in Pakistan

• Pacific Partnership 2010 concluded
• Dispatch of lecturers to the Mali PKO center
• Self-Defense Force aircraft diverted to civilian use. Move toward commencing on system design.
• Introduction of the Defense White Paper
• Directions from the Minister on the reform of the Ministry of Defense

• Anti-piracy Operations off the Coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden
• Futenma Replacement Facility Bilateral Experts Study Group Report

• 28,000 People enjoy Fuji Firepower Review

• 30th Chief of Staff, Maritime Self-Defense Force, Admiral, Masahiko Sugimoto

No, 18 (August 2010)

Table of Contents

• Japan–U.S. Agreed on the Henoko-saki Area

• The Japan–Australia Defense Ministerial Meeting held and ACSA signed at the Japan–Australia "2+2"Meeting
• Japan–India Defense Ministerial Meeting Held in India
• Meeting with the President of Timor-Leste Support via Human Resource Development for the New Country

• Ministry of Defense entrance ceremony
• Dispatch of instructors to Egypt PKO Center
• Discussion starts toward the diversion of aircraft developed by the Ministry of Defense to civilian use
• Participation in Pacific Partnership 2010

• Disaster Relief Assistance to Haiti Continues

• Anti-piracy Operations off the Coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden

• The Second Meeting of Senior Defense Officials on Common Security Challenges in the Asia-Pacific Region

No, 17 (March 2010)

Table of Contents

• The airdrop drill was observed by Minister of Defense, Toshimi Kitazawa

• The Disaster Assistance Efforts for the Haiti earthquake

• Former Chairman of the Joint Staff Office, Mr. Tetsuya Nishimoto, was appointed as Special Advisor to the Minister of Defense
• Meeting of Directors of the Regional Defense Bureaus
• Successful Maiden Flight of the XC-2, Next-Generation Transport Aircraft
• The 45th Meeting of the MOD and SDF Senior Personnel

• Japan-Italy Vice-Ministerial Meeting

• Self-Defense Forces Marching Band Festival

• Anti-Piracy Measures off the Coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden

No, 16 (JANUARY 2010)

Table of Contents

• New Year's Address by Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa

• Meeting between Japan Defense Minister and U.S. Defense Secretary
• Meeting of Defense Ministers of Japan and India
• Meeting of Defense Ministers of Japan and China

• First round of ministerial inspections

• Tokyo Defense Forum
• Collision involving Destroyer Kurama
• Self-Defense Forces Fleet Review

• Anti-piracy Operations off the Coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden
• IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea

• Dispatch of International Disaster Relief Team for Sumatra Padang Earthquake
• 2009 memorial service for SDF members who died on duty
• Successful flight test of a Standard Missile-3 by the MSDF's Destroyer Myoko

• Self-Defense Forces Marching Band Festival

• Toshimi Kitazawa appointed as Defense Minister

• Courtesy Visit by Chief of Royal Malaysian Navy
• Courtesy Visit by Singapore Armed Forces Chief of Defence Force
• Minister of Defense Kitazawa's Visit to Okinawa

• Defense Council
• The christening and launch ceremony for the helicopter destroyer, Ise (a project started in 2006)
• Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference (PACC) and Pacific Armies Management Seminar (PAMS)

• Anti-piracy Operations off the Coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden
• Publication of the 2009 Defense White Paper

• Relief activities for the flood disaster in Chugoku and north Kyushu
• Typhoon Etau Disaster Relief Operations
• Dispatch of JSDF Instructors to the Peacekeeping School « Ecole de Maintien de la Paix » in Bamako Mali

• Fuji Firepower Review

• Interview: Chief of Staff, GSDF General Yoshifumi Hibako