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New MSDF patrol ship

Photo taken on Nov. 13, 2025, shows a new Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force patrol ship, the Tachibana, after its launch ceremony in Yokohama near Tokyo. The 95-meter vessel with an engine displacement of 1,900 tons will be commissioned in 2027.

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New MSDF patrol ship

Photo taken on Nov. 13, 2025, shows a new Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force patrol ship, the Sakura, after its launch ceremony in Yokohama near Tokyo. The 95-meter vessel with an engine displacement of 1,900 tons will be commissioned in 2027.

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New MSDF ocean research ship

A new Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force auxiliary oceanographic research ship is pictured after its launch ceremony at a shipyard of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. in Shimonoseki in the western Japan prefecture of Yamaguchi on May 29, 2025. The ship, Akashi, will be deployed at the MSDF's Yokosuka base in Kanagawa Prefecture in eastern Japan around March 2026.

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New MSDF ocean research ship

A new Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force auxiliary oceanographic research ship is pictured during its launch ceremony at a shipyard of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. in Shimonoseki in the western Japan prefecture of Yamaguchi on May 29, 2025. The ship, Akashi, will be deployed at the MSDF's Yokosuka base in Kanagawa Prefecture in eastern Japan around March 2026.

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Japan sets up new SDF command to unify defense force operations

TOKYO, Japan, March 24 Kyodo - Gen. Kenichiro Nagumo, who heads the Japan Self-Defense Forces' newly created Joint Operations Command, receives the commander's flag from Defense Minister Gen Nakatani during the inauguration ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on March 24, 2025. The permanent body, comprising about 240 personnel, is meant to help Japan to better integrate its ground, maritime and air defenses. (Kyodo)

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[Breaking News]New Japan MSDF chief of staff Saito

TOKYO, Japan, July 23 Kyodo -New Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force chief of staff Adm. Akira Saito holds a press conference at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on July 23, 2024.

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MSDF's submarine Hakugei

Photo taken on March 20, 2024, shows a new submarine Hakugei handed over to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force from its builder Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. at a shipyard in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, in western Japan.

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New Japan MSDF chief of staff Saito

New Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force chief of staff Adm. Akira Saito holds a press conference at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on July 23, 2024.

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New Japan MSDF chief of staff Saito

New Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force chief of staff Adm. Akira Saito holds a press conference at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on July 23, 2024.

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New Japan MSDF chief of staff Saito

New Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force chief of staff Adm. Akira Saito holds a press conference at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on July 23, 2024.

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New Japan MSDF chief of staff Saito

New Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force chief of staff Adm. Akira Saito (front C) attends his inauguration ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on July 19, 2024.

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New Japan MSDF chief of staff Saito

New Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force chief of staff Adm. Akira Saito (front C) attends his inauguration ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on July 19, 2024.

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New Japan MSDF chief of staff Saito

New Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force chief of staff Adm. Akira Saito (front C) attends his inauguration ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on July 19, 2024.

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New Japan MSDF chief of staff Saito

New Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force chief of staff Adm. Akira Saito (front) attends his inauguration ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on July 19, 2024.

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New Japan MSDF chief of staff Saito

New Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force chief of staff Adm. Akira Saito (R) shakes hands with his predecessor Ryo Sakai following his inauguration ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on July 19, 2024.

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Exercise Talisman Sabre Under Way In Australia

Handout photo dated July 29, 2023 shows The forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) sails in formation with the Royal Australian Navy Canberra-class landing helicopter dock ship HMAS Adelaide (L01), Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter destroyer JS Izumo (DDH 183), Republic of Korea Navy amphibious assault ship Marado (LPH 6112), amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay (LPD 20), amphibious assault ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18), Royal Australian Navy landing ship HMAS Choules (L100), Republic of Korea Navy destroyer Munmu The Great (DDH 976), guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), dry cargo ship USNS Matthew Perry (T-AKE-9), Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force tank landing ship, JS Shimokita (LST 4002), Royal Australian Navy replenishment oiler HMAS Stalwart and fleet replenishment oiler USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO 199) during a formation exercise, as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre. Large wargames between the USA, Australia and eleven partner nations kicked off on Jul

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Exercise Talisman Sabre Under Way In Australia

Handout photo dated July 29, 2023 shows The forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) sails in formation with the Royal Australian Navy Canberra-class landing helicopter dock ship HMAS Adelaide (L01), Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter destroyer JS Izumo (DDH 183), Republic of Korea Navy amphibious assault ship Marado (LPH 6112), amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay (LPD 20), amphibious assault ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18), Royal Australian Navy landing ship HMAS Choules (L100), Republic of Korea Navy destroyer Munmu The Great (DDH 976), guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), dry cargo ship USNS Matthew Perry (T-AKE-9), Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force tank landing ship, JS Shimokita (LST 4002), Royal Australian Navy replenishment oiler HMAS Stalwart and fleet replenishment oiler USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO 199) during a formation exercise, as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre. Large wargames between the USA, Australia and eleven partner nations kicked off on Jul

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Joint landing drill

PENDLETON, United States - Vehicles of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force alight from an air cushion landing craft (front) of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force during a joint exercise on a beach in southern California on June 24, 2013. Seen at back is an air cushion landing craft of the U.S. Navy. The U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps conducted the joint landing drill with Japan's Self-Defense Forces and Canadian and New Zealand forces as part of the Dawn Blitz 2013 exercises.

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Joint landing drill

PENDLETON, United States - An air cushion landing craft (L) of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force lands on a beach during a joint exercise in southern California on June 24, 2013. Seen in front is an air cushion landing craft of the U.S. Navy. The U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps conducted the joint landing drill with Japan's Self-Defense Forces and Canadian and New Zealand forces as part of the Dawn Blitz 2013 exercises.

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Joint landing drill

PENDLETON, United States - Vehicles of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force alight from an air cushion landing craft of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force during a joint exercise on a beach in southern California on June 24, 2013. The U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps conducted the joint landing drill with Japan's Self-Defense Forces and Canadian and New Zealand forces as part of the Dawn Blitz 2013 exercises.

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Joint landing drill

PENDLETON, United States - Air cushion landing craft of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force (front) and the U.S. Navy (back) land on a beach during a joint exercise in southern California on June 24, 2013. The U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps conducted the joint landing drill with Japan's Self-Defense Forces and Canadian and New Zealand forces as part of the Dawn Blitz 2013 exercises.

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Joint landing drill

PENDLETON, United States - An air cushion landing craft of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force lands on a beach during a joint exercise in southern California on June 24, 2013. The U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps conducted the joint landing drill with Japan's Self-Defense Forces and Canadian and New Zealand forces as part of the Dawn Blitz 2013 exercises.

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New sub at Yokosuka

YOKOSUKA, Japan - The new submarine Zuiryu is deployed at the Maritime Self-Defense Force base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo on April 2, 2013. The 2,950-ton Soryu-class sub was commissioned in March 2013.

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New sub at Yokosuka

YOKOSUKA, Japan - The new submarine Zuiryu is deployed at the Maritime Self-Defense Force base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo on April 2, 2013. The 2,950-ton Soryu-class sub was commissioned in March 2013.

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Japan's MSDF destroyer in N.Y. for Fleet Week

NEW YORK, United States - The Shirane (L), a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer, approaches the pier at Brooklyn port in New York on May 23, 2012, while a boat of the New York Police Department (R) is patrolling. The Japanese vessel made port to participate in the annual Fleet Week, the weeklong event that kicked off the same day in the year marking the 200th anniversary of the start of the War of 1812 fought between Britain and the United States.

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Japan's MSDF destroyer in N.Y. for Fleet Week

NEW YORK, United States - The Shirane, a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer, sails into position alongside the pier at Brooklyn port in New York on May 23, 2012. The Japanese vessel made port to participate in the annual Fleet Week, the weeklong event that kicked off the same day in the year marking the 200th anniversary of the start of the War of 1812 fought between Britain and the United States.

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Japan's MSDF destroyer in N.Y. for Fleet Week

NEW YORK, United States - Capt. Osamu Takeuchi, Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force officer in charge of destroyer the Shirane, stands with the skyscrapers of Manhattan in the background, in New York on May 23, 2012, after the Japanese vessel made port in Brooklyn the same day to participate in the annual Fleet Week. The weeklong event kicked off the same day in the year marking the 200th anniversary of the start of the War of 1812 fought between Britain and the United States.

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New Japan minesweeper

YOKOHAMA, Japan - The 570-ton Chichijima, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's new minesweeper, takes to water after a launching ceremony in Yokohama, southwest of Tokyo, on Nov. 24, 2011.

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Cracks in new SDF patrol aircraft

TOKYO, Japan - This file photo taken in Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, in July 2007, shows a new Maritime Self-Defense Force patrol aircraft called the P-1. Officials of Japan's Defense Ministry said on Aug. 2, 2011, that it has found cracks at several spots on the wings and fuselage of the new jet now under development.

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U.S. military begins operating new Iwakuni runway

YAMAGUCHI, Japan - An airplane of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force lands on a new runway at the U.S. Marine Corps' Iwakuni Air Station in Yamaguchi Prefecture on May 29, 2010. The U.S. military began operating the offshore runway at the base, which is jointly used by the MSDF, the same day.

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Law to resume Japan's antiterrorism mission enacted

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda (R) applauds after Japan's House of Representatives in a plenary session on Jan. 11 passed into law a bill to resume the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean. The more powerful lower chamber in the bicameral Diet passed the bill in a second vote with a two-thirds majority vote by the ruling bloc of Fukuda's Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito party after the bill was rejected by the opposition-controlled House of Councillors.

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Replenishment ship leaves for Indian Ocean on antiterror mission

YOKOSUKA, Japan - Family members of crewmen bid farewell as the 8,150-ton replenishment ship Tokiwa of the Maritime Self-Defense Force sets sail from its home port in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Nov. 14 for a new round of antiterrorism mission in the Indian Ocean.

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Icebreaker crew take open-air New Year bath in Antarctica

ABOARD THE SHIRASE, Antarctic Ocean - Sailors aboard the Japanese icebreaker Shirase take a New Year's bath Jan. 6 in an open-air deck tub with a magnificent view of icebergs in the distance. Members of an expedition to Japan's Showa Base in Antarctica also bathed in the 2-meter-square tub built with scrap wood from the hold of the 11,600-ton Maritime Self-Defense Force ship. The temperature at noon was minus 2 C.

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U.S. carrier leaves Yokosuka with MSDF escort

YOKOSUKA, Japan - The U.S. aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk sails off its home port at the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, on Sept. 21, escorted by ships of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF). The MSDF said the escorting of the U.S. carrier is part of its antiterrorism activities, related to the Sept. 11 attacks on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon near Washington.

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New military helicopter prototype unveiled

NAGOYA, Japan - Parked at a factory of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. in Toyoyama, Aichi Prefecture, on Aug. 8 is a prototype of a new antisubmarine patrol helicopter, the SH60JKai, an advanced version of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force SH60J chopper, which will be decommissioned from fiscal 2004.

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MSDF's new submarine

A launch ceremony for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's new submarine Jingei is held at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.'s shipyard in Kobe, western Japan, on Oct. 12, 2022. The Taigei-class submarine with a standard displacement of 3,000 tons is scheduled to go into service in March 2024.

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Replenishment ship leaves for Indian Ocean on antiterror mission

YOKOSUKA, Japan - Family members of crewmen bid farewell as the 8,150-ton replenishment ship Tokiwa of the Maritime Self-Defense Force sets sail from its home port in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Nov. 14 for a new round of antiterrorism mission in the Indian Ocean. (Kyodo)

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Replenishment ship leaves for Indian Ocean on antiterror mission

YOKOSUKA, Japan - Family members of crewmen bid farewell as the 8,150-ton replenishment ship Tokiwa of the Maritime Self-Defense Force sets sail from its home port in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Nov. 14 for a new round of antiterrorism mission in the Indian Ocean. (Kyodo)

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Abe addresses MSDF antiterrorism mission in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI, Abu Dhabi - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe inspects the the Maritime Self-Defense Force supply vessel Hamana oberthed at an Abu Dhabi port on April 29. Abe told the crew he hopes they will help ''write a new chapter for Japan on the frontlines of international contribution,'' referring to the recent upgrading of the Self-Defense Forces' overseas activities into one of its primary duties from previous subordinate status. (Pool photo) (Kyodo)

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Abe addresses MSDF antiterrorism mission in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI, Abu Dhabi - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (center right) inspects the the Maritime Self-Defense Force supply vessel Hamana oberthed at an Abu Dhabi port on April 29. Abe told the crew he hopes they will help ''write a new chapter for Japan on the frontlines of international contribution,'' referring to the recent upgrading of the Self-Defense Forces' overseas activities into one of its primary duties from previous subordinate status. (Pool photo) (Kyodo)

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New military helicopter prototype unveiled

NAGOYA, Japan - Parked at a factory of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. in Toyoyama, Aichi Prefecture, on Aug. 8 is a prototype of a new antisubmarine patrol helicopter, the SH60JKai, an advanced version of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force SH60J chopper, which will be decommissioned from fiscal 2004.

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Ceremony held for new ground force unit on westernmost Japanese island

Lt. Gen. Kiyoshi Ogawa (L) of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force presents a flag to Daigo Shiomitsu, the leader of a new GSDF unit established on the country's westernmost island of Yonaguni, Okinawa Prefecture, during a ceremony on the remote island on March 28, 2016. Comprised of about 160 members, the unit is expected to keep a close watch on Chinese maritime activities, particularly around the Japan-administered Senkaku Islands, which Beijing claims. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Ceremony held for new ground force unit on westernmost Japanese island

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force personnel take part in a ceremony on the country's westernmost island of Yonaguni, Okinawa Prefecture, on March 28, 2016, to mark the establishment of a new GSDF unit on the remote island. Comprised of about 160 members, the unit is expected to keep a close watch on Chinese maritime activities, particularly around the Japan-administered Senkaku Islands, which Beijing claims. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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New commander of George Washington meets press in Yokosuka

Capt. Timothy Kuehhas, new commanding officer of the U.S. aircraft carrier George Washington, gives a press conference in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, on Jan. 30, 2015. Kuehhas expressed his desire to maintain and reinforce the relationship with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Remote-control robot in minesweeping drill in southwestern Japan

Photo taken in the Pacific off Miyazaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Nov. 26, 2015, shows a remote-controlled robot used in a minesweeping exercise by the Maritime Self-Defense Force, the first such drill since the recent enactment of Japan's new security laws. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Naval troops conduct minesweeping drill in southwestern Japan

A Maritime Self-Defense Force exercise open to the press shows a diver descending from a helicopter during a mock minesweeping operation in the Pacific off Miyazaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Nov. 26, 2015. It was the first such drill since the enactment of Japan's new security legislation in September. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Japan MSDF's new destroyer Noshiro

The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force holds a naming and launching ceremony for its new destroyer Noshiro at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.'s shipyard in Nagasaki, southwestern Japan, on June 22, 2021. The 3,900-ton vessel with a minesweeping capability is scheduled to go into commission in 2022.

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U.S. military begins operating new Iwakuni runway

YAMAGUCHI, Japan - An airplane of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force lands on a new runway at the U.S. Marine Corps' Iwakuni Air Station in Yamaguchi Prefecture on May 29, 2010. The U.S. military began operating the offshore runway at the base, which is jointly used by the MSDF, the same day. (Kyodo)

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Cracks in new SDF patrol aircraft

TOKYO, Japan - This file photo taken in Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, in July 2007, shows a new Maritime Self-Defense Force patrol aircraft called the P-1. Officials of Japan's Defense Ministry said on Aug. 2, 2011, that it has found cracks at several spots on the wings and fuselage of the new jet now under development. (Kyodo)

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New destroyer Kirisame

Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force personnel, wearing face masks amid the coronavirus pandemic, are pictured on the deck of new destroyer Kirisame after the vessel left Sasebo port in Nagasaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on May 10, 2020, to replace Takanami on an information-gathering mission in the Middle East. Their families (seen in the port) wave to the personnel, who will undergo coronavirus tests in the first two weeks before heading to the Middle East. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo