| Japan Air Self-Defense Force | |
|---|---|
| |
 Emblem of the Air Self-Defense Force | |
| Founded | 1 July 1954; 71 years ago (1954-07-01)[1] |
| Country |  Japan |
| Type | Air force Space force |
| Role | |
| Size |
|
| Part of |  Japan Self-Defense Forces |
| Headquarters | Ichigaya,Shinjuku,Tokyo |
| Mottos | "Key to Defense, Ready Anytime!" |
| Website | www |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Prime MinisterSanae Takaichi |
| Minister of Defense | Shinjirō Koizumi |
| Chief of Staff, Joint Staff | GeneralHiroaki Uchikura |
| Chief of Staff, Air Self-Defense Force | GeneralTakehiro Morita |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel |   |
| Flag |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Electronic warfare | E-767,EC-1,E-2C/D,YS-11EA/EB |
| Fighter | F-15J/DJ,F-2A/B,F-35A/B |
| Helicopter | UH-60J,CH-47J (LR) |
| Trainer | T-3,T-7,T-400,T-4 |
| Transport | C-1,C-2,C-130H,Hawker 800,Gulfstream IV,Boeing 777 |
| Tanker | KC-767,KC-130 |
TheJapan Air Self-Defense Force (Japanese:航空自衛隊,Hepburn:Kōkū Jieitai),JASDF (空自,Kūji), also referred to as theJapanese Air Force,[2] is theair andspace branch of theJapan Self-Defense Forces, responsible for the defense of Japaneseairspace, other air and space operations,cyberwarfare andelectronic warfare.[3] The JASDF carries outcombat air patrols aroundJapan, while also maintaining a network of ground and airearly-warning radar systems. The branch also has anaerobatic team known asBlue Impulse and has provided air transport inUN peacekeeping missions.
The JASDF had an estimated 49,913 personnel as of 2018, and as of 2023 operates about 712 aircraft, approximately 321 of them being fighter aircraft.[4]
The service will be renamed in 2027 to theJapan Air and Space Self-Defense Force (航空宇宙自衛隊,Kōkū Uchū Jieitai), in recognition of the increasing importance of the space domain.[5]
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Japan did not have a separateair force before and duringWorld War II. Aviation operations were carried out by theImperial Japanese Army Air Service and theImperial Japanese Navy Air Service (Kōkūtai). Following defeat inWorld War II, theImperial Japanese Army andNavy (including their respective Air Services) were disbanded in 1945.[citation needed]
Under the supervision of the United States occupation authorities, a pacifist Japanese government was appointed in place of the militaristic governments that administered theEmpire of Japan during the war.[citation needed] The new government drafted apostwar constitution. While the primary intent of this endeavor was to place the country's political structure on a firmly democratic footing, the constitution endorsed by the United States and ratified by theDiet of Japan in 1947 also containedArticle 9 which strictly prohibited Japan from having a regularmilitary.[citation needed]
The U.S. occupation formally ended in 1952, although a large American garrison remained in Japan, to defend the country. The victory of theChinese Communist Party in theChinese Civil War and the onset of theKorean War led the Americans to reconsider what role the Japanese could be expected to play in, at the very least, defending their own home islands against growing Chinese, Soviet and North Korean power in the region. Under U.S. guidance, on 1 July 1954 the National Security Board was reorganized as the Defense Agency, and the National Security Force was reorganized afterwards as theJapan Ground Self-Defense Force (de facto post-war JapaneseArmy), the Coastal Safety Force was reorganized as theJapan Maritime Self-Defense Force (de facto post-war JapaneseNavy) and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (de facto post-war JapaneseAir Force) was established as a new branch of JSDF. GeneralKeizō Hayashi was appointed as the first Chairman of Joint Staff Council—professional head of the three branches. The enabling legislation for this was the 1954 Self-Defense Forces Act (Act No. 165 of 1954).[6][7]
TheFar East Air Force, U.S. Air Force, announced on 6 January 1955, that 85 aircraft would be turned over to the fledgling Japanese air force on about 15 January, the first equipment of the new force.[8]
The JASDFAir Defense Command (Japan) [ja] Headquarters was relocated fromFuchu Air Base toYokota Air Base on March 26, 2012. The relocation is due to the 2002 Defense Policy Review Initiative. The purpose is to strengthen theU.S.-Japan Security Alliance. The ADC Headquarters does command and control operations to defend Japanese airspace.[citation needed]
Until 2015, women were banned from becoming fighter jet and reconnaissance aircraft pilots. The first female pilot of an F-15 joined the ranks, along with three other female pilots currently in training, in 2018.[9]
Since 2008, the number ofscrambles to intercept Chinese aircraft has increased rapidly. In 2010 there were scrambles against 31 Chinese aircraft and 193 Russian aircraft. In 2018 scrambles increased to against 638 Chinese aircraft and against 343 Russian aircraft. Chinese aircraft flight paths are mostly in theEast China Sea, around theRyukyu Islands and through theKorea Strait. Russia frequently conducts flights orbiting Japan with military aircraft.[10]
TheMinistry of Defense reported in fiscal 2018 that there were 999 scrambles by JASDF jets against mainly Chinese and Russian unidentified aircraft. That is the second highest amount ofscrambles by the JASDF since 1958. 638 (64%) were Chinese aircraft and 343 (34%) were Russian aircraft. On June 20, 2019, two Russian bombers (Tupolev Tu-95) violated Japanese airspace twice on the same day.[11]
TheDiet of Japan approved the modification of the ships of theIzumo-class to operate STOVL aircraft and in 2019 ordered 42 STOVLLockheed Martin F-35 Lightning IIs.[12] The US Marines will operate their own STOVL F-35s from theIzumo-class in cooperation with the ship's crew to build up a Japanese capability to operate this type. The current plan is for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force to operate the STOVL F-35B from land bases once delivered.[13]
As of 2020, the JASDF is under increasing pressure to intercept warplanes from China's People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) close to entering its air space. As of the last fiscal year ending in March 2020, the JASDF scrambled aircraft a record 947 times to intercept PLAAF warplanes. This has resulted in heavy wear and tear on their F-15J fighter aircraft,[14] due to this, as of 2021, the JASDF intercepts fewer PLAAF warplane approaches and has deployed F-35 fighter jets to supplement the F-15J fighter jets in this role.[15][16]
On 17 March 2021, theMitsubishi F-4EJ Phantom II was retired after 50 years of service with the JASDF, being replaced by the F-35A.[17]
During the 9 months of fiscal year 2021, JASDF fighters scrambled against 785 inbound flights.[18] Chinese aircraft were intercepted 571 times (70%), and 199 Russian aircraft.[18] The majority of the Chinese aircraft flew overOkinawa prefecture.[18]
On 22 October 2023, the JASDF conducted its first-ever trilateral exercise with the South Korean and United States air forces near the Korean Peninsula.[19]
The JASDF'sMitsubishi F-2 fighters are slated to be replaced by a future sixth-generation stealth fighter developed under theGlobal Combat Air Programme (GCAP). This aircraft would be designed by a joint venture set-up in mid-2025 with manufacturing and assembly being subcontracted to Britain'sBAE Systems, Italy'sLeonardo, and Japan'sMitsubishi Heavy Industries.[20]
A trilateral organisation called the GCAP International Government Organization (GIGO) would oversee the entire project; it would be headquartered in the UK and led by former Japanese Vice Minister of Defense Masami Oka.[21] The fighter is slated to be deployed by 2035 and would be a crewed platform which would possibly be capable of directing other autonomous aircraft.[22][23]
From 17th September 2025, severalKawasaki C-2 andMitsubishi F-15J are deployed toRAF Coningsby fromChitose Air Base as part of the Atlantic Eagle Deployment, the first JASDF deployment to Europe.[24]
Major units of the JASDF are the Air Defense Command, Air Support Command, Air Training Command, Air Development and Test Command, and Air Materiel Command. The Air Support Command is responsible for direct support of operational forces in rescue, transportation, control, weather monitoring and inspection. The Air Training Command is responsible for basic flying and technical training. The Air Development and Test Command, in addition to overseeing equipment research and development, is also responsible for research and development in such areas as flight medicine. On May 19, 2020, the JASDF officially inaugurated its Space Operation Squadron.[25]
The Air Defense Command has northern, central, and western regional headquarters located atMisawa, Iruma, and Kasuga, respectively and the Southwestern Composite Air Division based atNaha,Okinawa Prefecture. All four regional headquarters control surface-to-air missile units of both the JASDF and the JGSDF located in their respective areas.
Air Defense Command [ja]:Yokota,Fussa,Tokyo.jpg)
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The rank insignia ofcommissioned officers.
| Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Japan Air Self-Defense Force[26] | .svg) | .svg) | .svg) | .svg) | .svg) | .svg) | .svg) | .svg) | .svg) | .svg) | ||||||||||||||
| 幕僚長および統合作戦司令官たる空将 Bakuryōchō-oyobi-Tōgōsakusenshireikan-taru-kūshō | 空将 Kūshō | 空将補 Kūshō-ho | 1等空佐 Ittō kūsa | 2等空佐 Nitō kūsa | 3等空佐 Santō kūsa | 1等空尉 Ittō kūi | 2等空尉 Nitō kūi | 3等空尉 Santō kūi | 准空尉 Jun kūi | |||||||||||||||
The rank insignia ofnon-commissioned officers andenlisted personnel.
| Rank group | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan Air Self-Defense Force[26] | .svg) | .svg) | .svg) | .svg) | .svg) | .svg) | .svg) | .svg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 空曹長 Kūsōchō | 1等空曹 Ittō kūsō | 2等空曹 Nitō kūsō | 3等空曹 Santō kūsō | 空士長 Kūshichō | 1等空士 Ittō kūshi | 2等空士 Nitō kūshi | 自衛官候補生 Jieikan kōhosei | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The JASDF maintains an integrated network ofradar installations andair defense direction centers throughout the country known as the Basic Air Defense Ground Environment. In the late 1980s, the system was modernized and augmented withE-2C Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft. The nation relies on fighter-interceptor aircraft andsurface-to-air missiles to intercept hostile aircraft. Both of these systems were improved from the beginning of the late 1980s. Outmoded aircraft were replaced in the early 1990s with more sophisticated models, andNike-J missiles have been replaced with the modernPatriot PAC-2 andPAC-3 system andM167 VADS.[27][28] The JASDF also provides air support for ground and sea operations of theJGSDF and theJMSDF and air defense for bases of all the forces. Base defenses were upgraded in the late 1980s with new surface-to-air missiles, modern antiaircraft artillery and new fixed and mobile aircraft shelters.
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Japan has unveiled a plan to enhance its future military equipment, focusing on acquiring additional RC-2 aircraft for command, control, and signal intelligence missions. The plan also includes developing a stand-off electronic warfare aircraft to boost electromagnetic warfare and network capabilities. Additionally, Japan aims to strengthen its unmanned aircraft fleet for intelligence gathering and combat missions.[40]
Japan plans to order 1 RC-2 aircraft with the 2024 budget.[41]
Japan plans to order 4 C-2 SOJ electronic warfare aircraft to replace the EC-1 fleet.[41]
Japan selected theT-6JP Texan II trainer aircraft to replace theirFuji T-7s. An unspecified number are to be ordered.[42]
Kawasaki T-4s are expected to be replaced by 2030 with a new advanced trainer. Contenders for this contract include theBoeing-Saab T-7 Red Hawk,Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master,KAI T-50 Golden Eagle, and the Mitsubishi T-X Trainer Concept.[43][44]
| Fiscal year | Budget (¥ billion) | F-35 yearly procurement | Notes | |
| F-35A | F-35B | |||
| Target total | – | 105 | 42 | 147 planned[45] |
| 2025 | ¥ 185.70 | 8 | 3 | [46] |
| 2024 | ¥ 112.00 | 8 | – | [47] |
| ¥ 128.20 | – | 7 | [47] | |
| 2023 | ¥ 106.90 | 8 | – | [48] |
| ¥ 143.50 | – | 8 | [48] | |
| 2022 | ¥ 76.80 | 8 | – | [49] |
| ¥ 51.00 | – | 4 | [49] | |
| 2021 | ¥ 39.10 | 4 | – | [50] |
| ¥ 25.90 | – | 2 | [51] | |
| 2020 | ¥ 28.10 | 3 | – | [52] |
| ¥ 79.30 | – | 6 | [52] | |
| 2019 | ¥ 68.10 | 6 | – | [53] |
| 2018 | ¥ 78.50 | 6 | – | [54] |
| 2017 | ¥ 88.00 | 6 | – | [55] |
| 2016 | ¥ 108.40 | 6 | – | [56] |
| 2015 | ¥ 103.20 | 6 | – | [57] |
| 2014 | ¥ 63.80 | 4 | – | [58] |
| 2013 | ¥ 29.90 | 2 | – | [59] |
| 2012 | ¥ 39.50 | 4 | – | [60] |
| Total | ¥ 1370.2 (+ ¥ 185.70) | 71 (+ 8) | 27 (+ 3) | – |
| 98 (+ 11) | – | |||
The Japan Air Self-Defense Force flag was first adopted in 1955 after the JASDF was created in 1954. It is based on acap badge made in 1954. The flag is cobalt blue with a gold winged eagle on top of a combined star, the moon, theHinomaru sun disc and clouds.[61] The latest version of the JASDF flag was re-adopted on 19 March 2001.[62] The JASDF flag is different from the JSDF flag and the JGSDF flag. It is determined by a directive regarding the flags of the JSDF.
The dish of the JASDF is deep-fried chickenkaraage,[63] such asOkinawan-style deep-fried chicken.[63] The JASDF tried to increase its popularity by promoting its fried chicken recipe since 2018.[63] There were competitions between theJMSDF's popularcurry.[63]
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