Yokota airmen to shoulder base’s portable Japanese shrine for first time since 2019
For the first time in five years, airmen volunteers from Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo will shoulder a mikoshi and take part in an annual Japanese festival in Fussa, Japan.
Japan’s Cabinet approves spending on US missiles, surveillance drone
The Japanese Cabinet has approved new spending on missile-defense systems jointly developed with the United States as part of its 2017 defense budget proposal.
US, Japan forge agreement on civilian base workers’ legal status
The United States and Japan have nearly finalized a deal that could alter the rights of some civilian base workers in Japan, a move spurred by high-profile arrests of base employees in recent years.
Japan ready to maintain Marine Ospreys east of Tokyo
A Japanese contractor is ready to maintain the Marine Corps’ Osprey fleet in Chiba Prefecture, far from the political tensions that surround the aircraft’s operations on the island of Okinawa.
US, Japan finalize agreement narrowing SOFA for contractors
The United States and Japan signed an agreement Monday that could end Status of Forces Agreement coverage for some military contractors without specialized skills.
Trans-Pacific Partnership withdrawal muddles Asia-Pacific security picture
President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from an economic agreement favored by many in Asia has left Japan and others worried that American-led security in the region will decline as a result.
Japan pays enough for US military bases, Nikkei poll says
Japanese citizens do not want to pay more for hosting U.S. military personnel and are now more likely to predict a downturn in bilateral relations, according to a Nikkei poll released Monday.