Japan Self-Defense Forces

A powerful U.S. missile system deployed in Japan for joint exercises with the Self-Defense Forces will be stored at a key military base in Okinawa Prefecture indefinitely from mid-October, The Japan Times reports. The open-ended storage arrangement underscores the deepening of U.S.-Japan military cooperation and is likely to draw attention in Okinawa, where opposition to a heavy American military presence has long been strong.

Japan's Defense Ministry is planning a new framework to back startups developing unmanned aerial vehicles and related products, according to the Japan Times. The initiative would give emerging defense technology firms a clearer route into supplying the Self-Defense Forces, reflecting Japan's broader push to strengthen its domestic defense industrial base and catch up on drone capabilities amid regional security concerns.