The dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces to the earthquake-hit Noto Peninsula has been criticized as piecemeal, but experts say a number of factors worked against a quick response to the disaster.
Two of five bodies found near the crash site of a U.S. military Osprey aircraft were retrieved off Yakushima island in Kagoshima Prefecture, the U.S. Air Force said on Dec. 4.
To beef up defense capabilities, the government has pinpointed 14 civilian airports and 24 ports for upgrades and utilization by the Self-Defense Forces for training and emergencies.
OITA Set against a backdrop of military fighter jets and passenger airliners sharing the runways, the Self-Defense Forces used a commercial airport for the first time in a training exercise simulating an attack on Japan.
A sexually harassed Maritime Self-Defense Force member quit the service after a superior forced her to meet her assailant and listen to his apology, The Asahi Shimbun has learned.