Shinjiro Koizumi

Stories

Japan ends postwar ban on lethal weapons exports

Managing first wave of partner government responses; expected to host Philippine Defense Secretary Teodoro for bilateral talks

Japan banned lethal weapons exports in 1967 and tightened the prohibition in 1976. On April 21, 2026, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's cabinet scrapped those limits.

Updated May 31

Bombers over the Sea of Japan: US–Japan answer China–Russia’s show of force

Force in Play

Coordinating international messaging on Chinese pressure while overseeing Japan's air-defense response

What began with Chinese carrier fighters lighting up Japanese jets with radar near Okinawa has mushroomed into a full-spectrum crisis. After China and Russia sent bombers circling Japan, the US flew B-52s with Japanese fighters over the Sea of Japan.

Updated May 11

Radar lock over Okinawa: Japan–China air clash pulls in the U.S.

Force in Play

Front-line manager of the radar crisis, publicly challenging Beijing’s version of events.

Chinese J-15 jets from the carrier Liaoning repeatedly locked targeting radar onto Japanese F-15s near Okinawa on December 6, forcing Japan to scramble jets and file an emergency protest. Days later, Washington publicly accused Beijing of destabilizing behavior and vowed its commitment to Japan was "unwavering."

Updated May 10

Japan’s 2025 Sanriku earthquake tests a new era of tsunami and ‘megaquake’ preparedness

Built World

Oversees Self‑Defense Forces’ disaster response deployments

On December 8, 2025, a magnitude 7.6 offshore earthquake struck off Aomori Prefecture in the Sanriku region at 23:15 JST. It shook Hachinohe at a maximum 'upper 6' intensity and triggered tsunami warnings forecasting waves up to three meters for parts of Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate.

Updated May 10

China–Japan radar row turns East China Sea and Taiwan tensions into an open crisis

Force in Play

Leads Japan’s military response and public framing of the radar incident

In early December 2025, China's Liaoning carrier strike group sailed through waters near Japan's southwest island chain and into the western Pacific. Over two days, between Okinawa's main island and Minamidaito and then east of Kikai Island, it conducted roughly 100 take-offs and landings of J-15 fighters and helicopters.

Updated May 10

Chinese carrier jets lock fire-control radar on Japanese fighters near Okinawa

Force in Play

Leading Japan’s military and diplomatic response to the radar lock incidents

On December 6, 2025, two Chinese J-15 carrier fighters from the Liaoning locked fire-control radar on Japanese F-15s over international waters southeast of Okinawa. Japan's defense minister Shinjiro Koizumi called the lock-ons "dangerous" and "extremely regrettable," and Tokyo lodged a formal protest.

Updated May 10

Notable Quotes

"A dangerous act that exceeded the scope necessary for safe aircraft operations," he said of the radar locks.

from Bombers over the Sea of Japan: US–Japan answer China–Russia’s show of force · Updated May 11

On the joint patrols he warned of "deliberate acts of intimidation" that expand hostile activity around Japan.

from Bombers over the Sea of Japan: US–Japan answer China–Russia’s show of force · Updated May 11

Told NATO's Rutte that cooperation between Japan and NATO as well as IP4 is "strategically important."

from Bombers over the Sea of Japan: US–Japan answer China–Russia’s show of force · Updated May 11

Called the repeated joint bomber flights "a grave concern from the standpoint of Japan's security."

from Bombers over the Sea of Japan: US–Japan answer China–Russia’s show of force · Updated May 11

Called the radar lock “a dangerous act that exceeded the scope necessary for safe aircraft operations.”

from Radar lock over Okinawa: Japan–China air clash pulls in the U.S. · Updated May 10

Clarified that Japanese jets “did not aim their radar at Chinese aircraft” during the encounters.

from Radar lock over Okinawa: Japan–China air clash pulls in the U.S. · Updated May 10